Motorists are set to be handed a lifeline thanks to new measures designed to help drivers benefit from “fairer” parking fine rules.
Drivers will soon be handed a 10-minute grace period when their time runs out at private car parks so that if they overstay their paid parking period by a few minutes then they should avoid a fine.
The changes are coming in after industry bodies the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC) published a new code of conduct.
The two industry bodies are asking all private parking companies to implement the new rules by October 1.
Some 9.7 million parking tickets were issued by private firms between April and December last year – equivalent to more than 35,000 per day, according to the RAC Foundation.
The IPC said the move would “create consistency and clarity for motorists and continue to elevate standards across the sector”.
This legally-backed code of conduct was due to come in force by the end of last year but was withdrawn by the government after parking firms challenged it.
It would have halved the cap for most parking offences to £50, established a fairer appeals system and banned aggressive language on tickets.
The RAC has said they believe only way to truly stop unfair charges is by producing a code fully backed by the law.
The group’s head of policy Simon Williams, said: “Drivers shouldn’t be fooled into thinking this so-called code developed by the private parking industry itself is the same as the long-delayed official private parking code of practice that is backed by legislation.”
