The British Parking Association (BPA) is looking to raise standards across the parking profession with the launch of a new initiative.

Next week (June 29th), the organisation will launch its Master Plan for Parking 2015-16. BPA president Philip Hammer will present the sixth Master Plan at the House of Commons and it will detail how it can work alongside the government to improve the way parking regulations are controlled across the UK.

Every motorist across the country will have had to battle the eternal struggle which is being able to find an available car parking space in busy towns and cities. They can also be met with extortionate prices when they enter multi-storey facilities, not to mention the congestion getting to and from these locations.

This has prompted the BPA to demonstrate ways in which it can be improved. Writing in its latest Monday Musing column, the organisation wants to look at other aspects which could improve the way parking is managed in the UK. One particular concern recently brought to light is parking on pavements.

The Guide Dogs UK, along with the BPA, has lent its support to a Private Members Bill which aims to ban all parking on pavements. Such is the BPA's desire to put an end to this attitude towards street parking, it features heavily in its Master Plan. It writes that it is committed to the "development of common standards in management and enforcement of parking on footways and areas used by pedestrians across the UK".

Aside from the issue of pavement parking, the BPA will call for the introduction of Civil Parking Enforcement across Scotland. The new initiative will provide Scottish Local Authorities with up-to-date traffic management legislation and also give the Scottish government the impetus to improve the Scottish Parking Appeals Service.

The latter is something which the BPA believes needs to be modernised and be more transparent when it is tasked with dealing with both local authorities and motorists. South of the border in England, the BPA wants to introduce a regular review system which will include the appraisal of penalty charges.

Officials want to enforce the need for parking rules to be respected and upheld and reviewing the penalty charges is something the organisation believes will reinforce this. It hopes that further compliance will help to reduce congestion in towns and cities as well as key traffic hotspots around the land.

However, the main focus of the BPA's Master Plan is the launch of SPACE. This stands for Setting standards, Promoting professionalism, Advocating sustainability, Challenging perceptions and Encouraging innovation. The organisation is looking to achieve the best outcome for both motorists and the wider parking profession.

It concluded by adding: "There’s always SPACE for parking in any debate and we will do our best to ensure parking features prominently this year to ensure better management and delivery of services for the benefit of all."