Traffic Management Act 2004
NEW REGULATIONS FROM 31 MARCH 2008
On 31 March 2008 new regulations will be introduced in England and Wales tat will see the first nationwide changes to on-street parking since 1993. The regulations should provide motorists with a fairer and more transparent parking enforcement service across te country, helping raise industry standards in parking.
What is presently called Decriminalised Parking Enforcement will be referred to as Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) and legally speaking, Paking Attendants will become Civil Enforcement Officers, although many areas will still see the familiar Parking Attendant on duty.
The new Regulations will require CPE to be more transparent, simple and proportional to motorists and Local Authorities will have to make clear that enforcement is based on compliance with local parking regulations and not the number of tickets issued.
Enforcement will also be "proportional" to the contravention's seriousness, with new regulations providing for differential charges. Higher penalties will apply for such matters as parking on a double yellow line and a lesser charge for overstaying on a meter.
For more information please visit the website www.patrol-info.uk
The new website provides comprehensive information on parking and traffic regulations and offers a straightforward, 'one-stop-shop' for questions regarding parking and bus lane regulations, including a thorough explanation of what to do if a parking ticket (PCN - Penalty Carge Notice) is received.
PATROL stands for Parking And Traffic Regulations Outside London.
The site sets out how councils in England (outside London) and Wales make and enforce parking and bus-lane regulations. It also explains the stages of te enforcement process and how it has changed following the implementation of the Traffic Management Act 2008.
PATROL is the first website of its kind and has been timed to launc at the same time as the new regulations come into force in order to minimise public confusion. It will clearly outline all the canges brought about by the new regulations and will also be kept fully up to date on future changes.
For members of the public who have received a parking ticket or bus-lane penalty, PATROL will offer simple, step by step advice on what the next stages are, outlining the various opportunities to either pay or challenge the ticket.
Information provided on the site will include:
- The list of parking contraventions and the two penalty charge rates, varying depending on the parking contravention
- Information about what the new Traffic Management Act 2004 changes will mean for motorists
- Tips to avoid getting a parking ticket
- Details of the grounds for challenging a parking ticket and how to go about doing it
- Links to the parking page of each local council outside London in the civil enforcement scheme
- Information on the procedure for parking tickets issued before 31 March 2008, processsed under the Road Traffic Act 1991
- Bus lane regulations, penalty carges for bus lane contraventions and how to appeal
- What's involved if your vehicle is clamped or towed away and the grounds for claiming a refund.
PATROL is sponsored by the 200 enforcing authority councils that make up The Joint Committee of England and Wales for the Civil Enforcement of Parking and Traffic Regulations Outside London.
The Traffic Management Act 2004 comes into force on 31 March 2008 and will replace the provisions of the Road Traffic Act 1991. PATROL will outline all the differences between the two sets of regulations and will clearly explain the process of challenging tickets issued under both sets of regulations.