Drivers keen to avoid parking fines.

[ringway]

Councils wishing to fill budget deficits with cash from parking fines may be disappointed - because drivers are determined to avoid them, a motoring organisation has said.



AA members were asked to pick their motoring New Year resolutions, and by far the most popular was trying to park legally more often.



Some 70% were keen to keep parking attendants twiddling their thumbs, the study found.

Driving less aggressively (58%) was the next most popular aim, with obeying the speed limit more at 56% - the same as driving less often.
Driving more safely (46%) and more economically (36%) were also resolutions which probably reflect the high cost of fuel, it said.

AA president Edmund King said: "Too many councils are banking on extra revenue from raising parking fine levels - in London they want to charge £130.
"They may be sorely disappointed: high fuel prices and austere times mean fewer trips to the shops and less pressure on parking spaces.
"There is no justification for increasing parking penalties as compliance at current levels has improved. Yet many local authorities are now introducing parking charges on Sundays, extending parking charges until 10pm and hiking up the price of residents' parking permits.

"Hard times also manifest themselves in the high number looking at driving less often (56%) and more economically (36%). It may also suggest that many drivers now feel they cannot save any more fuel by changing their driving and that they are being forced to find ways of not driving."

Recent Government figures indicate that drivers are already complying more with parking restrictions as the number of penalty charge notices issued on-street in England in 2009/10 was 7.14 million compared to 7.41 million in 2008/09, a 4% decrease, the AA said.

 

[camerafodder]

A few years ago they started to ruin our little town when all of the free parking became 'pay in dismay' overnight. This happened simultaniously with the arrival of an out of town supermarket (free parking of course). I'm not knocking the supermarket as its quite a good one but surely they should have left the town parking alone, after all very little is done to maintain the parking areas and now they are putting the fees up by 40% and considering charging overnight too! Councillors, bless them. If only they had a hobby or something interesting/useful to do.

 

[davidjpowell]

A few years ago parking charges were introduced on the edge of Doncaster Town Centre, in an area which had previously always been free all day parking.

Office occupiers vanished, and the street was often very empty. All the people who had parked there moved further down on to the residential streets, much to the residents irritation.

They have now done away with the charges, but limited the parking to 2 hours. It's a tad busier, although residents remain unimpressed...

 

[bpsorrel]

Went to Milton Keynes at the weekend and noticed a lot of the previous "standard rate" parking areas have been changed to "premium rate"!!! This can't be good for the centre as markedly fewer people were parking... Councils are short sighted money grabbing @rses!!

 

[Oli]

It won't effect the expensive parts of London much, all the people there seem to like thier cars non UK registered and I imagine the tickets go straight in the bin.
Can't say I blame them really no one likes a parking attendant.

 

[corned]

Google 'Kingston-upon-Thames' and 'parking'.

I remember reading in a motoring magazine years ago about what happened to the town centre after the council started charging for parking and the out-of-town shopping centres arrived.

"This town, is coming like a ghost town"

 

[prprandall51]

At a Chamber of Commerce meeting with the council in our town, the Chamber representatives complained to the council that the Pay-and-Display car parks (which run at 70p per hour) were turning the town centre into a ghost town. Obviously, the council weren't about to make the car parks free but the Chamber requested that they be run on a pay-on-exit basis instead so that shoppers didn't feel time-constrained over their parking, thus encouraging them to browse and linger longer in the town centre.

I couldn't believe it when the councilor responded that pay-on-exit was a very unsatisfactory means of charging because, with Pay-and-Display, shoppers either paid for too much parking time (in which case the council was effectively receiving double income on a proportion of the parking space) or the shoppers paid too little, in which case the council made money out of parking penalties. "With pay-on-exit," he concluded, "we would only get standard revenues for each parking bay".

 

[Noodle-Pulp]

Google 'Kingston-upon-Thames' and 'parking'.

I remember reading in a motoring magazine years ago about what happened to the town centre after the council started charging for parking and the out-of-town shopping centres arrived.

"This town, is coming like a ghost town"

Having lived in Kingston in my youth I know exactly where to park within walking distance of the centre and not have to pay for it

 

[Stempies]

A few years ago they started to ruin our little town when all of the free parking became 'pay in dismay' overnight.

That irritates the hell out of me, £1.00 fixed rate whether you are 5 mins or 10 hours!!

 

[Rory]

I couldn't believe it when the councilor responded that pay-on-exit was a very unsatisfactory means of charging because, with Pay-and-Display, shoppers either paid for too much parking time (in which case the council was effectively receiving double income on a proportion of the parking space) or the shoppers paid too little, in which case the council made money out of parking penalties. "With pay-on-exit," he concluded, "we would only get standard revenues for each parking bay".

When parking income fell in Chester due to lower use because of competition from Cheshire Oaks and the Trafford Centre, the powers-that-be responding by increasing the parking charges. Muppets!

 

[camerafodder]

That irritates the hell out of me, £1.00 fixed rate whether you are 5 mins or 10 hours!!

And they don't give out change!

 

[jeffwebb]

It would be interesting to hear the thinking of some of these town councillors. It seems obvious to me that people will try to park for free even if it means walking a little bit further. If cars are moved, by restrictions, from one place they will move to another regardless of the effect on others (eg residents). Where I live in the UK, we have private parking but the curse of the double yellow creeps ever closer, forcing people to consider parking inconsiderately. We now have the ban on private clamping so what are we supposed to do? Consider expensive security barriers or put up with the occasional interloper. I am fortunate to spend a lot of time in Spain where this nonsense is rare and I know it's an age thing but the older I get, the more I hate the UK. (Rant Over, sorry).
Regards, Jeff.

 

[Davo]

I refuse to pay to park, if at all possible.

The 2 local towns (which used to have plenty of free parking) have constant hiviz traffic wardens, obviously briefed to issue enough tickets to recoup their wages from the motorist. If I can't find somewhere to park free, I keep going to the nearby retail park where I can.

I feel sorry for the shops, who pay good money in rates, while the council drives away their customers.

 

[TaffH]

With our town centres dying on their feet you would think that the councillors, who we elect to promote our local areas (yeah I know, naive or what?) would do everything possible to bring them back to life. Shops full of businesses paying their rates has to be good news.
Instead the money grabbing morons charge utterly outrageous amounts to use their car parks forcing most people to out of town supermarkets where everything is under one roof and parking is free.
They then complain that these same supermarkets are killing town centres.
It beggars belief!

 

[219]

The solution is simple .

Use the freedom of information act to find out which councillors voted which way on this issue then , come election time , VOTE THOSE WHO VOTED FOR HIGH PARKING CHARGES OUT OF OFFICE .

 

[ringway]

And they don't give out change!

Quite possibly illegal?

If a shopkeeper wouldn't give change from a £2 coin for a £1 item..