BPA FOCUS SAFER PARKING SCHEME
a pragmatic approach. During a car park
inspection, he will take notes on the cleanliness, lines, signage and safety aspects of the car park and discuss any issues with the operator. He will then issue a pass, a conditional pass or fail. During a tour of car
parks in the market town of Hadleigh with council open space manager Stewart Schleip, issues such as overgrown foliage obscuring the CCTV cameras, a parking time-limit notice that should be bolder and bay markings that were faded were all noted. One recurring issue
during visits to the car parks being assessed was the visibility of the Park Mark symbols. At one car park
the sign was facing away from the public and in another it had been moved during refurbishment and had not been replaced. Bartlett thought – in addition to prominently displaying the Park Mark sign – putting up information about what it stood for, either next to the sign or near the pay point, would
highlight the scheme to the public and give it greater credence. He explained that when he looked at a car park, one thing he was assessing was the safety elements of the facility. ‘Low hedges – so
that people cannot lurk behind them, a limited number of exits so criminals cannot just run straight through a car park, high visibility from neighbouring houses or businesses so that there is an element of self policing – these are all factors that make a car park a safer place for the public.’ One factor preventing
car park compliance may be regulations from other council departments. Fire regulations, public rights of way and conservation orders all provide obstacles to changing aspects of a car park to make it Park Mark compliant.
High crime areas
Bartlett explained that car parks across the UK experience different levels of crime, making consistency in awarding a Park Mark a contentious area.
‘If we are looking at
the ratio of throughput and crimes, then there is going to be a huge difference between a small car park in a rural area that may not get more than 5,000 cars a year and a car park in a place such as Lakeside where the throughput is enormous. ‘If a crime took place
in a rural car park, then the local community would be shocked and the car park may be perceived as unsafe. But if you are looking at a car park in an area of high-density population, then only one crime would be unusual and that would make it a very safe car park.’ He also said that
many crimes should not be classed as such, and that people only reported them to make an insurance claim ‘If a person returns
to their car and finds a scratch, the chances are that it was unintentional, but the car park may fail Park Mark as a result.’ Bibby and Bartlett
agreed that the most important question was whether a car park was ‘fit for purpose’.
The team at Perth and Kinross receive their Award
A SAFE BERTH IN PERTH
Nine car parks in Perth City Centre have achieved the Park Mark Award, with the support of the Perth Safer Cities Initiative. The Safer Cities Initiative works in partnership with Perth and Kinross Council’s Parking Services, Tayside Police and the British Parking Association to deliver the awards. The Perth
Common Good Fund provided finance for the scheme. Councillor Willie
Robertson, chair of Perth and Kinross Community Safety Partnership said: ‘It is important that residents and visitors alike feel safe when using car parks and the joint working by all the partners involved here has been successful.’
Waving goodbye to car park crime
Stephen Archer, Keith Bartlett, Andy Wilson-Sutter, Veronica Stevens, Mike Bibby, Warren Boore, Inspector Sarsfield Donahue, Bruce Granger, Cllr. Stephen Ardley, Richard Dawes, Dennis Ball, John Harris, Susan Keeble, Mike Warr
Waveney District Council’s operational delivery partners Waveney Norse have received Park Mark Awards for four of their car parks. Mike Bibby, BPA
Safer Parking Scheme development manager for the south east, said: ‘I'm delighted that Waveney District Council and Waveney Norse have succeeded in meeting crime reduction standards and that good
www.britishparking.co.uk
management of car parks is in place. Tis means safer car parks and a non-threatening environment for those using them and we congratulate the teams.’ Cllr Stephen Ardley,
portfolio holder for healthy communities said: ‘We had to work hard to achieve these awards and I would like to say thank you to all the services that have helped, with fencing, signage, cleaning and so much more.’
SEPTEMBER 2010 55
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