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BPA ACTIVITIES
lobbying for the introduction of the Traffic Management Act 2004 Part 6 across England and Wales.
Elections for police commissioners are taking place this month throughout England and Wales and, while there are mixed feelings about whether this will lead to a more accountable police service, one thing is certain – police have better things to do than manage traffic in town centres. The evidence is there in London, where many local authorities undertake the enforcement of moving traffic contraventions, freeing police to focus on other criminal activity.
Decriminalising the roads For more than 20 years now we have accepted that motorists who contravene parking regulations can be dealt with through civil enforcement procedures. Surely this is also true for many moving traffic contraventions, such as the obstruction of ‘yellow boxes’, making ‘banned turns’ and ignoring ‘no entry’ signs. These are among the moving traffic contraventions which are successfully managed in London. This should also be possible across the rest of the UK. Whoever is in control of your local police
service, perhaps it’s time to lobby for support in the transfer of moving traffic contraventions
Proper servicing and maintenance should be seen as a priority cost of the operation and not a call on so-called “surplus” funds generated at the car park
to civil enforcement as envisaged in the Traffic Management Act – after all, it’s been on the statute books for more than eight years now. If it was a good idea then to decriminalise these motorists, achieving economies of scale with local enforcement and freeing up police resources, why isn’t it a good idea now? This should be especially so as we have a government with a localism agenda, and local authorities desperately seeking ways to make efficient use of existing [enforcement] teams. Another aspect of town centre regeneration, where parking plays a significant role, is in the maintenance of our parking structures. Stories on the web and in the media are showing car parks collapsing around the world, but fortunately no such event has yet occurred in the UK. The BPA Structures and Asset Management Special Interest Group (SAMSIG) is very focused on one
BPA Master Plan objective, namely: ‘We want to see a greater emphasis on the need to ensure that Britain’s parking structures are properly inspected and maintained. Proper servicing and maintenance should be seen as a priority cost of the operation and not a call on so-called “surplus” funds generated at the car park.’ The BPA is concerned that many ageing car parks are not properly serviced and maintained. Many are prematurely reaching the end of their useful life and being closed for safety reasons. Owners and operators should prepare and implement lifecare plans and undertake regular structural safety inspections, which will identify defects and prompt repairs to minimise the risk of structural failure. Closure of multi-storey car parks has a detrimental effect on the community that the car park serves and works against the regeneration of town centres.
Reporting back
SAMSIG has produced a report that is being delivered to the Department of Communities in England and relevant agencies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The report highlights examples of car parks across the UK that would benefit from some kind of intervention and asks that government does all that it can to encourage proper servicing and maintenance of these important buildings. We believe that good quality, well-designed and properly maintained car parks can contribute significantly to the prosperity of Britain’s towns and cities. The BPA works diligently towards this by sharing best practice, encouraging fair, reasonable and legitimate parking enforcement and the promotion of safer parking through Park Mark. Owners and operators should be encouraged to have a financial mechanism in place to fund routine structural assessments, lifecare planning and essential maintenance. Regular investment can ensure that these car parks achieve the maximum possible operational lifespan and the minimum disruption to customers.
Income generated within the car park should be used to maintain and improve them before any surplus is declared. There is a commonly-held belief that car parking charges are a ‘cash cow’ and, indeed, many do generate significant revenue streams. However, if you’ll forgive me for mixing my metaphors, ‘let’s not cook the goose that laid the golden egg’.
www.britishparking.co.uk NOVEMBER 2012 17
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