Private car parks will offer motorists in the UK a 10-minute “grace period” before issuing fines, but motorists say the voluntary code is not enough to protect drivers from unfair practices.
The measure is part of a new code of practice that private car-park companies have promised to introduce in the autumn. Industry trade bodies will also implement a fairer appeals system and maintain an existing cap on charges of £100 – reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days.
However, motoring organisations have argued that the proposed code falls far short of the standards required and are calling for government legislation.
The AA’s head of roads policy, Jack Cousens, said: “This self-authored code doesn’t acknowledge the need to cap charges and remove debt recovery fees … These elements are desperately needed from a government-backed code to protect innocent drivers from the sharks running private car parks.”
The code was published by the British Parking Association and the International Parking Community, the two trade bodies representing private car-park operators.
It also includes requirements for more consistent signage and an “appeals charter” for drivers. The grace period means that vehicles in car parks will have 10 minutes after parking expires before being issued with a fine.
Parking companies will only be required to meet the new standards in full by December 2026.
Politicians and motorist groups have criticised private parking businesses – which issued 9.7m tickets between April and December last year – for unreasonable fees and misleading signage.
A bill to enable the introduction of a legislation-backed code of conduct received royal assent in March 2019. The legislation, which was withdrawn in 2022 after a legal challenge from private parking companies, included halving the cap on tickets for most parking offences to £50, among a number of other measures.
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Simon Williams, the head of policy at the RAC, said: “Drivers shouldn’t be fooled into thinking this so-called code developed by the private parking industry itself is the same as the long-delayed official private parking code of practice that is backed by legislation.
“This, and only this, will bring an end to the worst practices of some private parking operators, and mean drivers – especially those who are vulnerable – are protected from unreasonable fines and debt collectors chasing down payments.”