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[Apparelyzed]

Get ready for the double yellow peril: a £120 parking fine

By Ben Webster, Transport Correspondent

MOTORISTS who park on double yellow lines or in bays for disabled drivers face a new parking fine of £120.

Local authorities plan to introduce a two-tier system under which drivers who overstay on meters by a few minutes will pay much less than those who cause an obstruction. The present top rate of £100 would increase by 20 per cent for serious parking offences and some offences detected by camera, such as driving in bus lanes or blocking box junctions. But drivers would pay less than they do now for minor infringements.

The Association of London Government, which represents the 33 boroughs, will publish a report next week containing options for new fine levels and proposing a sliding scale of penalties. Any measures that the capital takes are likely to be adopted in the rest of the country.

The authorities have yet to agree on what constitutes a serious parking offence. Some believe that parking in residents’ bays without a permit should be punished with the highest rate. Others argue that the £120 rate should be reserved for offences that cause congestion.

Parking fines already vary from area to area, with Inner London boroughs charging £100, Outer London boroughs £40 and most other parts of the country £60. Drivers are charged half those amounts if they pay within two weeks.

A spokesman for the association said there was concern that the present rates were too low to be an effective deterrent. “Five million tickets were issued in London last year but there is still a significant level of non-compliance, which causes serious congestion. When we surveyed Londoners we found 75 per cent thought parking enforcement was not strict enough.”

The RAC Foundation welcomed the idea of a two-tier system but said that the maximum fine should not rise above £100.

Edmund King, the director, said: “You don’t have to make the existing rates more expensive to make the system fairer. There should be a discount for minor offences. If they introduce a £120 ticket, one can only conclude that they are more interested in raising revenue than keeping traffic flowing. Traffic wardens already face enough abuse without having to hand out even more exorbitant fines.”

Britain’s 32 million drivers paid more than £1 billion in parking fines and charges last year. The Department for Transport will issue guidelines next month that will discourage wardens from handing out the maximum number of tickets.

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