We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.
This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
Parking stories in the News/media
Comments
-
Two £100 charges were issued to a Clifton man who paid for his parking whilst still in the airport rapid drop-off zone.
APCOA said: "Customers are advised on the payment screen that vehicles must have left the drop off area before a payment is made."
5 -
Readers slam airport drop-off fees after charges rise by a third.
Our community reacted with fury after new analysis revealed airport drop-off fees have risen by a third on average since last summer – comparing the ‘farewell fee’ to free kiss-and-fly schemes abroad and demanding the government step in.
5 -
That is so typical of this sector, and sums up all that is wrong with a lack of barriers, which obviously works against consumers as a 'only pay later' toll that a lot of busy people will forget.
Then even when a motorist pays on site as per the signs he gets a scam charge!
The barriers need restoring with a pay-point. The old system wasn't broken and didn't need fixing. APCOA have made millions from these traps recently.
PRIVATE 'PCN'? DON'T PAY BUT DON'T IGNORE IT (except N.Ireland).
CLICK at the top or bottom of any page where it says:
Home»Motoring»Parking Tickets Fines & Parking - read the NEWBIES THREAD6 -
A motorcyclist is the latest to hit out at the ‘parking injustice’ at Ashby Fields in Daventry
Adrian Baldwin stopped in the layby area opposite Tesco Express to use the cashpoint, but days later was slapped with a £100 'fine'.
He said:
“I received a parking fine for stopping in an area of a free car park. Getting off my bike, getting money out of the cashpoint, getting back on and riding away took one minute and eight seconds. It was hardly clear from the road surface that parking in that space was not allowed. A sign was up but I simply didn’t see it.
I saw the red lines and avoided stopping on those.
I would argue no one riding up on a motorbike in a full-face crash helmet would have any chance of reading the sign without getting off of said bike, and thereby incurring a 'fine' anyway.”
Misleading surface markings are misleading consumer notices. Just look at those amateurish double red lines in the wrong shade, with no sign, then a marked layby with a sign at right angles and instant ticketing by post with no consideration period.
Yet that's a BAY, not a no stopping area.
That's a concealed trap with not even a large text warning about camera surveillance. If they don't want people to stop there, don't mark it as a bay!
But the car park is run by (Sussex pariah) ex-wheelclampers One Parking Solution, so of course they want victims to stop there.
Reportedly, lots of locals have been caught in seconds which is OPS' true aim because they don't make any money unless they catch out motorists.
He paid it despite it being unfair.
The IPC must be so proud.
PRIVATE 'PCN'? DON'T PAY BUT DON'T IGNORE IT (except N.Ireland).
CLICK at the top or bottom of any page where it says:
Home»Motoring»Parking Tickets Fines & Parking - read the NEWBIES THREAD6 -
Patients of a Heysham medical centre have enlisted the help of Morecambe's MP after being fined when using a controversial new parking system.
Lizzi Collinge, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, has been contacted by several residents after they received PCNs at Heysham Primary Care Centre car park where ANPR was installed in April, so motorists have to enter their car registration number at kiosks at the medical centre.
In a statement shared on the Bay Medical Group page on July 16, NHS Property Services said:
"We are aware that some patients and visitors may have experienced issues with the parking system (ANPR) at Heysham Primary Care Centre, and we sincerely apologise for any inconvenience or concern this may have caused. We can confirm that Parking Charge Notices (PCNs) that have been identified as affected since the system went live are being cancelled.
"For anyone who has received a PCN: If your PCN relates to this issue, it will be cancelled where appropriate. You do not need to take any further action. We understand how important it is that patients can access services without added worry, and we are working to ensure a fair and appropriate resolution for everyone affected."
But speaking this week, Ms Collinge said: "This morning my team have spoken NPC (National Parking Control) about the parking fines at Heysham Health Centre.
Despite assurances by NHS Property Services that all parking fines would be cancelled, and paid fines refunded, NPC are now refusing to refund these fines which were only issued due to an error in their own system.
Ms Collinge said these PCNs were only issued due to an error in a new parking system at the medical centre.
A spokesperson for the MP told us they were "having a battle" to get the parking company to issue refunds, that many of the patients who have contacted Ms Collinge were elderly and vulnerable.
Of course they are vulnerable.
ANPR has no place there. It's a GP surgery!
And these victims are having their images taken and data collected unlawfully, not least because ANPR surveillance should be a last resort, says the ICO, and this system sees pictures of drivers attending their doctors surgery being posted out to third party registered keepers.
As we've said before, someone could even end up killed if they are in a domestic violence relationship and the registered keeper doesn't know their partner went to the GP, then receives a letter from a scam parking firm alerting them…
ANPR must be banned at particularly sensitive (non-retail) car parks such as GP surgeries, hospitals and residential car parks. Nobody should have to input their numberplate or pay £100 a day for lawful, authorised parking at their own homes or doctor's surgery.
These sites must change to warden patrols only, as applies to local authority car parks.
PRIVATE 'PCN'? DON'T PAY BUT DON'T IGNORE IT (except N.Ireland).
CLICK at the top or bottom of any page where it says:
Home»Motoring»Parking Tickets Fines & Parking - read the NEWBIES THREAD7 -
Smart Parking at it yet again:
BUT THIS ONE IS BIG
Businesses, berth holders and individuals associated with the historic Liverpool Marina have described a "catastrophic nightmare" after scores of people were hit with thousands of pounds worth of fines, bailiff threats and court orders for parking where they say they should never have been charged.
The situation has now escalated to such a point that many of those who operate from or are based at the marina are facing thousands of pounds worth of fines and have been receiving threatening letters from bailiffs and court claims.
At the start of 2022, the Marina engaged Smart Parking to 'manage'(!) the car parks at the Marina, which the Beard family has on a long-lease from the Canal and River Trust.
{BIG MISTAKE}…
They informed Smart Parking that a large number of berth holders, employees, owners of independent businesses at the marina and others should be placed on a white list, meaning they were allowed to park for free and should not be fined by Smart Parking, which operated ANPR cameras in the car parks.
David Beard explained:
"We started noticing towards the end of 2024, that more and more customers were coming to us complaining that they were getting Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), which they should not have been getting. We couldn’t understand why this was happening."
David said the marina got so fed up with this happening, that they decided to end their contract with Smart Parking and brought on another parking operator. Smart Parking was told of this in November 2024, with the contract ending the following March.
But then things got worse, David explained, stating:
"From the time we gave them notice, the number of PCNs increased dramatically."
Quelle surprise…
…given what Smart Parking's top guys openly and gloatingly told their Aussie shareholders in a published profit analysis this year.
"Smart Parking Ltd (ASX: SPZ) reported a record first half for fiscal year 2026, delivering an impressive 96% surge in revenue to $62.6 million AUD and a 121% increase in earnings per share to 1.56 cents…"
Read it…
Almost with a nod and a wink, in answer to a shareholder question which was in effect: "How do you persuade a landowner client to let you issue more PCNs if a site isn't making enough profit?"
…Smart boasted that they can always issue more PCNs by 'adjusting the client dashboard'.
Say what now?
Translation:
The 'dashboard' is the site user interface = primarily what's known as the whitelist (see above article for the devastation that can be caused by a parking firm's extreme level of unilateral control over who can/can't park without penalty).
So, 'adjusting the dashboard' means removing vehicles that were on the whitelist or partially/entirely removing the landowner's right to authorised whitelists… i.e. pulling the rug.
Yep.
That's what they meant, IMHO.
They also boasted that they didn't think the statutory code and regulation in the UK would debt their profits at all.
Unstoppable, unless the CMA step in?
PRIVATE 'PCN'? DON'T PAY BUT DON'T IGNORE IT (except N.Ireland).
CLICK at the top or bottom of any page where it says:
Home»Motoring»Parking Tickets Fines & Parking - read the NEWBIES THREAD6 -
Wait…
THIS ONE ABOVE REALLY IS BIG
…just read all the victims' stories in that article, ALL PREVIOUSLY ON THE WHITELIST (dashboard).
Some duped people have even paid thousands despite their vehicles (reportedly) always being on the marina whitelist.
And then, read this:
(The marina owner) said he had offered to pay a settlement of £50,000 to Smart Parking to settle everyone's claims, but on the proviso that an agreement would be signed that no more PCNs would arrive for anyone related to the marina going forward.
He says the company refused to agree to this.
In a response, Smart Parking told the ECHO:
[snip all the 'we're playing nicely' spiel crap]
But Smart conclude with:
"We are currently in dispute with Liverpool Marina regarding a larger issue."
Errrm - oh dear, a larger issue?
I have visions of ParkingEye v Somerfield Stores here.
We know what happened to Somerfield for sacking ParkingEye (who - as an aside - were held in 2012 by the Court of Appeal judges to be likely guilty of the tort of deceit against consumers, and even illegality in their letters - but that wasn't relevant to the case!) then soon after, Somerfield Stores was no more.
I will alert the CMA.
Smart need investigating and stopping, IMHO.
PRIVATE 'PCN'? DON'T PAY BUT DON'T IGNORE IT (except N.Ireland).
CLICK at the top or bottom of any page where it says:
Home»Motoring»Parking Tickets Fines & Parking - read the NEWBIES THREAD8 -
RE: SMART PARKING
The plague of Scotland and a deadly virus throughout the UK
Turnoverr $62.6 million AU wgich is £32.7743 million
The CMA caN fine 10% being some £3.2 MILLION which goes to the treasury
Adjusting the whitelist to boost profits for their aussie shareholders must be fraud.
No wonder Smart changed to the IPC …… WHERE the "not fit for purpose" IAS computer SAYS NO
Come on CMA Smart Parking must be stopped, fine them as their business practice is anti consumer
3 -
It's a shave that there doesn't appear to be any action being taken against those who allow the likes of Smart or any other PPC to operate in their car parks etc,
If the CMA put the supermarkets and other such places in the same bracket, or even had people who work for those organisations such as whoever signed the contract being held personally liable, the whole PPC business would collapse as being to risky
From the Plain Language Commission:
"The BPA has surely become one of the most socially dangerous organisations in the UK"5 -
I totally agree with you. No doubt those who employ parking companies will get a share of the action which must mean they are jointly responsible
3
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply
Categories
- All Categories
- 355.5K Banking & Borrowing
- 254.8K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 456K Spending & Discounts
- 248.1K Work, Benefits & Business
- 605.5K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 178.9K Life & Family
- 263.3K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.7K Read-Only Boards