Grace Periods

jlfrs01

I've read that enforcement companies have to give motorists 10 minutes grace to allow them to pay for parking.

There's a very busy car park in Manchester I would like to use, it's run by NCP and I've read up on their T's and C's which state ".....you should be aware that you will be required to pay any additional charge due as a result of your vehicle's actual time in the Car Park ..."

My concern is that if I enter this car park, can't find a spot to park and don't get out within 10 minutes am I likely to be sent a PCN? A lot of car parks have "full" signs at the entry barriers - this particular one doesn't so I won't know until I go in.

KeithP

jlfrs01 said:

My concern is that if I enter this car park, can't find a spot to park and don't get out within 10 minutes am I likely to be sent a PCN?

Yes.         

Coupon-mad

There is no 10 minute consideration period.  If you decide to stay & pay, your time starts (according to the BPA CoP) when you went past the entrance ANPR.

There is a 10 minute grace period but that's AFTER parking; a period of grace to get back in the car & drive out. You aren't talking about that.

Why use an NCP car park?  Is there not a Council one nearby?  Or a side street without 24/7 restrictions or that offers pay by phone?

Councils can't use ANPR to generate parking tickets (it is illegal) so for that reason, it is always safest to seek out Council parking.

On-street is best and that's what I always go for in Cities, even in car-hating Cities like London, Oxford & Brighton.  I never use private car parks, except supermarkets where you can't avoid them when shopping.

jlfrs01

Thanks for the comments, being charged for merely entering a car park was a new one on me but now I think about it, it does make sense.

To answer Coupon-mad's questions, the office I need to visit is in a not very nice part of Manchester and as I will leave my car unattended for several hours I'd really prefer it to be as secure as possible. I think this is why this particular car park is so popular. As I can expense my parking it's not a decision based on price and even though I could claim back the cost of a PCN it's the thought of giving NCP money for the privilege of driving in their car park which sticks in my throat. Think I'll find another, quieter car park.......

Thanks

Coupon-mad

jlfrs01 said:

Thanks for the comments, being charged for merely entering a car park was a new one on me but now I think about it, it does make sense.

No , it really doesn't!

That's why the Government is removing it in the Consideration & Grace periods section of the new 2024 Statutory CoP, to replace the self-serving, PCN-enabling drivel:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-parking-code-of-practice/private-parking-code-of-practice

It's only temporarily withdrawn.  About to be resurrected this month with a final 'draft Impact Assessment'. 

jlfrs01

Thanks Coupon-mad, I had a quick look at the link - that's a pretty lengthy document and I was initially confused with the introduction stating it was to do with encouraging shoppers back into The High Street. It's only my personal opinion but it'll take more than making it easier for drivers to park to sort out The High Street's woes!

Because I scanned the document, I couldn't pick up on where it differentiates between paying to park a vehicle versus paying for time spent in a car park and that's where I was coming from in my response. As the Operators use ANPR to record the time spent between entering and leaving a car park to assess the parking fee then I imagine there'd be no way of knowing if a driver had actually parked there or not, it's assumed they entered the car park with the intention of parking. Similarly, where the document goes into some length around a driver stopping and not parking, an ANPR equipped car park will still charge the driver anyway, so is there any point in attempting to define stopping v parking?
.

Coupon-mad

The definitions at the start say that a parking period IS NOT the time between two ANPR images.

Then in the lowest section there's a section or Annex about Grace and Consideration periods - defined in some detail.

I had a personal hand in this statutory Code, as I'm on the Steering Group, working on this since 2020.  Proud of it in lots of ways; it will be great if the Government get the final push right because the parking industry have blocked it (over a year ago) and are not making it easy to regulate the rogues.

A DLUHC Announcement about resurrecting it is due this month 'before Summer Recess' so stick around, we will be all over it and every victim's evidence will be key.