New parking laws a ‘recipe for confusion’

New parking measures to be introduced from the 1 October this year will confront motorists with a “recipe for confusion”, according to the British Parking Association (BPA).

The new measures will see a host of significant changes to the way parking on private land is governed and managed under the Protection of Freedoms Act. This includes the passing of a ban on clamping and towing on privately owned land.

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There’ll be a full-scale clampdown on, well, cowboy clampers, although council operated parking areas and official authorities will still be able to immobilise cars for illegal parking through the use of a clamp, potentially confusing drivers. So don’t get that hacksaw out just yet…

There does appear to be a loophole in the new rules, however. By-laws give landowners the right to manage parking on their property through any method they see fit.

This includes parking at railway stations and airports and could incite a change towards penalty fares by rogue operators, scaring motorists into coughing up the cash for their alleged parking transgression and causing significant confusion.

Alongside the latest rules governing the management, the change in private parking legislation will herald the introduction of a new independent appeals service, allowing penalised parkers to dispute a claim.

It should afford motorists more protection against unscrupulous rogue parking outfits issuing tickets as an unlawful way to generate revenue.

Chief Executive of the BPA, Patrick Troy:

“The Protection of Freedoms Act ushers in perhaps the most significant shake-up of the private parking industry ever seen in this country and there is much that we and the Government can be proud of.

“However, the regulations do not yet go far enough. An independent appeals service, which is not binding on all operators, is likely to be a recipe for confusion among motorists and a ban on clamping is no substitute for proper regulation of the industry.

“That being said, the new appeals service, such as it is, will provide a long overdue layer of protection for motorists who want to know that they no longer have to look to the courts for recourse when they feel that a parking enforcement notice has been unfairly issued.”

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