Islington Council's parking enforcement policies were given support with the publication of the Department of Transport's consultation on implementing the parking provisions in the new Traffic Management Act.
Cllr Lucy Watt, executive member for environment said: "Parking regulations should be there to make life easier for residents and this consultation on parking polices shows that Islington is moving in the right direction.
"We want to continue to improve the parking service and make sure that our parking polices are firm but fair. We are listening to what local people tell us and changes we have already made to our policies are making a difference. We were the first borough to stop clamping because it wasn't an effective way to deal with illegally parked vehicles as it left the offending vehicle in the same place for even longer. We have also produced an easy guide to parking making our polices easier to understand and where necessary we are making our road signs clearer."
The draft guidelines, which the council welcomes, suggest a number of recommendations to make parking enforcement a fairer system for all including:
· Wheel clamping only for the most persistent parking penalty evaders
· More transparency and information for road users with authorities publishing their policies and reports
· Dedicated training for everyone involved in administering civil parking enforcement from on the street right up to the boardroom
· A more motorist-friendly appeals process with a penalty charge discount reoffered after an informal challenge
· More powers being given to the independent adjudicators to intervene where procedures have not been followed properly
· Regular review of parking policies by local authorities in consultation with stakeholders
· Persistent parking offenders targeted through a nationwide database
The council has already gone a long way to addressing most of these recommendations. For example:
· In August 2005 the borough ceased clamping for all but parking fraudsters and persistent offenders; the first London borough to do so
· In 2005 the borough published the Essential Guide to Parking which was an information document delivered to over 85,000 residents and businesses explaining, in simple terms, how parking is managed in Islington. In addition an Enforcement Protocol was made available detailing the technicalities of every parking contravention the borough enforces
· As part of an initiative with NCP all parking attendants were given customer care training and all new attendants receive the training before going out on street
· The borough already operates an easily accessible appeals process and all representations are answered within 7 days or less. Islington has always offered the discounted payment of £50 following any informal challenge of a parking ticket
· The borough supports any measures to make the Independent Adjudicator's role more robust
· Islington has recently published its Parking Policy Statement which details the council's vision for parking management for the next three years. This was produced in consultation with residents, businesses and specific user groups such as disabled drivers
· The borough is already targeting persistent offenders but is in broad support of the plan to introduce a nationwide persistent offender database
In addition the borough has already initiated a number of new local measures to make parking enforcement a fair system for all. Such as:
· The introduction of high visibility jackets for Parking Attendants to allow them to be more easily seen my motorists
· Digital photographs taken of every parking contravention to provide clear evidence should the ticket be disputed
· Prosecution of drivers found to be using stolen or fraudulent Blue Badges
· The launch of a Universal Permit to allow tradesmen and businesses to park more easily
· The promotion of Blue Badge holders to deter theft from users' vehicles
· The introduction of substitute Blue Badges permits which can be displayed instead of the badge outside users' homes at night when they are most prone to theft
· Assistance to facilitate parking for funerals in the borough
· Promotion of a safer to school campaign encouraging parents not to park on zigzag lines while dropping children off at school and moving them on rather than issuing a ticket
· The council has spent some £370,000 upgrading signs and lines over the past two years in order to make the regulations and parking restrictions clearer.
· The borough has also undertaken a number of mystery shopper surveys and a MORI pole to ascertain users' views on the way parking is managed in Islington, those views being used to then shape service delivery
Further to this, Islington is currently working on a number of new measures including:
· Making CCTV and still images of every parking contravention where a ticket is issued available for the vehicle owner to look at on the council's website
· Working in partnership with other boroughs and IT suppliers to introduce methods of cashless payment at pay and display machines
· Developing ways of giving residents notification of local parking suspensions via SMS text messaging
The council has now had the opportunity to assess the Department of Transport consultation paper on the proposed statutory guidelines for civil parking enforcement, which was circulated only on Wednesday (12 July). Not only does Islington endorse the new guidelines but takes to opportunity to highlight many of the changes that have taken place in response to comments received on parking issues.
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Page Last Updated: 29 July 2008