NEWS
LOCAL AUTHORITY NEWS
CAMERA, ACTION ACROSS THE UK’S CITIES
MISSING A MEDIA TRICK
The parking sector is missing a public relations trick, according to the owner of a parking database company.
Ian Betts, who owns
Parking-info.com, suggests that data, gained from 13,997 publicly accessible car parks registered with the database, can be used for a number of purposes, for example: motorists seeking parking facilities; businesses looking to locate in an area; and local authorities seeking information to drive a planning policy. And, added Betts, there is a further use for data that the parking industry is missing – that of promoting good public relations. By and large, the statistics point to an industry that, despite popular perception, is
10 JUNE 2012
not raising the price of parking exponentially. In fact, the good news for the motoring public – a message that the press often chooses to ignore, is that the price of parking in many towns and cities is either remaining static or falling. And those car parks that are increasing prices are often only doing so after years of no increases. In a sample of 197 towns, all with more than five public car parks, the data revealed: 53 car parks had reduced their prices in the past year; the cost of parking in a further 67 have remained static; and nine had raised their prices by less than one per cent.
The remaining 66 car parks had price rises ranging from two per cent in Bolton to
30 per cent in Alton (Hamsphire) and 51 per cent in Littlehampton (West Sussex). Cllr Andrew Joy, speaking on behalf of Alton District Council, which raised its parking fees last year, said: ‘The measures agreed by Cabinet (for the price rise) are not just about the relatively small changes and rationalisation of car park charges, but also about undertaking a fundamental review of provision and the charging strategy. ‘We recognise the challenges faced by consumers and businesses in a difficult economic climate, and I am determined that our charging must not only be fair, good value and competitive, but also innovative and responsive to the needs of us all.’
Motorists who cause problems by parking in cycle lanes or blocking box junctions could be hit by fines of up to £130, if local authorities are given powers to enforce these transgressions by central government. In most parts of the UK, the police deal with these offences, although London has been trialling enforcement by local authorities, with Transport for London (TfL) setting the amount to be fined. Fixed CCTV cameras and patrolling cars are used in the enforcement of these offences. Figures released by TfL indicate that the number of vehicles illegally entering a box junction, driving in bus lanes or
making banned turns, has fallen by 51 per cent since the trial began.
Outside the capital, low priority has been given to moving traffic offences, largely due to cuts to police forces, but now councils in Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle and
Nottingham are among those pressing the government to enact provision in existing laws enabling them to use CCTV recordings and other evidence to bring motorists to book. Transport Minister, Norman Baker, has promised to carefully consider the request, although some councils have accused the minister of ‘prevaricating’ on the decision.
www.britishparking.co.uk
Nejron Photo /
shutterstock.com
Kodda /
shutterstock.com
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