The parking levy has been described by the new coalition government as Labour’s “war on motorists” and ministers assured that they would look at ways to dismantle this levy. However, it seems as though the authorities in Bristol, Devon, Bournemouth, Leeds, Hampshire, York, South Somerset and Wiltshire are likely to rebel against the proposition of the new government.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the councils were taking advantage of a scheme originally designed to reduce congestion and help the environment as a way of raising income to fund city projects. Some criticise the scheme and say that councils should look at other ways of raising finance implementing a more fair and transparent scheme.

Nottingham is the first council to introduce the parking levy scheme under which employers with more than 10 parking spaces will be charged £253 per space annually, with the charge projected to rise to £350 within the next two years. Other councils looking at a similar scheme may impose different regulations and charges.

Boots, the largest company in Nottingham, with over 3000 parking spaces, has protested against the levy and are threatening to relocate their parking allocation outside the city borough, which could deny the council 13.5% of the projected revenue in the first year. Other large companies might follow suit and eventually the entire scheme could prove counter-productive to the city council - we just have to wait and see.

The Department for Transport has commented that any parking levy scheme would have to be approved by them first, and that none of the cities have approached them yet. Furthermore, they feel that it is the responsibility of the local authorities to fully assess the consequences of the proposed levy before any such proposals are made by valuing the input and feedback from the employers and public in the area.

Have your say about the parking levy by leaving a comment here.

• Up to 2 Hours £4.00
• Up to 4 Hours £6.00
• Up to 6 Hours £9.00
• Up to 9 Hours £11.00
• Up to 24 Hours £14.00

Weekends

• Up to 1 Hour £2.50
• Up to 4 Hours £4.50

Weekend Rate £5.00 per day applies (Saturday & Sunday) after 4 Hours

The Piccadilly Place car park is accessible 24 hours a day throughout the week and will also remain open on Bank holidays. The facility is under 24 hour CCTV surveillance and has been awarded the Parkmark® Secure credential by the civil enforcement authority, which means that adequate security and safety measures are in place for you at this car park. The option to pay is restricted to cash and coins only, which can be perceived as a little inconvenient so make sure you have a few coins with you before opting to park here.

The Manchester Piccadilly area is definitely one of the busiest in the locality where the demand for parking is really high. It is a convenient space for both commuters and shoppers, in addition to those who want to access the station frequently for business trips outside the locality. A final reminder: carry cash and change with you.

£8.00 for 2 hours
£16.00 for 4 hours
£24.00 for 6 hours
£32.00 from 6 to 24 hours

Payments can be made by both cash and card in this facility, but there are no congestion charge machines available. The facility is under 24 hour CCTV surveillance ensuring that your vehicle is being looked after; however, it is not advisable to leave any valuables on display as security is not guaranteed. There is only one passenger lift available, which seems inadequate for a facility of this size and scale of operation, and there are no bays allocated for blue-badge holders.

If you are visiting this area, the London Victoria car park is definitely a convenient place to park in, especially with two other car parks around the corner which you can fall back to if you find it full. Additionally, if you’re commuting to work in this area in your own vehicle it would be a wiser choice to get a contract space via ParkingLocal. We guarantee that you will save over 50% by opting for our parking solutions.

Road-side assistance anyone?
A motorcyclist who was run down in an accident was lying on the roadside with a broken leg waiting for the ambulance to come get him, but a passing parking attendant wasn’t convinced that this was a good enough reason to park his motorbike on the side of the road, so he was issued a PCN for parking illegally. He was in too much pain to protest, and the residents in the area witnessed the heartless gesture in astonishment.

Eco-too-friendly; 5.0 litre Mustang.
We often worry too much about carbon emissions from vehicles, so maybe buying a horse would be a good idea? Well, that’s very thoughtful of you, but it won’t stop you from getting a PCN! A retired blacksmith from Yorkshire, had briefly left his steed and come back to find a PCN on the horse – the vehicle description read “brown horse”. Whether it is carbon monoxide or a pile of manure, whatever comes out the back of your ride, you still can’t escape a parking fine.

Stuck in a truck.
It was the usual routine for a truck driver who was on his way to pickup goods from a location in London, until the road in front of him collapsed and the tires of his 17-tonne truck got stuck; a burst water main had caused the road to give way. While he stood there waiting for his truck to be rescued, a Civil Enforcement Officer happened to pass by. Despite the driver’s protests, the officer slapped a ticket on his truck and said “you can appeal”.

The Bank Job.
It wasn’t the best banking experience for a customer who had rushed into his local bank only to be later held hostage by two hijackers who looted it. When the police had arrived, the victim stayed behind to give a statement about the incident and eventually overstayed his allowed parking time. The police officers assured him that all parking attendants had been informed of the issue and had been told not to issue any parking tickets. Guess what he found on returning to his car? A yellow notice on his windscreen; the reason: overstaying his allowed time.

The Swedish affair.
If you happen to live in Sweden, never visited the UK and own a snowmobile, you are still liable for a PCN! This strange case was reported in the Warwick City Council, where a PCN was issued by post to a resident in Sweden, who was appalled by the ticket, here’s why: He lived in Sweden and hadn’t visited the UK for over 10 years, and the offending vehicle registration was that of his 2-tonne snowmobile! This confusion was later cleared when authorities commented that there had been some confusion between registration number plates across the EU. At least we now know that the Warwickshire County Council goes beyond their jurisdiction to get things done.

Obviously, the people concerned in these events wouldn’t think this a laughing matter but I’m sure they noticed the funny side of it too! PCNs are a common sight today, I noticed over three of them on my way to work, but receiving one for ridiculous reasons can be frustrating – appealing against a PCN can be even more annoying. Tommy Cooper once jokingly said, “You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen, it said ‘parking fine’.” Not many people think this statement funny anymore, and they rather live on without the compliment because it ends up being a little heavy on your wallet.

Have you had any funny encounters like the above, why not share it with us?

Source: “The 10 Funniest Parking Tickets Ever”, accessed at: http://www.moneyhospital.co.uk/blog/funny-bones/the-10-funniest-parking-tickets-ever

Labour’s legacy

The Labour government discouraged the allocation of too much parking in new developments in order to discourage the use of private cars and direct the public towards making better use of the public transport, cycling and other means. It has been reported that local authorities were told “not to reject planning applications on the grounds that the parking provision was insufficient”, which means that many on-going developments might not have allocated sufficient parking for the future. In context, they stressed on local authorities to set maximum parking standards but no minimum standards, except for disabled parking. Here are some aspects taken into consideration for the policies adopted:

• Need to make better use of public transport, cycling and walking for travel purposes.
• Reduce carbon emissions.
• Need to tackle congestion.
• Reduce the amount of land needed for development.

Public concern

Though the reasons seem rational, the public are unconvinced about the effectiveness of such policies and take on the view that limiting parking spaces will not prevent them from using private means of transport. A majority of the public are increasingly concerned about commuting to work, and not being able to find a place to park. The demand for parking has lead to a considerable rise in the price for parking and commuters are forced to succumb to these costs with no other options. Parking is an inevitable habit, and so it is advisable to make use of the best options available, for example contract parking, in order to save you time when you commute to work and also save a few hundred pounds that may help finance an exotic holiday at the end of the year.

The best prices can be found by using the online booking services at East Midlands Airport: Car Parking. However, you can opt for the Turn Up & Park and still pay a reasonable price, making East Midlands Airport parking one of the easiest and best value airport car parks in the UK. The prices (including VAT) for parking as of June 2010 are as follows:

East midlands airport parking –car parks 1 to 3 Long stay
• £24.00 for Up to 2 days
• thereafter £6.50 for every 24 hours stay

East midlands airport parking –car park 4 Long stay
• £26.00 Up to 2 days
• thereafter £7.50 for every 24 hours

East midlands airport parking – car park 6 Long stay
• upto 60mins free of charge
• £6 for 2 hours
• £22.00 Up to 2 days
• thereafter £6.00 for every 24 hours

East midlands airport parking – car park 7 Long stay
• £21.00 Up to 2 days
• thereafter £5.20 every 24 hours

Short Stay parking is available for £1 if you’re parking for less than 10mins (unless you want to return within the next 30mins) and there onwards prices start at £2.00 for 30mins going up to £27 for 24 hours, and £27 every 24 hours thereafter. Motorcycles can park for a day charge of £3.20 in this parking unit.

Please note that the 10mins free option in the Short Stay car park is no longer available. However, car park 6 is now available up to 60mins FREE of charge to pick up and drop off passengers. A shuttle bus service is operational to and from the terminal for FREE.

*All car parks have CCTV surveillance and hold Parkmark® Secure Parking Awards.

How to pay for parking.
The payment system is quite straightforward. Collect a ticket on your entry and retain it with you as you will need to use it again at your departure. When your stay is over you can make a payment at any of the pay stations located within the bus terminals or at the car park in which you have parked. Alternatively, you can also choose to pay at the exit barrier. Insert your ticket to obtain your parking fee; the machines accept all major credit and debit cards, or you can choose to pay by cash. Please do note that you will incur a charge of £1.50 if you pay by credit card, however, this can be avoided by using a debit card.

Disabled Parking
There is adequate provision for parking for blue badge holders in the Short Stay car parks entitled to any duration of stay. Please remember to take your blue badge along with your ticket to the car park office so that you are charged accordingly.

Height restrictions
Currently there are no height restrictions at East Midlands Airport although trailers are not allowed.

Workplace Parking Levy Exemptions

Parking spaces used by customers, motorbikes, display vehicles, fleet vehicles, vehicles primarily being used to deliver or collect goods, and employees who live at their place of work would not be charged and would not need to be licensed.

100% Discount

No charge would be payable by the emergency services, qualifying NHS premises and employers who provide 10 or fewer liable parking places in total within Nottingham City Council’s administrative boundary. However, a licence would be required for these. Spaces reserved for disabled drivers will also receive a 100% discount.
Free travel planning and parking management advice and assistance is available from Nottingham City Council. With the right support it is possible to reduce the number of single occupancy car journeys to sites and thereby reducing an employer’s liability for the WPL charge.
It is the employer’s decision whether or not to pass the cost of the levy (about 70p per day per liable vehicle to begin with) onto its employees to offset the financial impact of the scheme on the business.

Costs

The levy will be effective from the 1st of April 2012 and businesses will be charged at approximately £253 per parking space for the year 2012/13. The costs are expected to increase up to £285 for the period 2013/14 and £301 in the following year. However these charges, and future alterations of the charge after 2015, will be subject to changes in inflation. The WPL is anticipated to raise, on average, £14 million a year over a 23 year period which will be invested into improving public transport. These costs are related to Nottingham alone, and in the future if applied elsewhere, will vary depending on the region it is being applied to.

Who is NOT liable?

Businesses that provide 10 or fewer workplace parking spaces within the City Council’s administrative boundary will be exempt from the WPL. Serviced office companies, such as 20flethcergate, will be providing access to subsidised parking via their partnership with ParkingNottingham and ParkingLocal exempting their clients from the levy altogether. While other businesses, like Boots, have commented that they will defy the levy by moving a majority of their parking outside the city boundary. However, employers are expected to apply for a license which will be available at no additional cost.

Who is liable?

Businesses with 11 or more parking spaces that are based within City Council’s administrative boundary will be required to bear the costs of the WPL. However, all employers that wish to provide workplace parking spaces will be required to obtain a WPL licence available to them free of charge. Employers will be contacted by the Nottingham City Council to help them prepare for the licensing process and provide any additional support or advice.

A workplace parking place is liable for the charge if it is occupied by a motor vehicle used by:

• Employees, this includes parking places that are provided and paid for by an employer even if this is not on site. (For example – spaces reserved for an employer’s use in a public car park)
• Suppliers, agents and other business visitors who are attending their regular place of work.
• Pupils and students attending a course of education or training.

What do the public think?

Following the news of the WPL, the BBC conducted an opinion poll regarding the levy last March and the survey 750 people returned a result where 22% supported the motives of WPL and a vast majority of 78% opposed it. The councils claim is that the WPL will, in effect, encourage people to rely less on private cars and make better use of the public transport system in place. You can view the full results of the survey at BBC Workplace Parking Levy Opinion Poll.