Westminster City Council bosses slash resident parking tickets (24/04/2008)

Parking bosses have cut by nearly 40 percent the number of tickets issued to resident permit holders in Westminster.

A new five minute allowance for resident permit holders has seen a big drop in the number of tickets handed out to residents, from 1,050 a month in 2007 to just 655 in March this year.

The fall in tickets comes after Westminster Council made it easier for residents to park in the heart of the city.

New rules mean parking attendants are allowing permit holders to be away from their cars for up to five minutes without handing them a fine when dropping off or picking up passengers and loading and unloading on a single yellow line.

The change came after Westminster residents said that they sometimes needed to leave their vehicles unattended for a short time when carrying out these activities.

Alastair Gilchrist, Director of Parking, said:

“I am delighted that a common sense approach to parking has had such a dramatic impact on local motorists.

“Giving drivers an extra five minutes has made all the difference to enabling them to go about their daily business without being given a ticket.

“I’m sure this trial will continue to be a success, ensuring the parking experience is more convenient for residents and traffic continues to flow around the heart of the capital.”

This allowance only applies to vehicles displaying a valid resident permit for that zone and stopped on a single yellow line that does not have any loading restrictions in place.

If after five minutes, no loading or unloading is noted, the parking attendant will then issue a penalty charge notice.

This initiative is one of five 'Common Sense' parking measures rolled out across the city on January 31 2008

The trial is due to continue until July, when the council will decide if the change should be made permanent.

ENDS

Notes To Editors:

This is not a grace period to park for five minutes and penalties will be issued to those leaving their car parked.

The other Common Sense parking measures introduced on January 31 are:

* Allowing white disabled badge holders a month to renew their expired permits. Some white badge holders have experienced difficulties renewing their badges in time as they may need assistance with filling out an application or need to provide additional information.

* The introduction of a parking suspensions hotline, enabling customers to report out of date suspensions, damaged signs, incorrect signs or instances when a suspension sign is in place but no activity is being carried out.

* No fines will be issued to resident permit holders who park in suspended bays in their own zone for the first two days of a suspension. Motorists are not always aware that a suspension has been put in place and the council will try and contact the resident by phone to ask them to move their car. A ticket will only be issued as a last resort after the second day and the vehicle removed to a car pound if there is no possibility to relocate it nearby.

* 'Return to Service' stickers will also be sent to residents who have booked a suspension for a domestic move. Once the suspension sign is no longer needed, they can stick them onto the suspension signs, meaning the bays can be returned to use as soon as possible, minimising any disruption.