Private parking companies say they will change their rules that drivers should not take more than five minutes to pay after a woman racked up nearly £2,000 in fines.
Two industry bodies representing the sector announced they have established a panel to revise the code of conduct to ensure it “protects genuine motorists who have difficulty making prompt payment on entry”.
The British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC) said the panel will also “fast-track updates to the code to reflect technological advancements”.
It comes after Rosey Hudson was taken to court by a private parking company for £1,906 after she repeatedly took more than five minutes to pay after entering a car park in Derby because of poor mobile phone signal, as reported by the BBC last year.
Private parking businesses have been accused of using misleading and confusing signs, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees. It emerged in November that drivers in Britain are being hit by an average of more than 41,000 parking tickets a day by private companies.
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Rosey was fined for taking more than five minutes to pay
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Image:
BBC)
Rosey took longer to pay due to poor mobile phone coverage
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BBC)
Some 3.8 million tickets were handed out between July and September 2024, according to analysis of Government data by the PA news agency and motoring research charity the RAC Foundation. Each ticket can be up to £100, meaning the total cost to drivers may be near £4.1 million per day.
A Bill to enable the introduction of a Government-backed code of practice for private parking companies received royal assent under the Conservative government in March 2019. It was withdrawn in June 2022 after a legal challenge by parking companies.
This code included halving the cap on tickets for most parking offences to £50, creating a fairer appeals system, and banning the use of aggressive language on tickets.
Rosey was given the fines for parking in Derby
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Image:
BBC)
Rosey was fined a total of £1,906
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Image:
BBC)
In June, the BPA and IPC published their own code of practice, which will be overseen by the new panel. IPC chief executive Will Hurley said: “The creation of the panel shows the commitment the industry has to improving the reputation of our sector. We must not forget the valuable service we provide to ensure the vast majority of people can park when and where they need to.”
BPA chief executive Andrew Pester said: “We want to demonstrate that not only are we serious about raising standards but also making decisive changes to the code when issues arise.” In relation to the five-minute rule, the organisations stressed that “many car parks … are pay on entry”, and it is important drivers “read signage and follow instructions”.
RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said: “The fact that the private parking industry is already having to review its own code, just months after it was introduced, shows it’s not working in drivers’ interests. This is yet another reason why the launch of the long-overdue official Private Parking Code of Practice, that became law five years ago, is very much needed.We fear that without this, drivers who use private car parks will continue to be worse off.”