Private parking companies have vowed to change the rules regarding paying for stay within five minutes of entering a car park.
The stipulation that drivers have just a few minutes to pay for their parking when entering a site was brought into focus after a woman was hit with an almost £2,000 fine for not adhering to the policy.
And now two private parking firms have said they will have a new code of conduct to ensure motorists are not being penalised unfairly, reports the Express.
Millions use these type of car parks on a regular basis but many are said to be unaware of the rule. The rule is in place to avoid drivers finding there are no spaces and being charged anyway.
But in a recent case Rosey Hudson was issued 10 parking charges that totalled to more than £1,900 after failing to pay for her parking in time. She was taken to court in December 2024, but claimed that it took her that long to find a sufficient amount of phone signal in order to pay to use the parking space.
Andrew Pester, Chief Executive of the BPA, explained: “The formation of this panel is an important step in delivering consistency to the oversight of the private parking sector Single Code of Practice. We want to demonstrate that not only are we serious about raising standards but also making decisive changes to the code when issues arise.”
The BPA, known as Parking Scotland here, has joined with the International Parking Community (IPC) to create a panel to establish a new code of conduct,.
Currently, drivers using a private car park have a five-minute grace period in order to find a space and pay for their stay before they can be subject to a fine.
Whilst this rule is enforced in a bid to prevent motorists from being charged when a car park is already full, some motoring experts have warned that the period is not long enough, particularly for large sites.
Drivers who fail to pay after using a car park for more than five minutes could face a maximum fixed penalty notice (FPN) of £60, increasing to £100 if it is not paid within 14 days.
Responding to the BBC, Excel Parking, who own the car park where Ms Hudson was issued the fines, said she had taken between 14 to 190 minutes to pay the charge, and could have used the machine on site.
However, Ms Hudson highlighted that the parking machine was regularly out of order.
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