Rogue Parking firms face a crackdown
Discussion
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42849443
New Bill being processed to prevent rogue parking firms getting drivers/keepers details if they abuse a new code of practice. It actually says it will drive them out of business. Shockingly 13 times more tickets issued today than 1@ years ago. About time too.
They are asking for input so SteveS11 get your skates on.,
New Bill being processed to prevent rogue parking firms getting drivers/keepers details if they abuse a new code of practice. It actually says it will drive them out of business. Shockingly 13 times more tickets issued today than 1@ years ago. About time too.
They are asking for input so SteveS11 get your skates on.,
PurpleMoonlight said:
Perhaps if the Government had drafted decent legislation in the first place it would never have been an issue.
Actually if people didn't park where they shouldn't this would never have been an issue. Complaints about parking are one of the most common things property managers have to deal with, and its invariably people parking in spaces they shouldn't. The solutions that can be used are in effect limited: -Barrier control - Has to be paid for by those who are authorised to park, and to an extent why should they have to, and costs a fortune because barriers get damaged etc. Also causes problems with visitors and needs to be managed.
Parking Companies - Again have to be paid for, under current scheme in many cases they are funded by charges on those who are causing the problem. However the issues do reduce with parking company control, but the company still has to make money. Therefore issues can arise with minor offences leading to charges as thats the only way to make a scheme pay.
It has to be fair that those who are creating the issue are those that should pay, so perhaps the charges for parking where you shouldn't should be a lot higher.
There will of course be lots of comments that in many cases the signage wasn't fully compliant etc which is fair enough, but in reality it should be fairly simple a sign saying Private Car Park should be sufficient for a driver not to park there unless they had consent to, and a sign saying free parking for x hours should mean a driver doesnt stay longer than x.
PurpleMoonlight said:
elanfan said:
The crackdown is to be on 'rogue' companies not those that operate legitimately.
They are all rogue according to some.Case in point. My local railway station car park is operated by NCP. Payment can be via ticket machine or app.
However, their handheld system allows users to issue tickets without first downloading app transactions.
So in my case, I paid online at 9 am but a ticket was issued at 11am.
First appeal was rejected, despite their accepting that I had paid for parking. They didn't give any reason at all, only that the appeal was rejected.
It was only after using social media and finally getting in touch with a manager that they cancelled the ticket as a gesture of goodwill..
I've also had a ticket from another company which was issued because I didn't follow a procedure which they admit didn't even exist on the date I parked. That was only canceled after several of us complained to the business who had contracted the parking company.
rscott said:
they cancelled the ticket as a gesture of goodwill..
Indeed, and that's another point of contention drivers have with these companies/organisations - their seeming inability to ever admit they were in the wrong, always making out that any cancelled ticket is being done as a one off gesture of goodwill, never ever to be repeated again, and you should consider yourself exceedingly lucky that we've let you get away with it this once...elanfan said:
Probably.
If the DVLA respected privacy of information rather than selling it for profit it wouldn't happen either. Wonder how much they make out of it annually?
It's probably been FOI's before.If the DVLA respected privacy of information rather than selling it for profit it wouldn't happen either. Wonder how much they make out of it annually?
"For each application the DVLA receives a fee of £2.50 to cover the costs involved and it is generally accepted that this is a reasonable charge for the processing of these paper applications on a case by case basis."
More here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cms...
The parking industry is already self regulated by the BPA and IPC with their own Codes of Practice. Breaches should already result in the loss of DVLA access, so this new idea is not so new after all.
If the government takes away the self regulation and makes all PPC comply with a new code of Practice that is truly independent of the operators, and sanctions companies appropriately and fairly, then we may see an iimprovement in standards.
But I'm not holding my breath - there is far too much money involved and corrupt individuals within the industry to overcome.
If the government takes away the self regulation and makes all PPC comply with a new code of Practice that is truly independent of the operators, and sanctions companies appropriately and fairly, then we may see an iimprovement in standards.
But I'm not holding my breath - there is far too much money involved and corrupt individuals within the industry to overcome.
Haven't some councils been barred from obtaining information from DVLA because of abuse of the system .
I seem to remember it being in the region of 40+ authorities.
It may all be piffle though .
I do find it annoying that DVLA seem to flog our details off to every tom, dick and harry .
Lots of our information is handled by outside contractors on behalf of government departments.
So much for keeping our stuff safe from ID theft or fraud.
I seem to remember it being in the region of 40+ authorities.
It may all be piffle though .
I do find it annoying that DVLA seem to flog our details off to every tom, dick and harry .
Lots of our information is handled by outside contractors on behalf of government departments.
So much for keeping our stuff safe from ID theft or fraud.
elanfan said:
Shockingly 13 times more tickets issued today than 10 years ago. About time too.
And there you have typical duplicitous political bulls
t.10 years ago clamping was in force and allowable so no need to ticket they only fooooked up the legislation 5 years ago.
Google "dclg off street parking consultation response" and fill your boots with responses to the consultation (it's a pdf doc)
rewc said:
Some of the biggest rogues are Councils. This will possibly not apply to them
No because they operate under DfT rules 'off street parking was taken off DfT and given to DCLG in March 2015S11Steve said:
The parking industry is already self regulated by the BPA and IPC with their own Codes of Practice. Breaches should already result in the loss of DVLA access, so this new idea is not so new after all.
If the government takes away the self regulation and makes all PPC comply with a new code of Practice that is truly independent of the operators, and sanctions companies appropriately and fairly, then we may see an iimprovement in standards.
But I'm not holding my breath - there is far too much money involved and corrupt individuals within the industry to overcome.
Nor am I.If the government takes away the self regulation and makes all PPC comply with a new code of Practice that is truly independent of the operators, and sanctions companies appropriately and fairly, then we may see an iimprovement in standards.
But I'm not holding my breath - there is far too much money involved and corrupt individuals within the industry to overcome.
I don't know what the press are getting all excited about. All Sir Greg Knight's Bill does is empower the Secretary of State to introduce a CoP.
The detail will be in a SI and we're nowhere near that stage yet. Everything will depend on what it says and that remains to be seen.
A good start would be a single statutory appeal body rather than the current mess of POPLA and the competing IAS kangaroo court.
There also needs to be proper sanction against PPCs which breach the CoP.
How effective those will be is moot as Section 5 already rules out any liability to legal proceedings.
It will entirely depend on how willing the SoS is to discipline PPCs which can't or won't comply.
The existing ATAs are trade associations and have shown little real inclination to do so.
The government have an opportunity to get it right this time.* Hopefully it will. However with all its energies being focussed on Brexit I predict a long wait.
* It completely bottled it back in 2012 in no small measure due to being bamboozled by intensive lobbying and false information fed to it by the PPC industry.
The original proposals were a lot more stringent than what eventually emerged as Section 56 & Schedule 4 of PoFA 2012.
Explanatory Notes to the Bill here.
Vaud said:
It's probably been FOI's before.
"For each application the DVLA receives a fee of £2.50 to cover the costs involved and it is generally accepted that this is a reasonable charge for the processing of these paper applications on a case by case basis."
More here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cms...
They don’t process them on paper or on case by case basis, the parking companies call an API/web-service electonrically. "For each application the DVLA receives a fee of £2.50 to cover the costs involved and it is generally accepted that this is a reasonable charge for the processing of these paper applications on a case by case basis."
More here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cms...
PurpleMoonlight said:
elanfan said:
The crackdown is to be on 'rogue' companies not those that operate legitimately.
They are all rogue according to some.I've sent them letters saying that I will charge £90 per incorrect scam invoice received - discounted to £45 if paid within 14 days (familiar terms?). Do they want to pay? No. My standard appeal is now: "Please check you cameras. I politely and sincerely refer you to Arkell v Pressdram"
I understand that I can sue for Data Loss at £750 a time. Any No Win No Fee lawyer want the business?
Chrisgr31 said:
PurpleMoonlight said:
Perhaps if the Government had drafted decent legislation in the first place it would never have been an issue.
Actually if people didn't park where they shouldn't this would never have been an issue. Complaints about parking are one of the most common things property managers have to deal with, and its invariably people parking in spaces they shouldn't. The solutions that can be used are in effect limited: -Barrier control - Has to be paid for by those who are authorised to park, and to an extent why should they have to, and costs a fortune because barriers get damaged etc. Also causes problems with visitors and needs to be managed.
Parking Companies - Again have to be paid for, under current scheme in many cases they are funded by charges on those who are causing the problem. However the issues do reduce with parking company control, but the company still has to make money. Therefore issues can arise with minor offences leading to charges as thats the only way to make a scheme pay.
It has to be fair that those who are creating the issue are those that should pay, so perhaps the charges for parking where you shouldn't should be a lot higher.
There will of course be lots of comments that in many cases the signage wasn't fully compliant etc which is fair enough, but in reality it should be fairly simple a sign saying Private Car Park should be sufficient for a driver not to park there unless they had consent to, and a sign saying free parking for x hours should mean a driver doesnt stay longer than x.
I bought weekly season tickets for the train and car park, and parked in a season ticket bay. It seems that the rail company only class the train ticket as a season ticket, but not the car parking.
The season bays we never full, so no money was lost, and nobody was denied a space. They actualy make it very difficult to buy a monthly season ticket which qualifies. It cannot be bought at the station, and online it tells you that you have to go on a waiting list to buy.
They clearly make more money from the fines.
98elise said:
The one and only time I got a ticket I was properly parked in a bay, and paid.
I bought weekly season tickets for the train and car park, and parked in a season ticket bay. It seems that the rail company only class the train ticket as a season ticket, but not the car parking.
The season bays we never full, so no money was lost, and nobody was denied a space. They actualy make it very difficult to buy a monthly season ticket which qualifies. It cannot be bought at the station, and online it tells you that you have to go on a waiting list to buy.
They clearly make more money from the fines.
Parking (permits) season tickets have always been separate.I bought weekly season tickets for the train and car park, and parked in a season ticket bay. It seems that the rail company only class the train ticket as a season ticket, but not the car parking.
The season bays we never full, so no money was lost, and nobody was denied a space. They actualy make it very difficult to buy a monthly season ticket which qualifies. It cannot be bought at the station, and online it tells you that you have to go on a waiting list to buy.
They clearly make more money from the fines.
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