BPA ACTIVITIES FOCUS ON THE SAFER PARKING SCHEME
The BPA’s director of operations and technical services, Kelvin Reynolds, provides a round-up of the latest issues in parking
On the road to somewhere
I recall my grandfather saying to me one day: ‘Make sure you get yourself a decent job, son, and keep yourself off the streets’. I’m not sure what he thought when I chose a career in parking and traffi c management! A career in parking and
traffi c management is so much more than just yellow lines and enforcement. An insight into this was off ered at the recent combined meeting of the Local Authority and Structures and Asset Management Special Interest Groups. T e
topics included
a debate about adjudication and the way in which the legal system works in this area, followed by a discussion about a Court of Appeal decision. T ere was also a presentation by the lead lawyer who is representing [all] local authorities in a test case regarding the application of VAT to local authority
the issue of new coins, the new Blue Badge Improvement Service and a meeting with the Information Commissioner’s Offi ce. And that’s not to mention T e Protection of Freedoms Bill, DVLA Registers and the workings of the party conferences and BPA attendance… Which all goes to prove
Which all goes to prove that a career in parking and traffi c management can be as interesting and varied as you want it to be
car parks in a dispute which has been all the way to the European Courts and the tax tribunal in the UK. T ose at the meeting also heard a technical presentation about preventing corrosion in multi-storey car parks, as well as a presentation from the Association of Town Centre Managers on joint research with the BPA into the economic viability of town centres and the role of parking. T e BPA
update session
included feedback from
the Royal Mint and HM Treasury on
16
that a career in parking and traffi c management can be as interesting and varied as you want it to be. So varied, indeed, that we have a range of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) to cater for this. We also hold joint special interest group sessions to enable the specialist – and sometimes detailed – knowledge and information from one group to cross- fertilise with the other. T ere are so many diff erent
facets to this industry, but whether you are a facility operator, an equipment
ALL CHANGE
The Royal Mint and HM Treasury have confi rmed that the new 10p and 5p coins will become legal tender on 1 January 2012 and it is expected they will be in wider circulation in April 2012. Originally due to enter service in January 2011, the BPA successfully lobbied with the Automatic Vending Association for these changes to be delayed by 12 months – enabling vending machines and parking equipment to be adapted more cost- effectively as part of routine maintenance regimes or planned-for upgrades, rather than as costly one-off adaptations. Equipment manufacturers and suppliers have indicated that they are ready and all new equipment can now be programmed to accept these coins. Most existing equipment can be upgraded or adapted, and parking operators should be making plans right now.
Clearly there are some choices. You could say to motorists that you won’t accept the new coins, or you could update your equipment. Another option is cashless payment – either a payment card or a system, that uses mobile technologies. When you’re making your decision, I urge you consider it from the motorist’s point of view. For all intents and purposes the new coins look identical to the old ones. The difference is in the fabrication, detectable only by sophisticated equipment. If you choose not to accept the new coins how will the motorist perceive this?
A consumer with a handful of 10p coins who cannot use them may be both confused and aggrieved. If the motorist is unable to pay for their parking – despite having suffi cient coins – what then? Illegal parking and a contested penalty charge notice will not help the relationship between you and the customer. Another option is to vary tariffs, to reduce the need for 10p and 5p coins but this, too, has its consequences. If you decide not to accept anything less than 20p coins this means tariffs may
www.britishparking.co.uk
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