Almost two million parking tickets were issued to drivers by private parking garages between April and June this year, the number of which has increased by almost two thirds in the past five years.
An analysis by the RAC Foundation found that 159 companies received records from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) during this period to prosecute car owners for alleged violations in private parking lots. That is 64% more than 97 in the same period in 2016.
Government statistics show that 1.95 million tickets have been issued to locations like shopping malls, recreational facilities, and highway rest stops – if that quota continues for the remainder of the fiscal year, the total would be close to a record high of 8.4. millions are set in 2019/20.
Tickets can cost drivers up to £ 100.
The implementation of a government-sanctioned code of conduct, a unified appeals service, and a fee and penalty system that would better match the fees charged by the councils must be approved by ministers.
Philip Boynes, CEO of the UK’s largest car park company, PrivateEye, told MPs on the Housing, Community and Local Government Committee last week that “the average profit for a car park operator was around 2.1%”.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, however, said the DVLA’s numbers “challenge the industry’s shared view that margins are a hair’s breadth”.
He continued, “If so, how is it that more and more people are entering the industry, which this year is well on its way to making a near-record-breaking demand for parking fees?
“It is inconceivable that more than eight million drivers consciously decide against parking rules every year and risk paying a parking fee.
“These numbers, which have skyrocketed over the past 10 years, suggest that we have a system that isn’t working – neither for the toll drivers nor the private landowners.
“That has to change, starting with the establishment of a single, clear set of rules and an independent complaint service so that motorists know exactly where they are and sharp operator practices can be quickly identified and eradicated.”
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