Parking rules and charges ‘not fine’, says Which?

Which? is calling for an end to unfair charges and unclear signs in the private parking industry, which is unregulated.

When the consumer champion checked private parking conditions in a typical urban area it found signs that were obscured or had defunct phone numbers, and penalties ranged from £100 up to £360. The British Parking Association admitted to Which? that the highest charges were ‘unlikely to be fair' and even a clamper towing a car said that signs weren't clear.

When it came to public sector parking, six councils admitted that they set targets for the number of tickets issued. Although Department for Transport guidance says prompt payment discounts should be maintained if a driver makes an appeal which is rejected, only around a third of councils said they do this in every case, which could stop people appealing.

Which? also found that some healthcare trusts in England are making more than a million pounds a year from hospital car park fees. Others are making losses, so their car parks have to be subsidised by money intended for healthcare.

Martyn Hocking, editor of Which? magazine, says: "Of course it's fair to stop people parking on your land or to charge them a fee for the privilege, but it should be absolutely clear where people can and can't park, and what the charges and penalties are. It's not right that huge sums can be extracted from unsuspecting drivers, or that incentive schemes can be used to discourage people from appealing fines.

"There are good reasons why hospitals charge for their car parks, but if they're making large profits, there's clearly scope to reduce the amount they charge."

Which? supports the Government's aim of greater regulation in the parking sector, but is also calling for minimum standards on private parking signs and costs, rigorous monitoring of enforcement companies and an independent appeals process.