What's been going on in the world of parking this month? We take a look below.
Smart car fine overturned
One of the more unusual parking developments of recent weeks was the overturning of a fine given to a Gloucestershire driver who parked her smart car at a right angle to the kerb. The £50 penalty was slapped on Vanessa Price by Gloucestershire County Council, but after a year-long battle she will no longer have to pay up.
While this parking method is commonplace for smart car drivers, the civil enforcement officer in question fined Ms Price because her vehicle overlapped the white bay markings. After taking the case to a tribunal, it was ruled she had not breached any traffic regulation order and the fine has been repaid.
Strange as this case is, it has raised questions about exactly what the law is regarding smart car parking. A spokesperson for the British Parking Association told the BBC: "As far as we are aware, we have not come across this particular issue before. But vehicles have to follow general parking laws, regardless of the type of vehicle and the size of the space they're pulling in to.
"There is no law that specifies the size of a parking bay, but there are guidelines. Roads can be different widths so parking needs to be managed appropriately."
Jail term for officer attacker
A man who attacked a civil enforcement officer has received a prison sentence. A suspended sentence of 12 weeks was given to the attacker, as well as 180 hours’ community service, a three-month driving ban and more than £500 in fines.
While rare, incidents such as this are an unfortunate risk for officers and hopefully this sentence shows the authorities will hand out tough punishments to anyone who attacks a parking professional.
Councillor Khurshid Ahmed, Dudley Council cabinet member for transport, stated: "We will not tolerate this kind of behaviour towards our parking wardens and we welcome the sentence the magistrate passed down."
Parking incomes fall
Income generated through parking fines has fallen for a number of local authorities across the country. According to the Express and Star, the amount brought in this way has fallen by £240,000 in Staffordshire. The local authority has attributed the drop to an increase in the number of motorists obeying the law.
A total of 3,283 penalty notices were issued in the county between April and September, which is a drop of 16 per cent compared to the same period last year. These tickets were split evenly between on-street and off-road parking. One in five were cancelled following an appeal.
Staffordshire is not the only place where a fall has been reported, as in Wolverhampton the amount raised through parking fines has fallen to a five-year low. A total of £2,772,112 has been collected in the Black Country city, which is down from £3,143,458 in 2009. However, the city council still made a profit of £784,145 from its parking enforcement actions last year.
This news follows on from government figures that revealed a total of £1.4 billion was raised in parking fines last year. Such a figure equates to £160,000 being raised every hour for 12 months.
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