Price of parking could soon soar across UK
The price of parking could become a significant motivation for selling a car, as The Daily Telegraph reports that prices and penalty charges could soon rise by 40%.
According to The Telegraph, ministers are currently considering proposals from the British Parking Association to overhaul the entire system of parking fines for England and Wales. This comes at the same time as local authorities are looking at parking fees as a means of boosting funds in the current financial climate.
Although motorists paid three times as much in parking fines than speeding fines in 2008, to the sum of £328 million across the country, many local authorities say they currently have to subsidise parking enforcement - something they say they can no longer afford.
The BPA's proposals aim to bring the penalty charges for parking in the rest of the country up to the same high levels seen in London. In a strategy document, the BPA said there was an "urgent need to review the penalty charges set for England and in Wales which are currently out of step with levels set for London". The BPA also said that penalty charges are an ineffective deterrent, failing to discourage people from breaching traffic management and parking rules.
Patrick Troy, chief executive of the BPA, told The Telegraph that the proposed increases will see fines for minor parking offences rise to £70, with the cost of major offences increasing to £100. However, even as penalties are brought in line with those seen in London, the capital's various local authorities are considering plans to raise fines there even further.
Under the proposals, fines for minor offences in inner London could rise to £100 and those for major offences to £140. Even in the suburbs, prices would rise to £80 and £120 respectively.
Although both the council's consultation documents and the BPA's proposals include the possibility of parking costs being reduced or left unchanged, The Telegraph reports that few in the transport sector believe these are likely.
"The government has indicated that they will review penalty charges outside London," said Mr Troy. "They won't be reviewed downwards."
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