lb bromley parking annual report 2008-2009

8/8/2019 LB Bromley Parking Annual Report 2008-2009

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1st

April 2008 31st

March 2009

London Borough of Bromley

Annual Parking

Report

1st April 2008 31st March 2009


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1

1 Introduction 4

2 Background to parking in the London Borough of Bromley 5

3 Overview of parking provision and strategy1. Principles of Parking provision2. Off-street parking3. Park Mark, the Safer Parking Award

6667

4 The services we provide1. Parking permits2. The Blue Badge Scheme3. Blue Badge fraud4. Dispensations and suspensions

5. Parking enforcement6. Enforcement requests7. School Crossing Patrols8. Who provides the services?

889910

11111112

5 Complaints and Freedom of Information requests1. Complaints2. Freedom of Information requests

131314

6 Recent changes and planned new developments/partnerships1. The Smart car (mobile CCTV unit)2. The new Smart car3. Head cams4. Mobile phone parking5. Card payments in car parks6. Back office computer system (Civica) upgrade

15151515161616

7 Statistical performance and information regardingPenalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued

1. Differential parking penalties2. On and off-street breakdown of PCNs issued

181919

8 Appeals received1. Challenges and representations received2. Waivers, write-offs and cancellations3. The Parking and Traffic Appeals Service (PATAS)4. Debt recovery and bailiff action5. PCN summary

202020212222

9 Financial information1. Parking income and expenditure2. Parking place reserve account

232324

10 Summary 25

Subject Page No.

CONTENTS


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Page No.

LIST OF TABLES

1 Residents permits total numbers issued between 1st April 2008and 31st March 2009, per parking zone

8

2 Business permits total numbers issued between 1st April 2008and 31st March 2009, per parking zone

9

3 Visitors Vouchers total numbers issued between 1st April 2008and 31st March 2009

9

4 Complaints number of complaints, number of days to respondand average response time

13

5 Freedom of Information number of requests, number of days torespond and average response time

14

6 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) breakdown of numbers andpercentages of PCNs according to the method of issue and totalnumbers issued between 1st April 2006 and 31st March 2009

18

7 Challenges and representations received total numbers andpercentages between 1st April 2007 and 31st March 2009

20

8 PCNs waived, written-off and cancelled total numbers andpercentages between 1st April 2007 and 31st March 2009

21

9 Parking and Traffic Appeals Service (PATAS): appeals received;Statutory Declarations received; total completed; appeals allowed,of which not contested; appeals refused, of which withdrawnbetween 1st April 2007 and 31st March 2009

22

10 Parking Place Reserve Account actual expenditure and incomefor the year ending 31st March 2009 24

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Page No.

LIST OF CHARTS AND GRAPHS

Charts

1 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) breakdown of PCNs according tothe method of issue and total numbers issued between 1st April2008 and 31st March 2009

18

Graphs

1 Complaints number of complaints, number of days to respond and

average response time

13

2 Freedom of information number of requests, number of days torespond and average response time

14

3

Page No.

APPENDICES

1 Glossary of terms 1

2 Freedom of Information requests 4

3 Off-street (car parks) parking capacities, including disabled baysand Park Markawards

6

4 On-street parking facilities, including disabled bays 7

5 On-street bays throughout the Borough for disabled Blue Badgeholders only, broken down by hours of restriction

10

6 PCN statistics 2008/2009 11


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4

1 INTRODUCTION

This is our second Annual Parking Report for the period 1st April 2008 to 31stMarch 2009. We know many found our first report useful and we have thereforetried to provide more detailed information about our achievements over the lastyear and our plans for the coming year.

Our plans include many ICT improvements that we are sure will help provide amore efficient service, particularly through the use of the web and GeographicalPositioning System (GPS) technology for use by Civil Enforcement Officers. Thiswill result in our ability to enhance our processes for the following services:

enforcement requests; on-line challenges; and

providing motorists with more information about their parking tickets.

We have included a section on Freedom of Information and provided an appendixthat gives our responses to some of the requests we received last year. Thesewere obviously issues that stakeholders were interested in, so hopefully you willalso find them interesting and at least, they may serve to answer some of yourquestions.

Finally we have included statistics from previous years in addition to those for the

last financial year to demonstrate how trends in parking have changed over theyears.

Again we are actively looking to improve, so if you have any ideas on how we cancommunicate our service to you in a more effective way, please contact us.

Parking Customer and Communications OfficerParking ServicesCivic Centre

Rochester Wing R75BromleyKent Ben StephensBR1 3UH Head of Parking Services

For your information, a Glossary of Terms that explains some words and phraseshas been added to this report as Appendix 1.


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5

IST OLE

2 BACKGROUND TO PARKING IN THE LONDON BOROUGHOF BROMLEY

Bromley is situated in South East London - flanked by the London Boroughs of Croydon,Lewisham, Southwark, Lambeth, Greenwich and Bexley. It also has borders with

Tandridge (Surrey) and Sevenoaks (Kent). Geographically it is the largest of the LondonBoroughs; its major centres of population are Bromley, Orpington, Beckenham, Penge,West Wickham, Chislehurst, Petts Wood and Biggin Hill. It is of an urban nature to theNorth and approximately half its area (mainly in the South and East) is rural and greenbelt.

The Borough has a population of almost 300,000. The area of the Borough isapproximately 58 square miles; there are 3,500 streets comprising of 550 miles ofhighway (60 miles of which is yellow lined). The main Controlled Parking Zone is inBromley Town Centre spanning an area of 1.78 square miles and consisting of an innerand an outer zone. There are 257 streets that have an area within this zone. Controlled

Parking Zones also operate in Beckenham, Orpington, Farnborough Village, ChattertonVillage, Petts Wood, the Copers Cope Road area and the Burnt Ash Lane area ofBromley. There are also:

2,117 on-street pay and display bays serviced by 241 pay and display machines; 4 multi-storey car parks (MSCPs) operated by the London Borough of Bromley,

providing a total of 2,423 parking spaces; 30 surface car parks (4 of which are currently free, 1 disabled only and 1 permit

holders only); 2 commercial vehicle parks; and 1 coach park.

Two arterial designated Red Routes run through the Borough (the A21 and A232) and ashort section of the A20 clips its Northeast boundary. There are good transport links toCentral London, which is approximately 9 miles from Bromley.

The main shopping areas are Bromley and Orpington Town Centres with approximately90,000 and 25,000 daily shoppers, respectively. Other significant shopping areas are inBeckenham, Penge and West Wickham.

In October 1993, the control and enforcement of all on-street parking throughout theBorough (except for the designated red routes) was taken over by the London Boroughof Bromley. The Police were responsible for control and enforcement before this date.Enforcement was carried out under the 1991 Road Traffic Act until 31st March 2008,when it was replaced by the Traffic Management Act 2004.

In October 2003, we began using closed circuit television (CCTV) as a parkingenforcement tool to issue penalties to motorists for the contravention of being in a buslane. Currently 10 dedicated bus lane enforcement cameras are used to enforce 7 buslanes within the Borough. These cameras and other networked cameras have beenused since November 2005 to enforce parking restrictions in congested areas. Theaim is to prevent vehicles causing traffic hazards and delays and jeopardising the

safety of pedestrians. The experience of using CCTV alongside traditionalenforcement methods has proved to be an excellent operational tool that complementstraditional methods.


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6

3 OVERVIEW OF PARKING PROVISION AND STRATEGY

We provide public parking facilities to assist with traffic management and environmentalimprovements. The on-street facilities (typically those located by the kerbside) and off-street facilities (within our car parks) are distributed throughout the Borough. The facilities

are paid for completely by the users. Maximum length of stay restrictions are generallystructured to promote short-term parking and high turnover of spaces in town centres, buta degree of long-term parking is permitted in the outer areas and our car parks to meet theneeds of different motorists, such as commuters.

There are currently 314 pay and display machines located in various roads and car parksthroughout the Borough. These have been provided by the company Parkeon and aresolar powered, therefore they do not need an electrical source in order to operate.Payment to these machines can only be made by coins (5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, 1 and 2) andpayment is pre-paid.

Pay on foot is the term used for the method of payment in our three multi-storey car parksin Bromley town centre. The machines have been provided by the company Alfia Limited.Payment to these machines can be made by coins (5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, 1 and 2) or by5, 10 and 20 currency notes and payment is made on exit. Payment may now also bemade by debit/credit card in the Civic Centre Multi-storey Car Park and The Hill Multi-Storey Car Park.

1. Principles of Parking - provision

The structured use of car parking controls is an essential tool in helping tobalance competing demands for road space, restraining non-essential traffic, and

in encouraging a shift towards more sustainable modes of travel.

The Councils reasons for introducing and enforcing on-street waiting andloading restrictions are:

to improve the safety of road users;

to assist the smooth flow of traffic and reduce traffic congestion;

to assist and improve bus movement;

to assist in providing a choice of travel mode;

to ensure effective loading/unloading for local businesses;

to provide a turnover of available parking spaces in areas of high demand; to assist users with special requirements, such as disabled drivers; and

to promote and enhance the health of the local economy.

2. Off-street parking

Off-street car parking also contributes to many of these objectives, particularlywhere it is co-ordinated with on-street provision, for example by offering longerstays than it is possible to offer on-street, and also by providing capacity whichis not available at the kerbside. In general, motorists tend to prefer on-street tooff-street parking due to perceptions of convenience and security. Appendix 3

gives details of the off-street capacities and on-street parking facilities within theBorough.


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3. Park Mark, the Safer Parking Award

Park Mark is an initiative of the Association of Chief PoliceOfficers (ACPO) designed to reduce crime and the fear ofcrime within parking facilities. The Safer Parking Award

Scheme is managed by the British Parking Association throughDevelopment Managers and supported by the Home Office, theScottish Executive and all the Police Forces in England,Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The primary aim of the scheme is to prevent criminal behaviour within theparking environment. Owners/operators of a parking facility are thereforerequired to adopt an active management strategy to ensure minimal occurrenceof crime.

After assessment, the Police can award Park Markstatus to parking facilities

that are properly managed and maintained. These facilities will also haveachieved appropriate standards that contribute to reducing the opportunity forcrime, as follows:

surveillance;

lighting;

signage;

cleanliness.

Currently, 21 of the 32 public car parks that we own and maintain have beenawarded Park Mark. The on-street parking facility in Crofton Road,Locksbottom has also received this award. Since the date of this report in May2009, another 4 car parks received awards, bringing the total to 25. Appendix 3gives details of all car parks that have been awarded Park Mark.

If you have any ideas or suggestions on how we can further improve our carparks, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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4 THE SERVICES WE PROVIDE

Parking Services are contacted throughout the year by motorists and the general public

on a wide range of subjects and concerns. This results in a very busy but interestingsection. The range of services we provide includes the provision of parking facilities,enforcement of parking restrictions, dealing with appeals and requests for enforcementand the issue of residents parking permits, business permits, visitors vouchers, bluebadges, dispensations and suspensions.

1. Parking permits

The permit areas within the London Borough of Bromley and the types ofpermits we issue are shown in Tables 1, 2 and 3. These permit areas havebeen introduced to ensure that there is a balance between the need for

residents to be able to park near their homes and the needs of other motorists.Some of these areas have been further divided to allow greater control.

The Bromley town centre Controlled Parking Zone was introduced in 1999 withothers being implemented over the following years.

There are three types of permit that allow motorists to park in areas/bays wherecontrolled parking schemes apply, these are: residents permits, businesspermits and visitors vouchers.

Our Permit Section processes permit and visitors voucher applications. Table

1 shows the total numbers of permits and visitors voucher books issued foreach area between 1st April 2008 and 31st March 2009.

Table 1 Residents permitsParking area Parking zone Year

introducedPermit cost

Total issued

Bromley Central A 1998 55.00 232

Bromley North B 1998 35.00 1644

Bromley South C 1998 35.00 2660

Ledrington Road D 2003 50.00 0

Locksbottom E 2003 65.00 22

Beckenham F 2006 70.00 51FarnboroughVillage

FV 2009 50.00 N/A*

Burnt Ash Lane G 2004 35.00 3

Orpington H 2004 35.00 46

Orpington I 2004 65.00 35

Burnt Ash LaneNorth

J 2004 35.00 69

Orpington K (Zones 1 -4) 2006 50.00 5

Camden Grove N 2009 55.00 N/A*

Copers Cope R 2009 75.00 N/A*

Petts Wood S 2009 75.00 N/A*

Chatterton Village W 2009 35.00 N/A*

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Table 2 shows the total numbers of business permits issued for each areabetween 1st April 2008 and 31st March 2009.

Table 2 Business PermitsParking area Parking zone Year

introducedPermit cost

Total issued

Bromley

(Business)

B/C 2001 85.00 271

Locksbottom(Business)

LB 2003 210.00 10

Chatterton Village(Business)

W 2009 85.00 N/A*

* These permit schemes only came into operation after April 2009, therefore no permits wereissued for the period of this report.

Table 3 shows the total numbers of visitors vouchers issued between 1st April2008 and 31st March 2009

Table 3 Visitors VouchersParking area Parking zone Yearintroduced

Permit cost

Total issued

Visitors Vouchers(books of 15)

All Zones ** 1998 30.00 1,867

Visitors Vouchers(Pensioners) All Zones ** 1998 free

941

** Residents in zone A can buy visitors vouchers only for zones B and C

2. The Blue Badge Scheme

This is a national arrangement of parking concessions for people

with severe walking difficulties who travel as drivers orpassengers. The scheme allows badge holders to park close totheir destination but the national concessions apply to on-streetparking only.

A dedicated team of staff based in our Customers Service Section areresponsible for the receipt and processing of all Blue Badge applications. Theyuse Department for Transport guidelines to make decisions on eligibility to jointhe scheme and issue approximately 3,000 Blue Badges per year. For furtherinformation, contact our Blue Badge Team on 020 8461 7629.

In order to meet the needs of Blue Badge holders, a number of disabled baysare located throughout the Borough. Appendix 4 shows the number of disabledbays in busy locations that also have pay and display bays within the vicinity,such as a small shopping parade, or a high street.

3. Blue Badge fraud

At London Councils Transport and Environment Committee (TEC) meeting inFebruary 2009, it was voted to expand the Lost, Stolen and Fraudulent BlueBadge Database (LSF Database) to all 33 London Boroughs. The databaseenables all Boroughs to share information. The data recorded can be used tohighlight Blue Badge scheme abuse.

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In conjunction with this database, in March 2009, we launched a pilot scheme inthe Civic Centre Multi-storey Car Park to identify and prevent Blue Badge fraud.Kiosk Attendants are now scanning the side of the badge that has details of theserial number and expiry date each time the holder visits the car park. Thisenables us to detect and act upon fraudulent use of a badge that has been lostor stolen between visits to the car park. It also acts as a deterrent to any

persons potentially using a badge fraudulently.

If you are suspicious that a Blue Badge is being used fraudulently, or havecause for concern, please contact us on 020 8461 7702.

4. Dispensations and suspensions

A parking dispensation allows a commercial vehicle to park on a waitingrestriction (yellow line) during restricted hours in circumstances where thevehicle needs to be close to a specific location. For example, for carrying outworks that require the driver to park close to a building or site where continuous

access is required to load or unload goods or materials.

Between 1st April 2008 and 31st March 2009, we issued a total of 175 parkingdispensations. During this period, our charge for the issue of a dispensationwas 12.50 per vehicle per week.

A parking suspension allows a motorist to park for a specific purpose in a payand display or meter bay during restricted hours. For example, for carrying outworks that require the driver to park close to a building or site where continuousaccess is required to load or unload goods or materials.

We will also issue a suspension for the placing of a skip provided that a licencehas previously been obtained from the London Borough of Bromley (a skiplicence can be obtained from Street Services by telephoning 020 83134545/4621).

When we issue a suspension, we will place signs at the location to clearlyindicate to other motorists that the bay has been temporarily removed fromservice.

Between 1st April 2008 and 31st March 2009, we issued a total of 44 parkingsuspensions. During this period, our charge for the issue of a suspension was25.00 per bay per week.

Charges are waived for applications in connection with funerals, bloodtransfusion, public health screening and domestic removals. In thesecircumstances, permission to park must be requested at least 48 hours inadvance and will be subject to assessment to ensure that a parked vehicle willnot cause an obstruction/hazard.


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5. Parking enforcement

To ensure professional and adequate enforcementtakes place throughout the Borough, an average of23 Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) are deployed

per day by our parking enforcement contractor,Vinci Park. The hours of enforcement are primarilybetween 8.30am and 6.30pm when mostrestrictions apply. However, enforcement at othertimes is also undertaken to ensure acomprehensive service is provided. CEOs use up

to date technology to issue Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) and recordphotographic images of contraventions. Each CEO is checked through theCriminal Records Bureau (CRB) and is required to pass a rigorous trainingschedule prior to undertaking enforcement duties.

6. Enforcement requests

We received approximately 1,200 requests for enforcement at specific locationsin the Borough from the general public (approximately 5 per day) between 1 stApril 2008 and 31st March 2009. We passed these details to Vinci Park andarrangements were made for a Civil Enforcement Officer or one of our mobileCCTV units to visit the location. We are pleased to be able to provide thisservice and endeavour to respond to requests as quickly as possible, normallythe same day. If not, certainly by the next day. If there is an ongoing problem,the feasibility of more regular enforcement may be investigated. More proactiveservices are planned for 2009/10.

If you would like to request enforcement in a specific area, please contact us on020 8461 7702.

7. School Crossing Patrols

The School Crossing Patrol Service was firstintroduced in the 1950s. The service for the wholeof London was run by the Metropolitan PoliceService until April 2000, when it was handed over

to Local Authorities. The law gives LocalAuthorities the power to provide patrols, althoughthey do not have to do so. However in Bromley,we see it as an important public service and part

of our efforts to reduce casualties. There are 47 primary school sites in theLondon Borough of Bromley where School Crossing Patrols are in placeprimarily to help children, their families and carers, cross the road safely ontheir way to and from school. When a patrol displays their stop sign, motoristsmust stop. If they do not, they are breaking the law. They can face a 1,000 fineand 3 penalty points on their licence, or disqualification. Patrols are allowed tostop traffic for anyone wishing to cross the road, as long as they are operating

at their approved site and within their authorised hours of duty.

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In addition to patrols already in operation across the Borough, there are plansto implement another three patrols this year at Bromley Road for BishopChalloner School, South Eden Park Road for Unicorn Primary School andQueen Anne Avenue for St Marks CE Primary School.

8. Who provides the services?

Our services are provided by the Parking Team, which currently consists of thefollowing dedicated permanent members of staff:

Head of Parking;

Operations Manager;

CCTV and Contract Manager;

Processing and Representations Manager;

Parking ICT Manager and Project Co-ordinator;

CCTV Enforcement Supervisor;

2 CCTV Enforcement Officers;

Customer and Communications Officer;

Parking Inspector;

1 Senior Parking Officer;

Appeals Officer (the main contact for cases referred to the Parking andTraffic Appeals Service);

Bailiff and Debt Recovery Officer;

7 Parking Officers (dealing with appeals and administration andtemporary contract/agency staff employed from time to time as required).

The number of staff may change from time to time to meet the needs of theservice.


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1. Complaints

A complaint is defined as an expression of dissatisfaction about a servicereceived. This is very different from being unhappy about receiving a PenaltyCharge Notice, or disagreeing with our decision following a challenge orrepresentation.

In Parking Services, we try to resolve complaints as promptly andcomprehensively as possible. Last year we dealt with a total of 287 complaintswith an average response time of 6.1 days.

You will notice from Table 4 and Graph 1 that the amount of complaints receivedhas risen over the last couple of years. This is because we now actively look forcomplaints or examples of poor service that may be hidden within an appeal,

rather than just separate those letters with the heading formal complaint. Weare pleased however that our response time has reduced.

We take complaints very seriously and from them we gain an insight into the realissues, problems and concerns motorists face with the service they havereceived. The Council has a formal complaints procedure, known as Getting itRight. More information on this procedure can be found on our website:www.bromley.gov.uk

Table 4

Graph 1

Number of

complaints

Total days to

respond

Average response

time (days)01/04/06 31/03/07 110 880 8.001/04/07 31/03/08 190 1692 8.901/04/08 31/03/09 287 1745 6.1

5 COMPLAINTS AND FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUESTS

Number of complaints and response time

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Apr-0

6

May-

06

Jun-06

Jul-0

6

Aug-

06

Sep-

06

Oct-0

6

Nov-

06

Dec-

06

Jan-07

Feb-07

Mar-07

Apr-0

7

May-

07

Jun-07

Jul-0

7

Aug-

07

Sep-

07

Oct-0

7

Nov-

07

Dec-

07

Jan-08

Feb-08

Mar-08

Apr-0

8

May-

08

Jun-08

Jul-0

8

Aug-

08

Sep-

08

Oct-0

8

Nov-

08

Dec-

08

Jan-09

Feb-09

Mar-09

Date

Numberofdays/complaints

Number of complaints

Response times in working days (includesdate of receipt and reply)
http://www.bromley.gov.uk/http://www.bromley.gov.uk/http://www.bromley.gov.uk/


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2. Freedom of Information requests

Over the last few years, the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 has beenused more and more to obtain information about parking related matters. We arealways happy to provide information about our services, whether or not we havereceived a request under this act.

Last year we received 61 requests for information under the FOI Act and thisyear, 1st April 2009 to 31st March 2010, this figure will be far exceeded. We havea duty to reply within 20 working days of each request. However, if a requestrequires work that exceeds the appropriate limit specified in regulations (set at450 for local government), which represents the estimated cost of one personspending 2 working days in determining whether the Council holds theinformation, locating, retrieving and extracting it, we may have to charge. Undersection 12 of the FOI Act, the Council is not obliged to comply with any requestthat is equal to or above the 450 limit. However in such circumstances, throughfurther communication to streamline the request, we are usually able to respond.

Many of the requests we received during the last financial year involved numbersof PCNs, including how many were issued, where and when, as well as howmany were cancelled. We have therefore included the PCN statistics that havepreviously been requested in this report. Appendix 2 gives details of typicalrequests we received along with our responses, which we believe will be helpfulto motorists and the general public. Table 5 and Graph 2 show the number ofrequests we received, the number of days taken to respond and the averageresponse time between 1st April 2007 and 31st March 2009.

Table 5

Number of FOIrequests

Total days torespond

Averageresponse time

(days)

01/04/07 31/03/08 25 299 12.0

01/04/08 31/03/09 61 617 10.1

Graph 2

14

Freedom of Information requests and response time

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Apr-07

May

-07

Jun-07

Jul-07

Aug-07

Sep-07

Oct-07

Nov-07

Dec-07

Jan-08

Feb-

08

Mar

-08

Apr-0

8

May

-08

Jun-08

Jul-0

8

Aug-08

Sep-08

Oct-0

8

Nov-0

8

Dec-0

8

Jan-09

Feb-

09

Mar

-09

Date

Numberofdays/FOIrequests

Average no. of days to respond

No. of FOI per month


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6 RECENT CHANGES AND PLANNED NEWDEVELOPMENTS/PARTNERSHIPS

1. The Smart car (mobile CCTV unit)

In October 2007, enforcement trials began using aspecially adapted Smart car fitted with CCTVrecording equipment. The primary aim was toalleviate the problems caused by vehicles parkingincorrectly outside schools in the Borough. Thetrials proved successful and as a result, thismethod of enforcement was fully operationalin April 2008 to complement more traditional

methods of enforcement, i.e. fixed CCTV cameras and Civil EnforcementOfficers. The yellow zig-zag lines are placed outside school entrances toprevent potentially fatal accidents by ensuring approaching drivers can see

children entering or leaving the school and children can see approachingvehicles. This method of enforcement discourages drivers from parkingdangerously and compromising the safety of children and pedestrians. Whenthe Smart car is not enforcing outside schools, it is utilised at other locationsthroughout the Borough enforcing pedestrian zig-zags, bus stops and otherparking contraventions.

2. The new Smart car

Due to increasing demand for enforcement usingthe mobile CCTV unit, we considered the feasibility

of acquiring another Smart car this waspurchased, equipped and implemented in April2009. The new vehicle is fitted with AutomaticNumber Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology andhas an air-operated telescopic mast that can beraised or lowered from within the vehicle. When

fully extended, the mast positions the camera approximately 12ft above streetlevel enabling the operator to record contraventions from a considerabledistance. The primary use of this vehicle is to alleviate the problems caused byvehicles parking incorrectly outside schools. However, it will also be utilised atlocations throughout the Borough to enforce other parking restrictions. TheANPR technology will enable the operator to immediately recognise vehiclesparked in residents permit bays without a valid permit.

3. Head cams

15

Head cams are body worn video devices that canbe attached to headwear or epaulettes (theshoulder-piece of an officers uniform). Aftersuccessful trials, these devices are now beingutilised by Civil Enforcement Officers to record the

details of parking contraventions. Head camscomplement more traditional methods of recordingdetails, such as pocket book notes and


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photographs. The footage has proven to be a very useful tool in establishingtraining requirements for Civil Enforcement Officers, which in turn has improvedcommunication with motorists and the general public. The footage provides uswith more details of a parking contravention and we are therefore betterprepared to assure fairness, transparency and accountability in the appealprocess and in dealing with complaints. The footage can also be used to

provide evidence of physical assaults and verbal abuse to officers.

4. Mobile phone parking

The trials using mobile phone technology to help with the changes to theparking provision in Orpington are coming to an end.

A total of 23,197 mobile phone parking transactions were recorded for theperiod 1st April 2008 to 31st March 2009 with an average transaction cost of1.49.

In the very near future, we will be inviting tenders to select a suitablyexperienced specialist supplier of mobile phone parking services to roll out theconcept to all areas of the Borough. This will include on-street locations by thekerbside and off-street locations within our car parks.

Paying for parking using a mobile phone has many benefits, including: no need to find coins; helping to avoid parking fines due to lost or badly displayed tickets; helping to avoid parking fines whereby the motorist receives a text message

indicating when their time is due to expire (charges apply); reducing the need for more pay and display machines thereby reducing

clutter and the potential for vandalism; parking charges by the minute so motorists do not need to guess the

predicted length of stay.

To register with Parkmobile, our electronic parking provider, a simpleregistration process must be completed online at www.parkmobile.co.uk or bytelephone on 0870 730 5005.

5. Card payments in car parks

We have recently upgraded a number of payment machines within the CivicCentre and The Hill Multi-Storey Car Parks. The new machines, which havebuilt in payment facilities allowing motorists to pay by debit/credit card, havebeen in operation since April 2009.

6. Back office computer system (Civica) upgrade

This financial year, we intend to upgrade our back office computer system. Thenew system with Civica, the company that provides our current system, will allowus to make a number of improvements to our operation, as well as beingconsiderably easier to use on a day to day basis.
http://www.parkmobile.co.uk/http://www.parkmobile.co.uk/


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The key improvements are:

on-line evidence this module will allow motorists who have received aPCN to view photographic evidence taken at the time of the allegedcontravention;

on-line appeal this module will allow motorists who have received a PCNto appeal against it on-line with no need to find a stamp or a post box. Thesystem will also allow them to add attachments, such as j-peg images,which will be received by the back office within seconds;

General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) this system will allow the transferof data from Civil Enforcement Officers on-street direct to our back officesystem in real time. The transferable data will include contraventioncodes, PCN numbers, locations, dates and times. A key benefit of theinformation imparted using this system is our ability to answer any

questions or concerns from motorists within minutes of the issue of a PCN.


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The table in Appendix 6 gives information and statistics against each contravention codefor the period 1st April 2008 to 31st March 2009. This includes a description of thecontravention, the differential charging levels for each code (within and outside theBromley Controlled Parking Zone) and the total numbers and percentages of:

PCNs issued;

challenges and representations received; referrals to the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service (PATAS); and

cases that were: written-off; cancelled; waived; paid; open (payment outstanding).

1. Differential parking penalties

Differential parking penalties became a reality on 1st July 2007 following theapproval of the Mayor for London and the agreement of the Secretary of State.

To make the system fairer, penalties at the higher charge are issued to motoristswho park where it is not generally permitted, for example on yellow lines, thefootway, school "Keep Clear" markings, or in residents permit or disabled bayswithout displaying the appropriate permit or badge.

The less serious contraventions, which incur the lower charge, includecontraventions such as overstaying time paid for in a pay and display bay, or

parking outside bay markings.

51,548were issued at the higher differential charging level

28,908were issued at the lower differential charging level

2. On and off-street breakdown of PCNs issued

Each Local Authority has a duty to supply figures to various Governmentdepartments on different types of enforcement and where PCNs were issued.The Department for Transport requires a breakdown of on and off-street PCNsissued by each authority. On-street is recognised as pay and display bays and

yellow line restrictions, etc. Off-street is defined essentially as car parks. ThePCNs issued using CCTV shown above (excluding bus lanes) are included inthe number of on-street contraventions.

61,793 PCNs were issued on-street (kerbside)

13,542 PCNs were issued off-street (car parks)

Please note that these figures are for the financial year (1 st April 2008 31stMarch 2009) and may differ to other publications, as the Department forTransport work to the calendar year (1st January to 31st December).


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1. Challenges and representations received

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We have tried wherever possible to avoid the use of jargon in this section, but

to assist you, we have briefly explained below the difference between achallenge and a representation. The Glossary of Terms in Appendix 1 explainsall parking related words and phrases that can be found in this report.

A challenge is an appeal received before a Notice to Owner is issuedto the registered keeper of a vehicle.

A representation is an appeal received after a Notice to Owner hasbeen served to the registered keeper of a vehicle.

However, this scenario may vary depending on the method used to issue thePCN, for example:

bus lane PCNs issued using CCTV (served by post) whereby theregistered keeper is served with an Enforcement Notice before whichthey may make a challenge against the PCN and after which theymay make a representation; and

parking PCNs issued using CCTV (served by post) whereby thekeeper may make a representation on receipt of the PCN.

Table 7 shows the total numbers and percentages of challenges andrepresentations received between 1st April 2007 and 31st March 2009 (thefigures for the period 1st April 2007 to 31st March 2008 are for information and

comparison).

Table 7

Challenges againstPCNs issued

Representations againstPCNs issued

Challenges andrepresentations

against total PCNsissued

Total % Total % Total %01/04/07 31/03/08

18,082 21.99% 6,777 8.24% 24,859 30.24%

01/04/08

31/03/0917,191 21.37% 7,307 9.08% 24,498 30.45%

8 APPEALS RECEIVED

In addition to challenges and representations, we received and dealt with 8,024PCN related enquiries. These included instances where the Royal Mail hadreturned our correspondence and more general enquiries about payment, etc.

2. Waivers, write-offs and cancellations

Table 8 shows the numbers and percentages (of all PCNs issued) that werewaived, written off and cancelled between 1st April 2007 and 31st March 2009(the figures for the period 1st April 2007 to 31st March 2008 are for information

and comparison).


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The meanings of some expressions used in table 8 are as follows:

a PCN is waived when we accept mitigating circumstances and closethe case;

a PCN is written-off when we are unable to pursue it and close thecase;

a PCN is cancelled when we consider that it has been issued in errorand close the case.

Table 8

Waived Written-off Cancelled Total

Number % Number % Number % Number %

01/04/07 31/03/08

3,575 4.35% 5,062 6.16% 1,504 1.83% 10,141 12.34%

01/04/08 31/03/09

4,279 5.32% 4,332 5.38% 1,112 1.38% 9,723 12.08%

A total of 4,279 (5.32%) PCNs were waived between 1st April 2008 and 31st

March 2009. A large proportion of this figure (33.94%) was due to the motoristdisplaying their pay and display ticket incorrectly when the PCN was issued, butproviding it later to support an appeal. This subsequently enabled us to provethat it was valid and an attempt had been made to display it in the vehicle whenthe PCN was issued.

A total of 4,332 (5.38%) PCNs were written-off during the same period; 1,183 ofthese were for penalties returned by the Royal Mail whereby the keeper did notlive at the address and a new resident provided documentary evidence thatconfirmed they resided at the address. However, we endeavour to recoveroutstanding debts by instructing our bailiff companies to continue to pursue

absent keepers.

A total of 1,112 PCNs or 1.38% were cancelled during this period for a varietyof reasons, such as incorrect vehicle details being recorded at the time of thecontravention.

3. The Parking and Traffic Appeals Service (PATAS)

A total of 1,016 cases were referred to PATAS for the period 1st April 2008 to31st March 2009. These were cases where the registered keeper had made anunsuccessful representation against a PCN and had subsequently received a

Notice of Rejection. At this stage, the keeper has the option to either pay thecharge, or appeal to an independent parking adjudicator at PATAS. Appealsare heard by PATAS for 1.26% of all PCNs issued. Table 9 shows the followinginformation:

appeals received;

the number of statutory declarations received;

the total completed;

how many appeals were allowed;

of which how many were not contested;

how many appeals were refused; of which how many were withdrawn.


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(The figures for the period 1st April 2007 to 31st March 2008 are for informationand comparison).

The meanings of some expressions used in table 9 are as follows:

allowed - PATAS have directed the Local Authority to cancel the case; refused - PATAS have refused the appeal, which allows the Local

Authority to pursue the case;

not contested - the Local Authority notifies PATAS that it consents toan appeal being allowed, which is often because further evidence hasbeen received after the case has been referred to PATAS.

Table 9

Appealsreceived

StatutoryDeclarations

received

Totalcompleted

Appealsallowed

Of whichnot

contested

Appealsrefused

Of whichwithdrawn

01/04/07

31/03/08 919 70 867 443 186 424 301/04/08 31/03/09

1,016 81 980 455 267 525 33

4. Debt recovery and bailiff action

A total of 5,612 cases were referred to our debt collection bailiff companies forthe period 1st April 2008 to 31st March 2009. These were cases that prior tobailiff referral, had not been withdrawn, waived or cancelled and for whichpayment had not been received. Outstanding debts were collected for

approximately 23% of these cases, which accounts for 5% of all paymentsreceived.

There are a number of reasons why bailiffs provide important services,particularly in their endeavours to trace individuals who attempt to avoid payingtheir penalties.

5. PCN Summary

We know that in many cases during the PCN process, from the issue of apenalty to the debt collection stage, a motorist may have many significant

contacts with the Council. We also know that it is our duty to explain ouractions and make motorists aware of their options at all stages. We oftenbenchmark the statistics shown in this section, particularly with other LondonBoroughs, to identify areas for improvement and analyse in depth the reasonswhy we have different results. As ever, we are keen to learn from motorists andtheir experiences - if you have any suggestions, please contact us.


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9 FINANCIAL INFORMATION

1. Parking income and expenditure

Parking enforcement income has always been a contentious issue andwe often hear the term it is just a money making exercise. Hopefully theinformation below will go some way to explaining some of themisconceptions about parking income both from PCNs and car parkingcharges.

Under section 55 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 as modified byRegulation 25 of the Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions(England) General Regulations 2007, each Local Authority is obliged topublish their accounts. The income and expenditure figures for ourparking account are shown in Table 10. If you require further information,

please contact us.

Ideally we would like to be in the position of not having to issue any PCNs.However, this will only happen if drivers comply with parking regulations,traffic regulations and road signs and, of course, are never late back totheir vehicle after their pay and display ticket has expired.

The benefits of compliance include improved road safety, better vehicularmovement and clearer access for pedestrians and individuals withdisabilities. Other less obvious benefits include an enhanced localeconomy, for example, turnover of parking bays outside shops with timelimited bays and the effect of less congestion on the environment.

The charges for PCNs are not set by Local Authorities, but by LondonCouncils Transport and Environment Committee (TEC) and are ultimatelyapproved by the Secretary of State. However, we have the responsibilityfor enforcement.

We enforce to a level that aims to encourage compliance but cannot beviewed or demonstrated as being over zealous. It is therefore beyond ourcontrol that financial surpluses are made, due to the number of parking

contraventions that take place within the Borough against the cost ofenforcing.

Under current legislation, any surplus is limited to meeting the cost ofproviding and maintaining parking facilities, highways and streetimprovement schemes, traffic management schemes, highwaymaintenance and public transport services. Here at Bromley, theremainder of the surplus from parking charges and income from PCNs isallocated as our contribution to the Freedom Pass, which helps peopleaged 60 or over to travel around London.

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The charging for parking spaces on and off-street is less contentious. Ouraim is to remain competitive in our pricing, but to charge according to the


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costs of managing our parking stock/spaces in line with approvedstrategies, as described in chapter 3.

2. Parking Place Reserve Account

Table 10 shows the Parking Place Reserve Account - actual expenditure

and income for the year ending 31

st

March 2009.

Table 10

PARKING PLACE RESERVE ACCOUNT

LONDON BOROUGH OF BROMLEYACTUAL EXPENDITURE AND INCOME FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31ST MARCH 2009

DescriptionOff-Street

EnforcementOn-streetParking

On-StreetEnforcement

PermitParking

Disabledparking TOTAL

Expenditure

Running Expenses 530,727 0 114,142 6,964 651,832

Enforcement / Processing charges 460,653 1,627,249 186,100 2,274,002

Recharges 111,892 28,740 2,517 143,149

Total Expenditure 460,653 642,619 1,627,249 328,982 9,481 3,068,983

Income

Parking Fees - meters etc. 0 (2,071,472) 0 (235,609) (9,481) (2,316,561)

Other income 0 (27,970) 0 0 0 (27,970)

Parking Charge Notices (502,807) (2,829,257) (359,568) 0 (3,691,633)

Total Income (502,807) (2,099,443) (2,829,257) (595,177) (9,481) (6,036,164)

Net Expenditure (42,154) (1,456,824) (1,202,008) (266,195) 0 (2,967,182)

Defrayed expenditure

The surplus on "on-street parking" in 2008/09 is Cr 2,967,182

The following expenditure is therefore off set against this surplus:

Traffic Management schemes 38,553

Maintenance of car parks 416,085

Improvement Schemes 476,426

Park and Ride 28,793

Proportion of Concessionary Fares 2,007,326

2,967,182


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10 SUMMARY

Thank you for taking the time to read this report - we hope it has demonstrated thewide variety and complexity of work undertaken by staff in Parking Services to meetthe requirements of motorists and the general public.

We also hope that the information we have provided is sufficient in detail to give youa better understanding of our services and procedures. However, your input is vital,as it will assist us in making improvements for a variety of stakeholders with differingneeds.

We will continue to look at ways to improve our service provision, but as mentioned

throughout this report, we are genuinely interested in any comments, suggestions orqueries you may have and welcome your feedback.

Yours sincerely,

Beverley PharoParking Customer and Communications OfficerParking ServicesCivic CentreRochester Wing R75BromleyKentBR1 3UH

lb bromley parking annual report 2008-2009

Documents