UK motorists will need to get their heads around all these new car parking rules which may work in their favour.
The British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC) have announced an update to their code of practice in relation to private car parks.
This comes after East Yorkshire MP Sir Greg Knight complained about the 'misleading' signs for drivers.
He argued that motorists were facing 'poor signage, unreasonable terms, exorbitant fines, aggressive demands for payment and an opaque appeals process'.
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His Private Member’s legislation, the Parking (Code of Practice) Act was introduced in 2019.
However, the BPA and IPC have issued new rules that we'll need to be aware of before they are implemented from 1 October this year.
New private car park rules
- Drivers will have a 10-minute grace period during which no parking charge can be given
- Car parks must put up clear signs to help drivers navigate the car park, and avoid unnecessary charges
- The parking charge cap of £100 will remain the same and is reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days
- A new Appeals Charter will be introduced to make it easier for when drivers can appeal against a parking charge
Will Hurley, the IPC’s chief executive, said: “This new code will create positive change across the UK, enhancing protection of the most vulnerable in society, whilst creating consistency and clarity for motorists and continuing to elevate standards across the sector.”
Meanwhile, Simon Williams, the RAC’s head of policy, argued: “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 will mean drivers, and especially those who are vulnerable, are protected from unreasonable fines and debt collectors chasing down payments.
“We accept that some of the measures being introduced by the parking industry are an improvement on the status quo which, we have long argued, is totally unacceptable.”
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, also told The Telegraph: “This watered down ‘code of practice’ falls far short of the standards the AA, Government and consumer groups have called for across many years.”
Private car parks will need to be updated in accordance with the new guidelines by December 2026.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, added: “Let’s hope that the people who will be ministers in a week or so take this move by the parking trade bodies as a genuine sign of their collective willingness to embrace change and seize on that willingness to press on with the full package of reforms that’s been stalled for the last five years.”
According to the RAC, an estimated 42 million private parking tickets have been issued in the past five years.
New speeding law
All new cars bought after 7 July will also need to be fitted with an Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) system, with all car manufacturers in the UK legally required to make sure all cars on sale have speed limiters fitted to them.
This means any new vehicle purchased after this date will come with a speed limiter already fitted.
Anish Vij