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Press releasesClamping clampdown welcomedA PROPOSED Government clamp down on unfair parking penalties meted out to motorists has been welcomed by one of the country’s leading car breakdown services, Autonational Rescue. Recommendations in a Government consultation document on parking demand that councils use their powers to concentrate on keeping the traffic flowing, NOT as a means to raise cash estimated at topping £1 billion a year. The recommendations particularly target unfair clamping and hefty parking fines, and among the suggestions in the draft statutory guidance on parking are that wheel clamping be reserved for persistent parking ticket dodgers who have three or more unpaid fines, details of which would be on a national ‘blacklist’ shared with the DVLA. Alternative suggestions are that councils who choose to continue the practise of clamping be advised to extend the parking time limit from 15 minutes to an hour, tow away the offending vehicle rather than clamp, and that clamping or towing should be suspended if a driver returns before the clamps are fully in place or the vehicle is not on board the tow truck. The overriding recommendation is that parking penalties must be “reasonable”. Autonational Rescue’s marketing manager Ronan Hart said: “Any legislation which makes the present system more motorist friendly must be welcomed, but it needs implementing sooner rather than later. “There is growing evidence to suggest a great many motorists have been harshly treated and a fairer, consistent parking enforcement policy by councils is long overdue.” He also welcomed the suggestion of variable fines of up to £120 for deliberate, more serious offences to scaled down penalties for minor offences, such as overstaying a parking time limit by a few minutes, and allowing wardens discretion to give verbal warnings rather than automatically issue tickets. This latest initiative follows the Government’s backing earlier in the year to a code of practice to tackle cowboy clampers, including recommended charges for clamping and towing, and the introduction last year of a vehicle immobiliser licence for companies engaged in clamping on private land. Ends For more information about Autonational Rescue, the car breakdown service with the no claims bonus, call 07000 999 911 Issued by CPR Works |
