Parking problems
Parking problems for businesses and private landowners are just as common on private property as they are on the public highway. There are several ways that are being used today to deal with them.
- Clamping
- Towing the car away
- Issuing a charge notice to the offender
- The introduction of a flash peel notice (new)
Private landowners/ businesses are always looking for the least confrontational way to regain lost parking spaces. To date the majority of parking related offences are solved using wheel clamping or by means of a towing the offending vehicle away. There has been wide spread abuse in the clamping industry over the years with inflated release fees and no legal redress for the motorist. The industry has remained unregulated. Last August 2010 The Home Office issued a press release confirming the act of towing a car or clamping it will become a criminal offence. This is shortly to come into effect, for further details click on http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/media-centre/press-releases/ban-on-wheel-clamping
The Alternative solution
Research has shown that the vast majority of people who experience illegal parking can avoid this by placing clear warning notices in their parking area that state in clear terms that parking area is private property. The signs must clearly state who is allowed to park, the term “no illegal parking” or “no unauthorised parking” has little meaning and a stronger definition goes a long way in solving the parking problem. Bespoke parking signs clearly define who is and who is not allowed to park therefore any parking offences that take place once the signs have been on display can be dealt with.
A new type of parking enforcement which has worked well in the US is now been employed in the UK. Flash peel notice is a self adhesive notice that is applied to the drivers windscreen that has a warning that the vehicle is illegally parked and if found parked again the owner risks action been taken.
The first notice is easy to remove, the second one is much harder to peel off (takes at least 5 minutes with warm soapy water) and will deter the persistent offender. It doesn’t cause any damage to the glass.
A landowner is entitled to charge a motorist for using his land, however he must prove the offence took place and have clear signs on display. A system called Flashpark is developed to achieve this for further info click on the link http://www.flashpark.co.uk
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