Parking rules and charges branded unfair

Consumer website Which? is calling for change as its research reveals unfair parking charges and unclear signs in the unregulated private parking industry.

Which? checked private parking conditions in a typical urban area and found signs that were obscured or had defunct phone numbers, and penalties that ranged from £100 up to £360. In response, the British Parking Association have acknowledged that the highest charges are ‘unlikely to be fair’, clamper towing a car agreed that signs weren’t clear.

When investigating public sector parking, six of the 96 councils questioned by Which? admitted that they set targets for the number of tickets issued. Further, Which? uncovered a discrepancy in the way appeals are handled. Although Department for Transport guidance says prompt payment discounts should be maintained if a driver makes an appeal which is rejected, only around a third of councils said they do this in every case, a practice that Which? claims could stop people appealing.

Which? also found that some healthcare trusts in England are making more than a million pounds a year from hospital car park fees while others are making losses.

Martyn Hocking, editor of Which? magazine, said:

“Of course it’s fair to stop people parking on your land or to charge them a fee for the privilege, but it should be absolutely clear where people can and can’t park, and what the charges and penalties are. It’s not right that huge sums can be extracted from unsuspecting drivers, or that incentive schemes can be used to discourage people from appealing fines.”

“There are good reasons why hospitals charge for their car parks but if they’re making large profits, there’s clearly scope to reduce the amount they charge.”

Which? is calling for minimum standards on private parking signs and costs, rigorous monitoring of enforcement companies and an independent appeals process.