Author Topic: Attempts to woo the voters by using parking as a battleground  (Read 4753 times)

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Offline The Bald Eagle

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Attempts to woo the voters by using parking as a battleground
« on: 31 January, 2015, 02:19:59 PM »
I have a feeling we are going to see more and more parking stories in the run up to the election, with MPs and party spokesmen putting their oars in in an attempt to sway the parking public that they will be the ones to end the war on motorists, provided you vote for them of course.

I have set this thread up so that we can put all such attempts in one place. If you find any others, please put them on this thread.

Here is your starter for 10.

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2931789/Drivers-fleeced-fines-putting-parking-ticket-wrong-dashboard-MP-claims.html

Drivers 'fleeced' by fines for putting their parking ticket on the wrong part of their dashboard, MP claims

    Tory MP Robert Halfon calls for urgent debate in Parliament on scandal
    Claims motorists fined despite poor signs on restricted areas
    Fines also imposes when 'ticket on the wrong place on car's dashboard'
    Demands ministers launch an urgent inquiry into disgraceful behaviour


The country’s biggest car park chain has been fining drivers for putting pay-and-display tickets in the wrong place on their dashboards, according to a Tory MP.

Robert Halfon made the claim in Parliament yesterday as he called for an inquiry into the ‘disgraceful behaviour’ of NCP, which runs more than 500 car parks nationwide.

The MP for Harlow, in Essex, said he had been contacted by commuters complaining about the actions of wardens at his local railway station. 





They had ‘fined people for allegedly displaying their ticket on the wrong place on the car’s dashboard’, he said.

He asked William Hague, the Leader of the House: ‘Can you contact the transport minister and business minister and call for an urgent inquiry into this disgraceful behaviour by NCP?’

Mr Halfon said commuters had also complained about being fined for parking in a restricted area of the car park that had not been clearly signposted.

‘My constituents have been fleeced by NCP, who have signposted restricted areas improperly and then fined people who innocently park in them,’ he added.

National Car Parks has been criticised in the past for high charges at hospital car parks and for increasing prices during big events such as the 2012 London Olympics.

Mr Halfon said residents using the station car park had been complaining since December about being unfairly targeted by wardens.

Despite paying for parking and displaying a ticket, he added, drivers were told the area they were in was restricted for the use of council staff, whose offices are nearby.

‘These aren’t people trying to bend the rules,’ he said after the debate. ‘Why would you park on the third floor of a car park, and pay for your ticket, unless you thought you could park there?

'They restricted this area and did not make it clear, and now the people who got caught out have contacted NCP and have heard nothing at all back.’

He added ‘a £50 fine is a lot for many people in Harlow’.

Mr Hague told MPs parking charges at stations are a commercial matter and complaints are investigated by the Office of Rail Regulation, which was not available for comment last night.



NCP denied it fined people over the placement of tickets. ‘NCP accepts any ticket that we can see clearly,’ a spokesman said. ‘We have no policy on where or how it is displayed, as long as we can see it.’

Mr Halfon ‘has not made any comment to us of late regarding “wrongly placed tickets”. He has, however, contacted us regarding our bay line markings.’

The spokesman said: ‘On the top level of this car park there is a section designated for customers who pay for premium bay parking.

'These customers have paid for a designated bay and permit for their use when they park on the site; therefore we do patrol the site regularly to ensure that other customers who park in that area refrain from doing so in the future.

‘We have markings on the ground in front of all the bays that explain which spaces are restricted.

'There are also large yellow signs in place when entering the car park and a restriction as the deck area is entered.

'We have reviewed again all our restricted bay markings, which have been refreshed in the last eight weeks, and do believe these to be very clear.

‘We only issue (Penalty Charge Notices) if there is a strong reason for doing so, and always take photographic evidence.’

In 2003, motorist Vincent Ryan was fined £30 at an NCP car park in Ipswich for displaying his parking ticket upside down. The firm apologised and cancelled the penalty.






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Offline The Bald Eagle

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Re: Attempts to woo the voters by using parking as a battleground
« Reply #1 on: 31 January, 2015, 02:39:41 PM »
Here's another already posted by webadmin and shamelessly copied by me.  ;D

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We'll chop parking fees if elected, vow Tories

The Conservatives have said they plan to reduce parking charges in Bath if they take control of the council in May's elections.

The announcement comes after Bath and North East Somerset Council officers rejected a petition calling for reduced charges signed by more than 1,400 shop owners and residents.

It sparked a debate at a full council meeting when it was last discussed in July, and expressed residents and business owners' annoyance at the cost of parking in the centre of Bath.

Council leader Paul Crossley (Lib-Dem, Southdown) said parking charges are reviewed annually and there have been no increases in the current tax year.

"Our parking charges are reasonable, especially when compared to the likes of private sites like Waitrose, Southgate shopping centre as well as other cities," he said.

In 2013 the authority cut fees between 6-8pm in Charlotte Street and removed city centre half hour rates.

The Tories' transport spokesman, Anthony Clarke, said the party would look at longer periods of free parking at Victoria Park, while the cost of evening parking at Charlotte Street would be reviewed.

Councillor Caroline Roberts (Lib-Dem, Newbridge), the cabinet member for transport, stated higher fees would discourage car users in the city – an aim of the council's transport plans.

Mr Crossley added: "We are providing other spaces after knocking down Avon Street car park. I think we have enough car parking in the city centre."

However, the rejection of the petition has disappointed some business bosses in Bath.

Tim Newark, lead petitioner of Independent Shops of Bath, said: "This transport strategy is not only devoted to cutting the use of cars in Bath, but also dramatically reducing the number of parking spaces available, as witnessed by the recent loss of hundreds of car parking spaces at Avon Street."


http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/ll-chop-parking-fees-elected-vow-Tories/story-25942439-detail/story.html


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Offline The Bald Eagle

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Re: Attempts to woo the voters by using parking as a battleground
« Reply #2 on: 21 March, 2015, 12:53:35 PM »
Here's another.

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http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Labour-promises-free-weekend-parking-Stoke-Trent/story-26207248-detail/story.html

Labour promises free weekend parking in Stoke-on-Trent

LABOUR candidates are promising to offer free weekend parking on council car parks if they are voted back into power.

The party, which has controlled Stoke-on-Trent City Council since 2011, has launched its local campaign ahead of May's elections.

Council leader Mohammed Pervez says a Labour-run authority will offer free parking every weekend for the next 12 months in order to boost town centre businesses.

Labour are also pledging to create 100 new apprentices at the council every year and to repair all potholes within five days of them being reported.

Mr Pevez said: "In the last four years we have worked very hard to turn this city around. But there is still so much to do to improve life in the city. People have said to us that they are worried about our town centres and say the cost of parking puts people off.

"That's why we will introduce free parking on council car parks in the city every weekend for the next year. It will encourage people to get out to the shops, keeping town centre business buzzing with confidence."

The council introduced a new car parking strategy last April, which saw the introduction of two-hour minimum tickets and a doubling of the cost of overnight stays in Hanley to £2.

But the £100,000 in extra income the strategy was intended to bring in has failed to materialise.

Ian Norman, owner of Zest Cafe Bistro in Piccadilly, Hanley, welcomed the pledge of free weekend parking.

He said: "I think this would be a step in the right direction. It could bring more people into the city centre. But Hinde Street car park is used for the market on Sundays, so it would only really be free parking on Saturdays.

"I think what they could do is offer free parking in the evenings as well. Piccadilly can turn into a ghost town after 5.30pm, and one of the reasons for that is people want to go where it's free to park."

The city council has recently decided to start charging blue badge holders to park, as part of its budget for 2015/16.

Stoke-on-Trent Area Network for Disability (Stand) is campaigning against the proposals, which it says unfairly target disabled people.

Stand secretary Pam Bryan said: "It's good that the council would offer free parking at weekends to everyone at a time when money is tight. But it seems odd that they would do this just after deciding to charge disabled people to park for the first time. It seems like a back-of-a-fag-packet policy."

The CIty Independent group says it will create a city-wide parking permit system if it wins control of the council.

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Offline The Bald Eagle

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Re: Attempts to woo the voters by using parking as a battleground
« Reply #3 on: 21 March, 2015, 01:01:09 PM »
Here's a biggie. If you click on the link, the press release has links to the various documents it refers to.

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https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-delivers-on-parking-promises-to-help-local-shops



Press release

Government delivers on parking promises to help local shops

From:    Department for Communities and Local Government, Department for Transport, The Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP and The Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP

First published:    6 March 2015
Last updated:    6 March 2015 , see all updates
Part of:    Improving high streets and town centres, Improving local transport, Local government, Transport and UK economy


New measures will deliver a fairer deal for motorists and help boost the high street.

Parking measures that put common sense back in the driving seat have been given the green-light today (6 March 2015) by Local Government and Communities Secretary Eric Pickles and Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin

Under the new laws to help local shops, drivers will get a 10 minute grace period when parked in a bay. This will prevent fines for being just a few minutes late back to the vehicle – be it in a paid or free parking space.

And the use of CCTV ‘spy cars’ has been banned in the majority of circumstances ending the tyranny of automated fines landing on doorsteps and being issued in industrial volumes

The measures stop over-zealous parking enforcement which often forces people to shop in out-of-town centres or online and were approved in the last reading of parking reforms in the Deregulation Bill.

Other measures protecting drivers include new powers for parking adjudicators so they can hold councils to account to tackle parking problems such as poor signage at specific locations.

And a powerful new right enables residents and local firms to demand that their council reviews parking in their area, including the charges and use of yellow lines.

There will also be tougher rules against heavy-handed action by bailiffs and an end to fines at out-of-order parking meters when there is no alternative way to pay. Guidance will also reinforce that councils cannot use parking to make a profit.

Councils were also asked to volunteer to trial a new pilot that allows motorists challenging a parking ticket to benefit from a 25% discount on the fine if they lose the appeal. Currently drivers are only offered a discount on early payment before challenging a ticket.

The parking measures are a victory for drivers and one of a number of initiatives introduced by the government to support high streets and give local shops a fairer deal.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said:

We are ending the war on drivers who simply want to go about their daily business. For too long parking rules have made law-abiding motorists feel like criminals, and caused enormous damage to shops and businesses.

Over-zealous parking enforcement undermines our town centres and costs councils more in the long-term. Our measures not only bring big benefits for high streets, motorists and local authorities - they put common sense back into parking.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said:

Helping local businesses thrive is a key part of our long-term economic plan. These measures will deliver a fairer deal for motorists and help boost the high street by ensuring that parking enforcement is proportionate, while also protecting school children and keeping key routes and bus lanes clear.

Further information

The cross-government Deregulation Bill passed its Third Reading in the House of Lords on Wednesday 4 March 2015 and Royal Assent of the Bill is expected shortly.

Parking measures instigated by the Department for Communities and Local Government that passed the Third Reading include a ban on the use of ‘CCTV’ for issuing automated fines except in those no-parking areas around schools, bus stops, bus lanes and red routes. These will be commenced after Royal Assent, and come into force in April; the draft secondary legislation is being published today.

The Department for Communities and Local Government is also laying a statutory instrument granting ‘10 minute parking grace periods’. This applies to paid for or free parking spaces both on-street and off-street (in council owned car parks and similar). This has been signed by Eric Pickles and will come into force later this month.

The Department for Transport is publishing revised statutory guidance that ensures that:

    drivers are not fined for parking at out-of-order parking meters
    bailiffs do not use overly aggressive action
    reinforces that using parking to generate profit is prohibited
    gives parking adjudicators stronger powers to hold councils to account so they can seek to address parking problems
    parking policies support local shops

The Department for Communities and Local Government is publishing new statutory guidance that ensures local residents and firms can petition to initiate a formal review of parking policies in their area from the council, with councillors then voting on the action to be taken.

The Department for Transport has launched a call for councils to trial a pilot scheme allowing a 25% discount on a fine for drivers losing an appeal.

See Local authority income from sales, fees and charges on parking charges, 2013 to 2014 (PDF, 604KB, 4 pages) .
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Offline BGB

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Re: Attempts to woo the voters by using parking as a battleground
« Reply #4 on: 21 March, 2015, 04:38:18 PM »
Here's UKIP:

http://www.ukip.org/policies_for_people

"–We will ensure that visitors to the UK, and migrants until they have paid NI for five years, have NHS-approved private health insurance as a condition of entry to the UK, saving the NHS £2bn pa. UKIP will commit to spending £200m of the £2bn saving to end hospital car parking charges in England"



« Last Edit: 21 March, 2015, 05:06:22 PM by BGB »

Offline The Bald Eagle

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Re: Attempts to woo the voters by using parking as a battleground
« Reply #5 on: 23 March, 2015, 06:16:37 PM »
And here is an "Independent" candidate's attempt to win votes. I watched this person deliver his speech in parliament, and he complained bitterly about the fact that if you get a private parking ticket and want to appeal it to Popla, you have to "gamble" forty quid because you risk the "fine" (yes he got that wrong too) increasing from the discounted rate to the full amount.

The idiot didn't seem to know or care where the private industry got that particular part of their business model from.

Here's a clue Nige.


 <Piratetreasure>
A local council seen
counting its booty


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http://www.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk/news/campaigns/mp-slams-hoodlum-car-parking-fines-1-7167791

MP slams ‘hoodlum’ car parking fines

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans led a debate in the House of Commons on the issue of car parking charges and fines on private land.

He secured the debate having been contacted by several of his constituents on this issue, particularly with reference to The Whalley Arms Car Park.

"Overzealous car parking enforcement is discouraging people from going into town and village centres, and hurting local trade"
    Nigel Evans MP


During the debate Mr Evans said: “A growing problem has resulted from operators of private car parks deciding that a lucrative income stream is to be had by clobbering motorists who use their car parks. The car parks are cash magnets for the operators, who milk the motorist and use harassment and threats to extort money.

“A good case in point is The Whalley Arms car park in my constituency, use by the local community in a village that is strapped for car parking places. Local councillors Terry Hill and Joyce Holgate and I have received numerous letters of complaint from individuals who are incandescent that the operators are allowed such powers.”

Addressing Transport Minister Robert Goodwill, Mr Evans said: “Minister, enough is enough. We all know that this wretched rinsing of the public has to end. The disproportionate fines should go, and those operators and the hoodlum side of their operations – the debt collectors who use oppressive means – have to be tamed and reined right back.”

Speaking after the debate Mr Evans added: “Some people are being hit with a fine of £100 when the parking fee they paid was only £1. This is totally disproportionate to the offence. Overzealous car parking enforcement is discouraging people from going into town and village centres, and hurting local trade.

“I was pleased to be able to raise this issue in Parliament and hope that the debate has shed light on the issue and will encourage the Government and local authorities to act to protect motorists.”

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