Motorists can expect a summer of parking tickets misery with a record number of fines slapped on vehicles in private car parks.
Earlier this year, the Government announced a Private Parking Code of Practice to crack down on overcharging, misleading signage and aggressive tactics which result in motorists paying hefty fines.
But news of the proposed rules – currently on hold – has created a rush of ticketing from private car parking firms which fear that their lucrative market could soon disappear.
Misery: A record 8.6million parking tickets have been issued by private car parks over the past year, according to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
A record 8.6million parking tickets have been issued by private car parks over the past year, according to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
In the past four years, there has been a 50 per rise in tickets issued. Only one in four motorists bother to appeal. Yet, of those who do, two in five are successful.
If you get a ‘parking charge notice’ on private land, you should appeal directly to the firm if you think it is unfair. If not successful, you may have a further 28 days to put your case to the independent Parking on Private Land Appeals scheme.
If you receive a ticket for parking on council land, you will receive a ‘penalty charge notice’.
If you wish to appeal, you must do so within 14 days. Should the appeal fail, you can take the case to an independent adjudicator within 28 days.
Among the most common reasons for getting a fine thrown out are missing or defective signage, a ticketing mistake, incorrect information about your vehicle, or problems fitting into a car park bay.
