Drivers to be hit with major car park rules shake-up – how it impacts you
Drivers could soon be given more time to pay for car parking after private companies pledged to update their code of conduct.
There is normally a grace period of at least five minutes for motorists to pay for parking, but a shake-up of the rules has been confirmed after legal action was launched against a driver. In November last year, the BBC reported that Rosey Hudson was being taken to court by a private parking company for £1,906 after she took more than five minutes to pay because of poor mobile phone signal.
Private parking businesses have also been accused of using misleading and confusing signs, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees. The British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC) have now announced a new panel to revise the code to ensure it “protects genuine motorists who have difficulty making prompt payment on entry”.
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New rules will come into effect by February 2025, followed by a full review which is expected by the following April. It comes as drivers are being hit by an average of more than 41,000 parking tickets a day by private companies, with 3.8 million tickets 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.
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: “The formation of this panel is an important step in delivering consistency to the oversight of the private parking sector Single Code of Practice. We want to demonstrate that not only are we serious about raising standards but also making decisive changes to the code when issues arise.” But the organisation stressed that “many car parks … are pay on entry”, and urged drivers to “read signage and follow instructions” to avoid fines.
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.”
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