FEATURE PARK MARK UPDATE
Park Mark top marks
earns
AS THE NUMBER OF CAR PARKS IN THE UK APPROACHES THE 4,500 MARK, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNE MOMENT TO REMIND CAR PARK OPERATORS OF THE AIMS AND VALUES OF THE BPA SAFER PARKING SCHEME PARK MARK AWARD. AIMEE BATES REPORTS
T
he last 12 months for Safer Parking has been a year of milestones. We reached (and exceeded) our 4,000th awarded car park and our 500th railway station car park. Growth in all regions
of the country has been high, with the regional managers celebrating record numbers of car parks in their regions. Te Safer Parking team is especially pleased
with this as, against a backdrop of economic uncertainty, it is rewarding to know that operators still acknowledge the benefits that belonging to the Scheme brings. Te achievement of 4,000+ awards has enabled the Safer Parking Scheme to further expand its marketing and target the motorist more directly.
Jo Abbott, RAC spokesperson
Attracting public praise Consumer and driver groups such as the RAC Foundation and Which? are very supportive of the work done in creating safer car parking environments. Jo Abbott, spokesperson for the RAC Foundation, said: ‘Te RAC Foundation fully supports the
‘Park Mark’ initiative. Given that about a fifth of vehicle crime takes place in car parks, motorists really do need to be able to identify those car parks where their cars will be at least risk. Te ‘Park Mark Safer Parking Scheme’ enables them to do that. Car parks displaying the blue and white tick logo will have been vetted by the police and signal that the operator is keen to provide a good service. We have more than 28 million cars in the UK, none of which go on a journey without needing to park at some point. Tis represents a huge business opportunity for
car park operators who are willing to provide a good service. Te Park Mark is becoming recognised by motorists and, as more of them positively look for it, good car parks will be in more demand.’ For those not already aware of its history, the Safer
Parking Scheme in its current form was created out of the Secured Car Parks Scheme in 2004. Tis itself had grown from a small trial launched in the Tames Valley in 1991. Te trial proved so successful that a nationwide scheme was launched in 1992. When the BPA took on running the Scheme in the year 2000 there were around 800 awards.
Driving crime down With the backing of the Associations of Chief Police Officers (APCO/s) and the Home Office, the BPA set out to grow the Scheme and, thereby, reduce crime in car parks across the country. Te Police Accredited Assessors work alongside the BPA’s regional managers assessing the car parks. Tere are some words of caution. A spokesman
The feedback from consumers has been resoundingly positive and reinforces the hard work that the operators do in achieving Park Mark status
We have been promoting the scheme at consumer shows across the country, with fantastic success. Te feedback from consumers has been resoundingly positive and reinforces the hard work that the operators do in achieving Park Mark status. Te regional managers have also been out and about as usual promoting the Scheme and they are always happy to be involved in any operator publicity, both regional and national.
40 JULY 2010
for Which? magazine said: ‘We think it is a great scheme – however, many members of the public are not aware of the scheme and what the signature white tick signifies. ‘People who have heard of it do look for a Park
Mark car park and these are often full. We would like to see a lot more car parks across the country actively seeking to achieve Park Mark status.’
MORE INFORMATION For more details, contact Aimee Bates 01444 447318, or email
saferparking@britishparking.co.uk. We will support the development of your site and help you create the safest car park you can. We are committed to ongoing national marketing both online and offline, with further promotional events planned including, exhibiting at the MPH/Top Gear shows in both London and Birmingham. These will be supported with targeted adverts, articles and mailings. Your site will also be listed on our new website
www.parkmark.co.uk, which allows anyone to search for Park Mark sites across the country.
www.britishparking.co.uk
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