Under the Code, the parking operator must have the appropriate public liability and employers’ liability insurance, as is already required by trade associations. 13. Professional standards 13.1 Training An appeals charter to protect motorists who make a genuine error or receive a parking charge through no fault of their own; and We recognise that some parking operators make legitimate use of camera vehicles to monitor and enforce parking rules. However, we have heard of operators using camera vehicles to inappropriately conduct covert surveillance and serve drivers with unfair charges. The Code therefore requires that camera vehicles should be clearly identifiable as such, display information about the parking operator, and must not be used covertly or misleadingly. There may be some cost to operators in ensuring that surveillance vehicles are identifiable, for example in new branding. 7.3 Use of photographic evidence Many parking bays are free, some havetime limits, some require a permit, andothers will need to be paid for. Some may specify a particular type of vehicle only.

You must display the badge on the dashboard or facia panel, where it can be clearly read through the front windscreen. If there is no dashboard or facia panel in your vehicle, you must display the badge in a place where it can be clearly read from outside the vehicle. The front of the badge should face upwards, showing the hologram. The side showing the photograph should not be visible through the windscreen. We heard different views from stakeholders about how appeals of parking charges should be managed, including the timescales for appeals and the need to prevent drivers from being able to appeal the same parking charge multiple times once the appeals process has been exhausted. This could translate to a marginally higher cost of goods and services in some areas (for example, if free parking becomes paid for or is passed on through higher prices), or no parking management in others. In other cases, the renegotiating of contracts between landowners and parking operators could simply mean a reduction in turnover and profitability for parking operators. If the signs state that the parking restrictions apply Monday to Saturday, 9am-6pm, as an example, these will still be in place if it’s a bank holiday - unless signs specifically exclude this. Many private parking operators use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to issue parking charges. The Code prevents parking operators from issuing parking charges unless the photographic equipment is fit for purpose and maintained appropriately and complies with relevant standards and regulations. This may impose a cost to operators who need to update their technology. 7.2 Camera vehiclesSome parking is free, while others will need to be paid for. If you're looking for free parking, some shopping centres or supermarkets will let you park for free for a set number of hours, or waive the parking fee if you show them a receipt. You must never use a copied badge to park or attempt to alter the details on a badge. The badge remains the property of the issuing local council. They can ask for the badge to be returned if it is being misused. Motorists will benefit through an improved appeals system, including clearer processes for the grounds of appeal to the parking operator. This may involve some additional costs to operators if it leads to an increased number of parking charges being overturned at the first appeal stage. 9. Escalation of costs We heard different views from stakeholders and the public on the consideration period. Some argued that it should be a ‘time to decide’, and therefore would be so context-specific that a minimum time should not be specified. Others argued that it should include the time to read the terms and conditions, find a space, and park. Without setting a minimum time, drivers may receive parking charges from merely entering a car park and looking for a space. There was also concern that the consideration period, together with the grace period, should not apply when parking in short stay areas as this could be seen as effectively gifting a 15-minute period of free parking.

Parent and child spaces are usually offered in private car parks like shopping centres and supermarkets. Lines along the side of the road are used to show where restrictions on stopping and waiting apply. Red lines are currently only used in the London, West Midlands and Edinburgh areas, but are likely to appear in other locations in the future. The Blue Badge Scheme specifies how many disabled parking spaces a council needs to provide in council car parks or on-street. If you park in a disabled bay and you don't have a Blue Badge displayed, you could get a fixed penalty notice. The Blue Badge is not a licence to park anywhere. Like other road users, you must obey the rules of the road, as laid out in the Highway Code. Here is a list of places where you must not park. If the reduction in the level of parking charges makes it commercially unviable to recover parking charges, this could have an indirect negative impact on the efficiency of parking management for business premises. The assessment commissioned by BPA suggested a large impact on retail/hospitality sectors. 8.3 Process for appealing a notice of parking chargeThis consultation also asked for responses on a number of issues that were either not in scope for the PAS, or too contentious for the BSI Steering Group to be able to reach consensus on. These included: Watch out for different rules and restrictions when there's big sporting events, festivals like Glastonbury or a big concert. It could mean parking is only allowed for residents during the event or over a weekend. In some cases, parking could even be completely suspended for everyone. This section makes clear that the notice of parking charge must not use terms which imply that parking is being managed, controlled and enforced under statutory authority, nor pressurise the reader such that they do not consider all their options or make a decision that they might not otherwise have made.

If the new caps lead to an erosion in the deterrent effect of parking charges, this could incentivise motorists to break the rules. In some cases, an increase in the number of parking charges could mitigate the impact of a reduction in the level of parking charges for operators. At the same time, however, it would represent a reduction in the efficiency of parking management, imposing indirect costs through marginally increased difficulty accessing goods and services, higher journey times and poorer land use. You must never give the badge to friends or family to allow them to have the benefit of the parking concessions. If you do not drive yourself, you should share the information in this guidance with the person who will be carrying you as a passenger. The Code sets out requirements on parking operators to provide a process to appeal a parking charge within 28 days of its delivery, or outside of this period where the person who is appealing provides evidence of exceptional circumstances. In considering appeals, parking operators must consider whether there were any mitigating circumstances that mean the parking charge should be cancelled.One of the main concerns raised about the design and language of parking charges is the extent to which some look like Penalty Charge Notices issued by local authorities or use language that intimidates the recipient into paying and dissuades them from lodging an appeal. The Code now prescribes the way a notice of parking charge must be presented and provides a template for a notice of parking charge. Off-street car park operators should provide parking spaces for disabled people. However, it is up to the car park owner to decide whether badge holders can park free of charge. The badge is for your use and benefit only. It must only be displayed if you are travelling in the vehicle as a driver or passenger, or if someone is collecting you or dropping you off and needs to park at the place where