Parking stories in the News/media

Coupon-mad

Thorndorise said:

patient_dream said:

LATEST NEWS FROM THE BPA

Summer of Parking Chaos Sweeps Across England

https://www.britishparking-media.co.uk/news/summer-of-parking-chaos-sweeps-across-england

What do the BPA expect given the current scam operating at the moment

Someone's been swallowing a Hurley pill!

"More troubling still, repeat offenders are treating fines as little more than a daily parking fee to enable them to park wherever they like. A local authority told us they had seen a 30% increase in vehicles with 3 or more paid Penalty Charge Notices (PCN)."

AND

"The BPA, the UK’s leading voice for the parking sector, warns that the root cause is a lack of meaningful deterrence."

Utter tosh!

The BPA always were good at scaremongering crap and this one literally gives no facts or figures and they only allude to locations. It's all hot air:

• A local authority told us they had seen a 30% increase in vehicles with 3 or more paid Penalty Charge Notices (PCN).

So that could mean ten last year, 13 this year.

And this could easily be figures from Local Authorities who've either stepped up patrols after a lull, messed up their permit issuing or simply increased their residential CPZs by 25-76% in the past year!

• Over the past year alone, the BPA has seen:
  
  Authorities with between a 24.7% and 76% increase in vehicles parking in residential zones without valid permits.

There are lies, damn lies and statistics...

Not half as funny as the one they spun about the "£19.5 billion hit to the high streets" though!

J63320

I don’t understand why this is news. Years ago (the 1980s?) you could always find lots of expensive cars parked on the double yellows in the little streets behind Kendal’s (posh department store) in Manchester. It’s always been the case that, if you’ve got enough money, you can just buy your way out of the rules that the rest of us have to adhere to.

Nellymoser

A Labour MP says government plans to overhaul the private parking sector do not go far enough to tackle "huge profiteering".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg955q5v91o

Derby South MP Baggy Shanker says parking charge notices (PCNs) should be capped at £50, instead of the £100 in a proposed statutory code of practice that car park operators will have to follow.

Isaac Occhipinti, BPA head of external affairs said: "We would strongly support the government's decision to maintain the £100 cap on parking charges,"

"An effective deterrent is essential to prevent inconsiderate parking behaviour, such as parking in Blue Badge bays, blocking emergency vehicle access, or overstaying in limited spaces, which restricts access for other motorists."

I'm sure many of us Isaac will have suggested in our consultation response the same effective deterrent (a high monetary charge) is needed for your and IPC's greedy REPEAT offending members who breach the CoP.

We'll be counting on your support Isaac and Will. Don't disappoint show us how fair the BPA and IPC are.

Car1980

"Blocking emergency vehicle access"

Yeah, always seeing people come on here complaining they've been ticketed for parking in A&E whilst wondering off for a Costa 😆

Fruitcake

The cynic in me believes this is being stirred up by the private parking sector. If they get their way and displaying a blue badge in an accessible bay becomes mandatory on private land instead of optional as a curtesy, we will end up with a parking code of practice that breaches The Equality Act 2010.

Drivers urged to report people parking at Aldi, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons

Coupon-mad

Car1980 said:

"Blocking emergency vehicle access"

Yeah, always seeing people come on here complaining they've been ticketed for parking in A&E whilst wondering off for a Costa 😆

Given 90% of PCNs are issued by remote cameras - primarily ANPR at the entry & exit - how exactly does ANPR detect that?!

Coupon-mad

Northampton General Hospital apologises after parking system fault leads to disabled users receiving fines

https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/transport/northampton-general-hospital-apologises-after-parking-system-fault-leads-to-disabled-users-receiving-fines-5304972

Two blue badge holders say they have incorrectly received parking fines after parking at NGH. Paul Muddiman, who has MS, says he has received a few tickets since August. The 54-year-old said:

"I've been in hospital to visit my father. My brothers and I are all going to see Dad as much as we can in hospital, as much as possible. I've been stitched up with tickets, as my brother had been. He paid his but I haven't. It’s lucky that my son always takes a photo of the machine to say you've paid."

Another disabled user, Nichola Joynes, also said she had received a fine despite entering her blue badge details correctly at the machine. She said the issue affected multiple visits to the hospital and believed others could have experienced the same problem.

The Chronicle & Echo asked NGH about the issue. The hospital says it has discovered that there is a problem with the ANPR machine, which could have affected hundreds.

The fines are set at £60 but are reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days.

Group Nexus has been contacted for comment.

Sigh...

The BPA must be so proud.

Here's the hospital website which shows their Estates Team has swallowed the 'ANPR benefits' spiel, hook line and sinker, it is embarrassing that NHS Trusts are spouting the crap that comes out from this industry:

"ANPR will not impact concessions for Blue Badge users"

Well that's a lie, isn't it? Group Nexus: so this is your version of parking management for vulnerable users?

There's supposedly a higher 'lawful purpose' bar to process data of disabled people (DUA Act). Just because PPCs 'want' to use ANPR because it's cheaper than bothering to have someone on foot monitoring accessible bays doesn't make it OK to transfer the burden to blue badge holders to register or scan their Blue Badge, then rush to get their DVLA data because your system is pants, Group Nexus.

Coupon-mad

OAP ‘repeatedly threatened’ by parking firm over £1.60 ticket – despite having paid… as she blasts, ‘it’s making me ill’

https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/36555044/parking-firm-threatens-pensioner/

This heinous case is a classic example to use, to convince the MHCLG not to let the parking industry charge a rip-off £20 'admin fee' for keypad/machine failures that let a partial VRM be entered:

A PENSIONER says she's being threatened by bailiffs over a £1.60 parking ticket she's already paid for.

Francis Joy, 75, was slapped with a £170 fine from private firm ParkingEye. Francis was told bailiffs will collect the £170 fine: "It is quite obvious I paid to park, it is causing me quite a lot of stress at a very bad time."

The company had offered to reduce the fine to £20 before it was bumped up to £170 but Francis said:

"I can prove I paid, and I have the ticket. It's the principle, they are doing all this to get some money out of me, and I think it's so wrong, it's like they rigged the machine."

She has since received a letter saying DCBL Bailiffs have been instructed to collect £170 from her. The letter said she could no longer appeal the charge, and the next chance she could do so would be in court.

The Sun contacted ParkingEye for comment and a spokesperson said: "On this occasion the motorist failed to register their vehicle correctly and received a parking charge".

"Their appeal was rejected and we offered a further reduced amount of £20. The motorist failed to make the £20 payment or use the additional appeals process to POPLA, and therefore the case has now been escalated to debt recovery", the company added.

Tone deaf consumer blame example ParkingEye. Unwise at this particular time.

I'll use this one. Thanks...

  

Coupon-mad

Interesting one from NI, where it is reported that an Iceland store has suspended parking 'management' by Horizon, after the local MP weighed in over a 'scam' of ANPR-issued PCNs flooding out to shoppers who found the machine hadn't been functioning:  

https://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/northern-ireland/ni-supermarket-chain-suspends-car-parking-fines-after-customer-complaints/a457537247.html

------------------------------------------------------

FROM FACEBOOK, JUST LOOK AT ALL THE DUPED PEOPLE WHO HAVE PAID!

FLIPPING HECK, do drivers in NI not know that you do not pay these outrageous scams?

The BPA must be so proud.

Coupon-mad

Man fined after helping pensioner who broke down in Oswestry

https://www.bordercountiesadvertizer.co.uk/news/25445195.man-fined-helping-pensioner-broke-oswestry/

Nick Shanagher has raised concerns after he was fined £100 by enforcement firm ParkingEye when looked to help an 85-year-old woman in Cambrian works car park earlier this year. He was fined £100 for ‘parking’ at the site on April 5 despite the fact he visited the site to help a friend of his mother.

“I had entered the car park not to park, but to help an 85-year-old woman, a friend of my 89-year-old mother, whose vehicle had broken down. Passers-by had pushed her car into the car park for safety. She was visibly distressed and struggling to use the RAC app on her phone. “I assisted her in submitting the breakdown request and stayed until we received confirmation that help was on the way. Then I left.”

As is reported often, ParkingEye come across as arrogant and nasty. Hmmm...

Time and again they seem to relish stabbing their victims with a sour dose of consumer blame, even when they cancel one to avoid bad publicity, as here:

A ParkingEye spokesperson said:

“ParkingEye provides car park management services at Cambrian Works Car Park. The car park features 17 prominent signs advising on how to use the car park responsibly.  

Motorists are advised that it is pay on arrival through the Evology payment app, and that tariffs apply 6pm to 7am Monday to Friday, and all day Saturday and Sunday. The motorist correctly received a parking charge for parking on Saturday April 5th and not making a payment.”

The motorist did not provide any evidence for failing to adhere to the terms & conditions of the car park and their appeal was rejected."

Hmmm...

Actually, ParkingEye why not rein in your spiel about how many "prominent signs" are up & how you've cancelled it "as a goodwill gesture" and instead, just say sorry?

Did you also 'fine' the poor old lady whose car broke down? I don't see how she escaped. She'll have paid it, won't she?

The BPA must be so proud.