Peterborough City Council is responsible for on-street and
off-street parking enforcement under the Traffic Management Act
2004. This replaced the Road Traffic Act 1991 under which the
Council has enforced parking enforcement since September 2003.
Parking enforcement is now known as Civil Parking Enforcement
and the Council's enforcement staff, previously Parking Attendants,
are now known as Civil Enforcement Officers (CEO). Parking
enforcement (through the issue of a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN))
includes enforcing all yellow lines and other parking & waiting
restrictions throughout the unitary authority and includes all
off-street car parks that are managed by the Council.
Rates for penalty charge notices
There are two main differences that affect motorists under the
new Act. These are higher and lower rates for a PCN:
There is a generally perceived unfairness at receiving the same
financial penalty regardless of the seriousness of the parking
contravention. Therefore differential levels of Penalty Charges
have been introduced.
For example, a vehicle parked on a yellow line restriction or a
vehicle parked in a disabled person's bay without displaying a
valid blue badge will be issued with a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN)
at a higher rate of £70 (£35 if paid within 14 days), whereas a
vehicle parked after expiry of a Pay & Display ticket in an
off-street car park is not deemed to be as serious and will be
issued with a PCN at the lower rate of £50 (£25 if paid within 14
days). Previously, all PCNs were £60 (£30 if paid within 14
days).
With regards to the serving of a PCN, under the Traffic
Management Act 2004 a PCN that is in the process of
being written when a vehicle is driven away can subsequently
be issued to the motorist by post. This can also happen if a CEO is
prevented from serving a PCN.
Other areas of change include:
- Powers for Civil Enforcement Officers to inspect Blue Badges to
ensure that the blue badge holder is present.
- We publish a Parking Annual Report setting out parking
enforcement objectives and reporting on parking issues and projects
of the reporting period.
- Parking Adjudicators will be able to refer cases back to the
council and the 'National Parking Adjudication Service' (NPAS)
which looks at appeals independently from the council will be
called the Traffic Penalty Tribunal.
What will be happening at a later date?
- The Traffic Management Act gives Civil Enforcement Officers
powers to issue PCNs for pavement parking, double parking, parking
on dropped kerbs.
The Department for Transport will be confirming the type of
signage required for these contraventions in due course so that we,
along with other local authorities, will be able to enforce these
contraventions for the first time.
- The new ability to issue PCNs by camera for parking
contraventions is now available but at present the council's
priority is to keep the roads clear by using Enforcement Officers
on foot patrol and the use of CCTV cameras may be introduced at a
later date for certain areas that are difficult to enforce