LONDON BOROUGH OF BROMLEY

Annual Parking
Report

1st April 2007 - 31st March 2008

1
 CONTENTS

Subject Page No.

ON

1 Introduction 4

2 Background to parking in the London Borough of Bromley 5

3 Overview of parking provision and strategy 6

1. Principles of Parking – provision 6
2. Off-street parking 7
3. Park Mark, the Safer Parking Award 7
4. Off-street parking capacities 7

4 The services we provide 9

1. Parking permits 9
2. The Blue Badge Scheme 10
3. Dispensations and suspensions 10
4. Parking enforcement 10
5. Enforcement requests 11
6. School Crossing Patrols 11
7. Who provides the services 11

5 Recent changes and new developments 12

1. Traffic Management Act 2004 12
2. Differential parking penalties 12
3. The Smart car (mobile CCTV unit) 13
4. Head cams 13
5. Mobile phone parking 13
6. Card payments in car parks 14

6 Statistical performance and information regarding

Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued 15
1. Summary of total number of PCNs issued 15
2. On and off-street breakdown of PCNs issued 15
3. Challenges and representations received 16
4. Waivers, write-offs and cancellations 16
5. Debt recovery and bailiff action 16
6. Contravention codes, descriptions, charging levels and
zones 17

7 Financial information 2007-2008 21

1. Parking income and expenditure 21
2. Parking Place Reserve Account 22

8 Glossary of Terms 23

2
LIST OF TABLES

Page No.
TABLES

1 On-street (kerbside) controlled parking stock in Bromley town centre 6

2 On-street controlled parking stock in other areas of the Borough 6

3 Off-street (car parks) parking capacities and Park Mark accreditations 8

4 Parking permits – total numbers issued between 1st April 2007

and 31st March 2008, per parking zone, including visitors’ vouchers 9

5 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) – breakdown of PCNs according to

the method of issue and total numbers issued between 1st April 2006
and 31st March 2008 15

6 Challenges and representations received – total numbers and

percentages between 1st April 2007 and 31st March 2008 16

7 PCNs waived, written-off and cancelled – total numbers and

percentages between 1st April 2007 and 31st March 2008 16

8 List contravention codes, descriptions, charging levels, zones and total

numbers and percentages of PCNs issued between 1st April 2007 and
31st March 2008, per contravention code 18

9 Parking Place Reserve Account – actual expenditure and income

for the year ending 31st March 2008 22

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 1 INTRODUCTION

Thank you for taking the time to read this Annual Report – its aim is to summarise
the services currently provided to residents and motorists by the Parking Section.
This report outlines the many changes that have taken place over the last year and
also explains what we intend to achieve in the coming year. We have tried to show
how we balance the needs of local residents, businesses and motorists alike. The
demand for parking is high and, as Bromley has one of the highest car ownership
levels in London, there will be a continued demand on Parking Services to meet
these challenges in the future.

We have provided information on our full range of services, including; blue badge
and permit applications along with many others that are not commonly associated
with parking, such as School Crossing Patrols and road safety issues.

Obviously, enforcement of parking contraventions forms part of this report and we

have listed and analysed for you the number of Penalty Charge Notices issued in the
last financial year. Currently parking restrictions in the borough are enforced by our
contractor, Vinci Park Services UK Limited, with back office and appeals services
being provided in-house. The contract, known as Parking Operations and
Enforcement Services, is managed by London Borough of Bromley staff and also
covers the provision of the School Crossing Patrol Service. Vinci Park has been our
contractor for approximately seven years and following a tendering process, their
contract was renewed in October 2006. We try to enforce the various parking
restrictions in a fair and reasonable way, listening to the challenges and appeals of
motorists and making policy decisions with these in mind.

This is the first Annual Parking Report produced since the introduction of the Traffic
Management Act 2004, which resulted in many significant changes to parking. If you
have any questions that are not answered in this report, please contact us at the
address below, so that we can try to answer them.

Parking Customer and Communications Officer

Parking Services
Civic Centre
Rochester Wing R75
Bromley
Kent Ben Stephens
BR1 3UH Head of Parking Services

For your information, a glossary of terms that explains some words and phrases can
be found at the back of this report.

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 2 BACKGROUND TO PARKING IN THE LONDON BOROUGH
OF BROMLEY
IST OLE
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 London Boroughs; 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 the North and approximately half its area (mainly in the
South and East) is rural and Green Belt.

The Borough has a population of almost 300,000. There are 3,500 streets in the
Borough, comprising of 550 miles of highway (60 miles of which is yellow lined). The
main Controlled Parking Zone is in Bromley Town Centre and consists of an inner
and an outer zone. Controlled Parking Zones also operate in Beckenham, Orpington
and the Burnt Ash Lane area of Bromley. There are also:
ƒ 1,653 on-street pay and display bays serviced by 254 pay and display
machines;
ƒ 4 multi-storey car parks (MSCPs) operated by the London Borough of
Bromley, providing a total of 2,423 parking spaces;
ƒ 30 surface car parks (4 of which are currently free, 1 disabled only and 1
permit holders only);
ƒ 2 commercial vehicle parks; and
ƒ 1 coach park.

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

The main shopping areas are Bromley and Orpington Town Centres with
approximately 90,000 and 25,000 daily shoppers respectively. Other significant
shopping areas are at Beckenham, Penge and West Wickham.

In October 1993, the control and enforcement of all on-street parking throughout the
Borough (except for the designated red routes) was taken over by the London
Borough of 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 parking

enforcement tool to issue penalties to motorists for the contravention of being in a
bus lane. Currently 10 dedicated bus lane enforcement cameras are used to enforce
7 bus lanes within the Borough. These cameras and other networked cameras
have been used since November 2005 to enforce parking restrictions in congested
areas. The aim is to prevent vehicles causing traffic hazards and delays and
jeopardising the safety of pedestrians. The experience of using CCTV alongside
traditional enforcement methods has proved to be an excellent operational tool that
compliments traditional methods.

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 3 OVERVIEW OF PARKING PROVISION AND STRATEGY

We provide public parking facilities to assist with traffic management and

environmental improvements. 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 generally structured to promote short-term parking and high turnover of
spaces in town centres, but a degree of long-term parking is permitted in the outer
areas and our car parks to meet the needs of different motorists, such as commuters.

There are currently 254 pay and display machines located in various roads and car
parks throughout the Borough. These have been provided by the company Parkeon
and are solar 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) and payment is pre-paid.

‘Pay on foot’ is the term used for the method of payment in our three multi-storey car
parks in 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 by £5, £10 and £20 currency notes and payment is made on exit.

Table 1 shows the on-street controlled parking stock in Bromley town centre and the
tariffs that applied during the period 1st April 2007 to 31st March 2008.

Table 1
Bromley town centre Number of Tariff
Length of stay Spaces
2 hour bays 177 £1.00 per hour
4 hour bays 236 £0.80 per hour
No limit 337 £0.50 per hour

Table 2 shows the on-street controlled parking stock in other areas of the Borough
and the tariffs that applied during the period 1st April 2007 to 31st March 2008.

Table 2
Other areas of the Borough Number of Tariff
Length of stay Spaces (Minimum £0.30 per hour -
Maximum £0.60 per hour)
2 hour bays 507 Location specific
3 hour bays 116 Location specific
4 hour bays 136 Location Specific
No limit 137 Location Specific

1. Principles of Parking - provision

The structured use of car parking controls is an essential tool in helping to
balance competing demands for road space, restraining non-essential traffic,
and in encouraging a shift towards more sustainable modes of travel.

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 The Council’s reasons for introducing and enforcing on-street waiting and
loading 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,

particularly where it is co-ordinated with on-street provision, for example by
offering longer stays than it is possible to offer on-street, and also by
providing capacity which is not available at the kerbside. In general,
motorists tend to prefer on-street to off-street parking due to perceptions of
convenience and security.

3. Park Mark, the Safer Parking Award

Park Mark is an initiative of the Association of Chief Police

Officers (ACPO) designed to reduce crime and the fear of
crime within parking facilities. The Safer Parking Award
Scheme is managed by the British Parking Association
through Development Managers and supported by the
Home Office, the Scottish 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 the
parking environment. Owners/operators of a parking facility are therefore
required to adopt an active management strategy to ensure minimal
occurrence of crime.

After assessment, the Police can award Park Mark status to parking
facilities that are properly managed and maintained. These facilities will
also have achieved appropriate standards that contribute to reducing the
opportunity for crime, as follows:

• surveillance;
• lighting;
• signage;
• cleanliness.

Currently, 21 of the 32 public car parks that we own and maintain have been
awarded Park Mark and we are looking to achieve this status for more of
our car parks in the future. Park Mark has also been awarded to the on-
street parking facility in Crofton Road, Locksbottom.

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4. Off-street parking capacities

Table 3 gives the number of spaces for each car park operated by the
Council and indicates which car parks have been awarded Park Mark
status.

Table 3
Parking Park
Car Park Disabled Bays
Spaces Mark
Burnt Ash Lane 101
Chelsfield 70
Churchill Way Coach Park 2 4
Civic Centre Multi Storey 721 21 9
Coney Hall 27
Cotmandene Crescent 68 9
Crown Lane 24
Dunbar Avenue 35 2
Fairfield Road 98 5 9
High Street, Chislehurst 140 2 9
High Street, West Wickham 119 9
Homefield Rise 0 15 9
Hornbrook House 65 2 9
Lebanon Gardens 28 2
Lennard Road 54 2
Memorial Hall 50 2 9
Orpington College 83
Palace Grove 97
Penge East 56 9
Plaistow Lane 77 9
Priory Gardens 13 1
Queensway 48 9
Ravenswood Avenue 153 4 9
Red Hill 34 2 9
South Street 68
St Georges Road, Beckenham 138 2 9
Station Approach, Hayes 127 3 9
Station Road, Bromley 83 9
Station Road, West Wickham 67 2 9
The Hill Multi Storey 805 6 9
The Spa, Beckenham 154 16 9
Village Way Multi Storey 278 5 9
Wharton Road 16
Westmoreland Road 581 6
West Wickham Leisure Centre 64 2 9
TOTAL 4,544 106 21

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 4 THE SERVICES WE PROVIDE

Parking Services are contacted throughout the year on a wide range of subjects and
concerns that motorists and the public have. This results in the section always being
very busy. The range of services we provide includes the provision of parking
facilities, enforcement of parking restrictions, the issue of residents’ parking permits,
business permits, visitors’ vouchers, blue badges, dispensations and suspensions.

1. Parking permits

There are 6 main permit areas within the London Borough of Bromley,
including Bromley town centre and Orpington. These have been 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
with others being implemented over the following years.

There are three types of permit that allow motorists to park in areas/bays
where controlled parking schemes apply. These are:

• residents’ permits;
• business permits;
• visitors’ vouchers.

Our Permit Section processes permit and visitors’ voucher applications.

Table 4 shows the total numbers of permits and visitors’ voucher books
issued for each area between 1st April 2007 and 31st March 2008.

Table 4
Parking Area Parking Year Permit cost Total
Zone introduced £ number of
permits
issued
Bromley Central A 1998 45.00 277
Bromley North B 1998 25.00 2,014
Bromley South C 1998 25.00 3,306
Ledrington Road D 2003 40.00 2
Locksbottom E 2003 55.00 4
Locksbottom LB 2003 200.00 35
Orpington H 2004 25.00 50
Orpington I 2004 55.00 35
Burnt Ash Lane North J 2004 25.00 95
Bromley Business B/C 2001 75.00 318
Beckenham F 2006 60.00 58
Visitors’ Vouchers (books of All Zones *
15) 1998 25.00 2,720
Visitors’ Vouchers
(Pensioners) All Zones * 1998 free 1,155

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

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2. The Blue Badge Scheme

This is a national arrangement of parking concessions for people with

severe walking difficulties who travel as drivers or passengers. The scheme
allows badge holders to park close to their destination but the national
concessions apply to on-street parking only.

A dedicated team of staff based in the Parking Shop are responsible for the
receipt and processing of all blue badge applications. They use Department
for Transport guidelines to make decisions on eligibility to join the scheme
and issue approximately 3,000 blue badges per year. For further
information, contact our Blue Badge Team on 020 8461 7629.

3. Dispensations and suspensions

A parking dispensation allows a commercial vehicle to park on a waiting

restriction (yellow line) during restricted hours in circumstances where the
vehicle needs to be close to a specific location. For example, for carrying
out works that require the driver to park close to a building or site where
continuous access is required to load or unload goods or materials.

Our charge for 2007/08 for the issue of a parking dispensation was £12.50
per vehicle per week.

A parking suspension allows a motorist to park for a specific purpose in a

pay and display or meter bay during restricted hours. For example, for
carrying out works that require the driver to park close to a building or site
where continuous access is required to load or unload goods or materials.
We will also issue a suspension for the placing of a skip (provided that a
licence has been obtained from the London Borough of Bromley). When we
issue a suspension, we will place signs at the location to clearly indicate to
other motorists that the bay has been temporarily removed from service.

Our charge for 2007/08 for the issue of a parking suspension was £25.00
per bay per week.

Charges will be waived for applications in connection with funerals, blood

transfusion, public health screening and domestic removals. In these
circumstances, permission to park must be requested at least 48 hours in
advance and will be subject to assessment to ensure that a parked vehicle
will not cause an obstruction/hazard.

4. Parking enforcement

We have already mentioned the importance of on-street parking

enforcement provided by Vinci Park. To ensure professional and adequate
enforcement takes place, an average of 23 Civil Enforcement Officers
(CEOs) are deployed per day. The hours of enforcement are primarily
between 8.30am to 6.30pm when most restrictions are in force. However,
enforcement at other times is also undertaken to ensure a comprehensive
service is provided. CEOs use up to date technology to issue Penalty
Charge Notices (PCNs) and record photographic images of contraventions.
Each CEO is checked through the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and is
10
 required to pass a rigorous training schedule prior to undertaking
enforcement duties.

5. Enforcement requests

We received approximately 1,700 requests for enforcement at specific

locations in the Borough from the general public (approximately 1 per hour)
between 1st April 2007 and 31st March 2008. We passed these details to
our enforcement contractor, Vinci Park, and arrangements were made for a
Civil Enforcement Officer or our CCTV mobile unit to visit the location. We
are pleased to be able to provide this service and endeavour to respond to
requests as quickly as possible, normally the same day. If not, certainly by
the next day. If there is an ongoing problem, the feasibility of more regular
enforcement may be investigated.

6. School Crossing Patrols

The School Crossing Patrol Service was first introduced in the 1950s. The
service for the whole of London was run by the Metropolitan Police Service
until April 2000, when it was handed over to Local Authorities. The law gives
Local Authorities the power to provide patrols, although they 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
the London Borough of Bromley where School Crossing Patrols are in place
primarily to help children, their families and carers, cross the road safely on
their way to and from school. When a patrol displays their stop sign,
motorists must stop. If they do not, they are breaking the law. They can face
a £1,000 fine and 3 penalty points on their licence, or disqualification.
Patrols are allowed to stop traffic for anyone wishing to cross the road so
long as they are operating at their approved site and within their authorised
hours of duty.
7. Who provides the services

Our services are provided by the Parking Team, consisting of 18 dedicated

permanent members of staff, as listed below.

• Head of Parking
• Operations Manager
• Processing and Representations Manager
• Parking ICT Manager and Project Co-ordinator
• CCTV and Controls Manager
• CCTV Enforcement Supervisor
• 2 CCTV Enforcement Officers
• Customer and Communications Officer
• Parking Inspector
• Complaints and Information Officer
• Senior Parking Officer
• Finance Officer
• Appeals Officer
• Bailiff Officer
• 3 Parking Officers (dealing with appeals and administration with
temporary contract/agency staff employed from time to time as
required)
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 5 RECENT CHANGES AND NEW DEVELOPMENTS

1. Traffic Management Act 2004

On 31st March 2008, the Government replaced Decriminalised Parking

Enforcement (DPE) across the country with Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE),
which is carried out under the Traffic Management Act 2004 (TMA).
The new legislation represents the largest single shift in the way parking
enforcement is conducted since the Road Traffic Act 1991. The
Government’s aim is to provide consistency by creating a single framework
for parking regulations across the country. It ensures a fair system is in place
and requires councils to be more transparent and accountable.

In line with the new legislation, we have introduced many changes to the way
we deal with appeals and enforce parking regulations, for example:

a. Challenges received prior to the issue of a Notice to Owner or

Enforcement Notice must now be dealt with; prior to TMA, this was
optional. However, we had already adopted this practice prior to the new
legislation.
b. Representations can now be made in response to a Penalty Charge
Notice for a parking contravention that is enforced by CCTV and issued by
post. In these cases, we will not issue a Notice to Owner.
c. A Penalty Charge Notice no longer needs to be placed on a vehicle, or
handed to a driver to be properly served.
d. Parking Attendants are now known as Civil Enforcement Officers.

Other less obvious changes have taken place; the emphasis driven by
Central Government was on the Local Authority’s duty to show transparency
and fairness, with a move away from inappropriate enforcement. We have
welcomed this approach and have actively looked at how our services can be
further improved in line with the new legislation.

2. Differential parking penalties

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

The Government’s aim is to make the system fairer. Higher penalties are
issued to motorists who park where it is not generally permitted. For
example, on yellow lines, the footway, school "Keep Clear" markings, or in
residents’, permit or disabled bays without displaying the appropriate permit
or badge.

The less serious contraventions, which incur the lower charge, include
contraventions such as, overstaying time paid for in a pay and display bay, or
parking outside bay markings.

In circumstances where a driver parked in a permit bay and submits evidence

in the form of a visitors’ voucher valid for the date of the contravention, we will

12
 accept the evidence as confirmation that the driver was visiting a resident and
the lower charge will apply.

3. The Smart car (mobile CCTV unit)

Between June and December 2007,

enforcement trials began using a Smart car
carrying recording equipment. The primary aim
was to alleviate the problems caused by vehicles
parking incorrectly outside schools in the
Borough. The trials proved successful and as a
result, this method of enforcement was
implemented in April 2008. The yellow zig-zag
lines are placed outside school entrances to prevent potentially fatal
accidents by ensuring approaching drivers can see children entering or
leaving the school and children can see approaching vehicles. By enforcing
using the mobile CCTV unit, drivers are discouraged from parking
dangerously and compromising the safety of children and pedestrians. When
the Smart car is not enforcing outside schools, it is utilised at other locations
throughout the Borough enforcing pedestrian zig-zags, bus stops and other
parking contraventions.

4. Head cams

We are currently undergoing tests to assess the

performance of ‘Head Cams’, which are video
cameras that can be attached to headwear or
epaulettes (the shoulder-piece of the officer’s
uniform). If the trial is successful, these
devices will be used by Civil Enforcement
Officers when issuing Penalty Charge Notices.

Our aim is to help:

a. establish training requirements for Civil Enforcement Officers;

b. improve the quality of communication to motorists and the general public;
c. provide more details of parking contraventions, which will assure fairness,
transparency and accountability in the appeals process and in dealing with
complaints;
d. provide evidence of physical assaults and verbal abuse on officers.

5. Mobile phone parking

Trials using mobile phone technology are continuing to help with the changes
to the parking provision in Orpington. Traditional pay and display parking still
applies in some roads, however to compliment this, drivers can now also pay
using their mobile phone within the zone.

Paying for parking using a mobile phone has many benefits, including:
ƒ no need to find coins;
ƒ helping to avoid parking fines due to lost or badly displayed tickets;
ƒ helping to avoid parking fines whereby the motorist receives a text
message indicating when their time is due to expire (charges apply);

13
 ƒ reducing the need for more pay and display machines thereby reducing
clutter and the potential for vandalism;
ƒ 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 simple

registration process must be completed online or by telephone. The driver’s
mobile phone number, vehicle registration number and debit card or credit
card details will be required when registering. Membership of the scheme
costs £1 per month, or 20p per parking session. After completing the
registration process, drivers will have access to an online personal page
where they can view their parking history and invoices, set up text alerts and
receive other useful information.

Once registered, drivers can activate their parking by calling Parkmobile and
inputting the code that appears on signs in the specific street in which they
are parking, ensuring they deactivate when they leave.

The trial in Orpington is coming to an end and this year we are actively
looking at rolling out the concept to all areas of the Borough both on-street, at
locations located by the kerbside and also off-street within our car parks.

6. Card payments in car parks

We have recently upgraded a number of payment machines within the Civic

Centre and The Hill multi-storey car parks. The new machines have built in
credit card payment facilities. It is our intention to have these machines live
and operational before the end of the calendar year 2008.

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 6 STATISTICAL PERFORMANCE AND INFORMATION REGARDING
PENALTY CHARGE NOTICES (PCNs) ISSUED

Most people associate Parking ‘tickets’ and the appeal process with Parking
Services - it certainly evokes strong feeling. Specialist software is used to process
appeals and technology is used to issue PCNs. We aim to be responsive and
provide ample information to assist motorists with their appeals, which we
acknowledge can sometimes be stressful and frustrating.

We have made and continue to make changes, so that the experience of making an
appeal is clearer and less stressful. These changes include:

• speedy replies; nearly all responses to appeals are sent out within 2 weeks;
• better use of plain English
• less jargon;
• more information on the web and on the PCN itself.

We are always looking to improve further, so if you have any suggestions or ideas,
please do not hesitate to contact us.

Table 5 gives a breakdown of PCNs according to the method of issue and shows the
total numbers issued between 1st April 2006 and 31st March 2008 (the figures for the
period 1st April 2006 to 31st March 2007 are for information and comparison).

Table 5
PCNs issued CCTV Civil CCTV Total
(parking Enforcement (bus lane)
only) Officers
01/04/06 – 31/03/07 3,294 67,059 10,390 80,743
01/04/07 – 31/03/08 7,120 67,943 7,136 82,199

1. Summary of total number of PCNs issued

We issued a total of 82,199 PCNs for the period 1st April 2007 to 31st March
2008. The vast majority (67,943) were issued using traditional parking
enforcement methods where a Civil Enforcement Officer (previously known
as a Parking Attendant) served the PCN. This amount is very similar to the
previous year. A total of 7,120 PCNs were issued by CCTV enforcement
between 1st April 2007 and 31st March 2008 for contraventions such as
parking on a loading ban. For the same period, a total of 7,136 PCNs were
issued for bus lane contraventions, which is a reduction of over 3,000 from
the previous year.

2. On and off-street breakdown of PCNs issued

Each Local Authority has a duty to supply figures to various Government

departments on different types of enforcement and where PCNs were
issued. The Department for Transport requires a breakdown of on and off
street PCNs issued 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. The PCNs issued by CCTV shown above are
included in the number of on-street contraventions.
15
 Please note that these figures are for the financial year (1st April 2007 – 31st
March 2008) and may differ to other publications, as the Department for
Transport work to the calendar year (1st January to 31st December).

3. Challenges and representations received

Table 6 shows the total numbers and percentages of challenges and

representations received between 1st April 2007 and 31st March 2008.

Table 6
Challenges for Percentage of Total Percentage of
PCNs issued challenges Representations total
01/04/07 – received against received Representations
31/03/08 total PCNs issued received
18,082 21.99% 6,777 8.24%

Between 1st April 2007 and 31st March 2008, we received a total of 18,082
challenges against PCNs, which equates to 21.99% of the total figure of
penalties issued (82,199). For the same period, a total of 6,777
representations were received, which equates to 8.24% of the total figure.

4. Waivers, write-offs and cancellations

Table 7 shows the numbers and percentages of PCNs that were waived,
written off and cancelled between 1st April 2007 and 31st March 2008.

Table 7
Waived Written-off Cancelled Total
Number % Number % Number % Number %
3,575 4.35 5,062 6.16 1,504 1.83 10,141 12.34

A total of 3,575 PCNs were waived during the period; a large proportion of
this figure (1,167) was due to the motorist displaying their pay and display
ticket incorrectly when the PCN was issued, but providing it later to support
an appeal. This subsequently enabled us to prove that it was valid and an
attempt had been made to display it in the vehicle when the PCN was
issued.

A total of 5,062 PCNs were written-off during the period; 925 of these were
for penalties returned by the Royal Mail whereby the keeper did not live at
the address and a new resident provided documentary evidence that
confirmed they resided at the address.

A total of 1,504 PCNs were cancelled during the period for a variety of
reasons, such as incorrect vehicle details being recorded at the time of the
contravention.

5. Debt recovery and bailiff action

A total of 8,201 cases were referred to our debt collection bailiff companies
for the period 1st April 2007 to 31st March 2008. These were cases that
prior to bailiff referral, had not been withdrawn, waived or cancelled and for

16
 which payment had not been received. There are a number of reasons why
bailiffs provide important services, particularly in tracing individuals who are
attempting to avoid paying their penalties. Outstanding debts were
collected for approximately 20% of the cases referred to the bailiffs for the
period.

6. Contravention codes, descriptions, charging levels and zones

Table 8 shows a list contravention codes, descriptions, charging levels,

zones and total numbers and percentages of PCNs issued between 1st April
2007 and 31st March 2008 per contravention code.

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 Differential Parking and Moving Traffic Contravention Charges – Total Number and Percentage of PCNs Issued
between 1st April 2007 and 31st March 2008
Table 8
Code Contravention Description Differential Within Bromley Outside Bromley Total Number Percentage
Charging Level Controlled Parking Controlled Parking of PCN’s of PCN’s
Zone Zone Issued Issued
April 07 to April 07 to
March 08 March 08
01 Parked in a restricted street during prescribed hours Higher 120 100 14022 17.06%
02 Parked or loading/unloading in a restricted street where waiting and Higher 120 100 7119 8.66%
loading/unloading restrictions are in force
04 Parked in a meter bay when penalty time is indicated Lower 80 60 39 0.05%
05 Parked after the expiry of paid for time Lower 80 60 9653 11.74%
06 Parked without clearly displaying a valid pay & display ticket Lower 80 60 6405 7.79%
07 Parked with payment made to extend the stay beyond initial time Lower 80 60 n/a n/a
08 Parked at an out-of-order meter during controlled hours Lower 80 60 n/a n/a
09 Parked displaying multiple pay & display tickets where prohibited Lower 80 60 n/a n/a
10 Parked without clearly displaying two valid pay and display tickets Lower 80 60 n/a n/a
when required
11 Parked without payment of the parking charge Lower 80 60 795 0.97%
12 Parked in a residents' or shared use parking place without clearly Higher 120 100
displaying either a permit or voucher or pay and display ticket
issued for that place 4852 5.90%
14 Parked in an electric vehicles’ charging place during restricted Higher 120 100 n/a n/a
hours without charging
15 Parked in a residents’ parking space without clearly displaying a Lower 80 60 n/a n/a
valid residents’ parking permit
16 Parked in a permit space without displaying a valid permit Higher 120 100 2362 2.87%
18 Using a vehicle in a parking place in connection with the sale or Higher 120 100 n/a n/a
offering or exposing for sale of goods when prohibited
19 Parked in a residents’ or shared use parking place displaying an Lower 80 60 112 0.14%
invalid permit, an invalid voucher or an invalid pay and display
ticket
20 Parked in a loading gap marked by a yellow line Higher 120 100 n/a n/a
21 Parked in a suspended bay/space or part of bay/space Higher 120 100 119 0.14%
22 Re-parked in the same parking place within one hour of leaving Lower 80 60 n/a n/a
23 Parked in a parking place or area not designated for that class of Higher 120 100 3196 3.89%
vehicle
24 Not parked correctly within the markings of the bay or space Lower 80 60 413 0.50%
25 Parked in a loading place during restricted hours without loading Higher 120 100 1585 1.93%

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Code Contravention Description Differential Within Bromley Outside Bromley Total number Percentage
Charging Level Controlled Parking Controlled Parking of PCN’s of PCN’s
Zone Zone Issued Issued
April 07 to April 07 to
March 08 March 08
26 Vehicle parked more than 50cm from the edge of the carriageway Higher 120 100 469 0.57%
and not within a designated parking place
27 Parked adjacent to a dropped footway Higher 120 100 202 0.25%
30 Parked for longer than permitted Lower 80 60 404 0.49%
34 Being in a bus lane Higher 120* 120 7131 8.68%
Moving Traffic
Contravention
35 Parked in a disc parking place without clearly displaying a valid Lower 80 60 n/a n/a
disc
36 Parked in a disc parking place for longer than permitted Lower 80 60 n/a n/a
40 Parked in a designated disabled person’s parking place without Higher 120 100 2457 2.99%
clearly displaying a valid disabled person’s badge
41 Parked in a parking place designated for diplomatic vehicles Higher 120 100 n/a n/a
42 Parked in a parking place designated for police vehicles Higher 120 100 n/a n/a
45 Parked on a taxi rank Higher 120 100 343 0.42%
46 Stopped where prohibited (on a red route or clearway) Higher 120 100 n/a n/a
47 Stopped on a restricted bus stop/stand Higher 120 100 1260 1.53%
48 Stopped in a restricted area outside a school Higher 120 100 296 0.36%
49 Parked wholly or partly on a cycle track Higher 120 100 n/a n/a
55 A commercial vehicle parked in a restricted street in contravention Higher 120 100 13 0.02%
of the Overnight Waiting ban
56 Parked in contravention of a commercial vehicle waiting restriction Higher 120 100 n/a n/a
57 Parked in contravention of a coach ban Higher 120 100 n/a n/a
61 A heavy commercial vehicle wholly or partly parked on a footway, Higher 120 100 n/a n/a
verge or land between two carriageways
62 Parked with one or more wheels on any part of an urban road other Higher 120 100 6095 7.41%
than a carriageway (footway parking)
63 Parked with engine running where prohibited Lower 80 60 n/a n/a
70 Parked in a loading area during restricted hours without reasonable Higher 120 100 n/a n/a
excuse
73 Parked without payment of the parking charge Lower 80 60 n/a n/a
74 Using a vehicle in a parking place in connection with the sale or Higher 120 100 n/a n/a
offering or exposing for sale of goods when prohibited
80 Parked for longer than the maximum period permitted Lower 60** 60 n/a n/a
81 Parked in a restricted area in a car park Higher 100** 100 28 0.03%

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 Code Contravention Description Differential Within Bromley Outside Bromley Total number Percentage
Charging Level Controlled Parking Controlled Parking of PCN’s of PCN’s
Zone Zone Issued Issued
April 07 to April 07 to
March 08 March 08
82 Parked after expiry of paid for time Lower 60** 60 5363 6.52%
83 Parked in a car park without clearly displaying a valid pay and Lower 60** 60 5937 7.22%
display ticket
84 Parked with additional payment made to extend the stay beyond Lower 60** 60 n/a n/a
time first purchased
85 Parked in a permit bay without clearly displaying a valid permit Higher 100** 100 31 0.04%
86 Parked beyond bay markings Lower 60** 60 448 0.55%
87 Parked in a disabled person’s parking space without clearly Higher 100** 100 580 0.71%
displaying a valid disabled person’s badge
89 Vehicle parked exceeds maximum weight and/or height and/or Higher 100** 100 n/a n/a
length permitted in the area
90 Re-parked within one hour of leaving a bay or space in a car park Lower 60** 60 n/a n/a
91 Parked in a car park or area not designated for that class of vehicle Higher 100** 100 99 0.12%
92 Parked causing obstruction Higher 100** 100 n/a n/a
93 Parked in a car park when closed Lower 60** 60 16 0.02%
94 Parked in a pay & display car park without clearly displaying two Lower 60** 60 n/a n/a
valid pay and display tickets when required
95 Parked in a parking place for a purpose other than the designated Lower 80 60 n/a n/a
purpose for the parking place
96 Parked with engine running where prohibited Lower 80 60 n/a n/a
99 Stopped on a pedestrian crossing and/or crossing area marked by Higher 120 100 313 0.38%
zig-zags
Total 82199 100.00%

* Please note that moving traffic contraventions are not affected by Bromley’s Controlled Parking Zone and therefore only one charge applies.
** Please note that the differential level of charge relating to car park contraventions is the same whether they occur within or outside Bromley’s Controlled Parking Zone.

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 7 FINANCIAL INFORMATION 2007/2008

1. Parking income and expenditure

Parking enforcement income has always been a contentious issue and

we often hear the term ‘it is just a money making exercise’. Hopefully the
information below will go some way to explaining some of the
misconceptions about parking income both from PCNs and car parking
charges.

Under section 55 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 as modified by

regulation 25 of the Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions
(England) General Regulations 2007, each Local Authority is obliged to
publish their accounts. The income and expenditure figures for our
parking account are illustrated overleaf. 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 to
their vehicle after their pay and display ticket has expired.

The benefits of compliance include improved road safety, better vehicular

movement and clearer access for pedestrians and individuals with
disabilities. Other less obvious benefits include an enhanced local
economy, for example, turnover of parking bays outside shops with time
limited bays and the effect of less congestion on the environment.

The charges for PCNs are not set by Local Authorities, but by the
Secretary of State, however we have the responsibility for enforcement.

We enforce to a level that aims to encourage compliance but cannot be

viewed or demonstrated as being over zealous. It is therefore beyond our
control that financial surpluses are made, due to the number of parking
contraventions that take place within the Borough against the cost of
enforcing.

Under current legislation, any surplus is limited to meeting the cost of

providing and maintaining parking facilities, highways and street
improvement schemes, traffic management schemes, highways
maintenance and public transport services. Here at Bromley, the
remainder of the surplus from parking charges and income from PCNs is
allocated as our contribution to the Freedom Pass, which helps people
aged 60 or over to travel around London.

The charging for parking spaces on and off-street is less contentious. Our
aim is to remain competitive in our pricing, but to charge according to the
costs of managing our parking stock/spaces in line with approved
strategies, as described in chapter 3.

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 2. Parking Place Reserve Account

Table 9 shows the Parking Place Reserve Account - actual expenditure and
income for the year ending 31st March 2008.

Table 9

PARKING PLACE RESERVE ACCOUNT

LONDON BOROUGH OF BROMLEY

ACTUAL EXPENDITURE AND INCOME FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31ST MARCH 2008

Off-Street On-street On-Street Permit Disabled

Description Enforcement Parking Enforcement Parking parking TOTAL
£ £ £ £ £ £
Expenditure
Running Expenses 372,537 512,365 1,447,329 297,801 9,638 2,639,670
Recharges 168,384 23,130 (298) 191,216
Total Expenditure 372,537 680,749 1,447,329 320,931 9,341 2,830,886

Income
Parking Fees - meters etc. 0 (1,919,047) 0 (195,765) (9,341) (2,124,153)
Other income 0 (9,500) 0 0 0 .(9,500)
Parking Charge Notices (378,651) (2,529,086) (382,827) 0 (3,290,564)
Total Income (378,651) (1,928,547) (2,529,086) (578,592) (9,341) (5,424,217)

Net Expenditure (6,114) (1,247,798) (1,081,757) (257,661) 0 (2,593,331)

Defrayed expenditure
The surplus on "on-street parking" in 2007/08 is Cr £2,593,331
The following expenditure is therefore off set against this surplus:

Traffic Management schemes 59,127

Maintenance of car parks 282,728
Improvement Schemes 198,511
Park and Ride 31,627
Proportion of Concessionary Fares 2,021,337
2,593,331

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 8 GLOSSARY OF TERMS

The glossary below, which is in alphabetical order, explains some terms and
phrases in the Annual Report that may be unfamiliar to you.

CANCELLATIONS

A PCN is cancelled when we consider that it has been issued in error and close the
case without accepting payment.

CIVIL ENFORCEMENT OFFICER (CEO)

This is a designated name given by the Traffic Management Act 2004 to those
officers engaged by councils to issue Penalty Charge Notices. CEOs (formerly
known as Parking Attendants) may be employed directly by the Council or through a
specialist contractor.

CONTRAVENTION

A contravention is failure by a motorist to comply with traffic or parking regulations.

CONTROLLED PARKING ZONE (CPZ)

This is an area where parking is restricted during certain times of the day. The main
aim of a CPZ is to ensure that parking spaces within the zone are managed to
balance the needs of residents and other motorists. In a CPZ the restrictions are
shown by signs placed on all vehicular entry points to the zone. Signs are only
required within the zone where the restrictions are different from those on the entry
signs. There will not usually be a sign for a yellow line where the restrictions are the
same as on the entry signs.

DECRIMINALISED

In October 1993, parking enforcement was decriminalised across the London

Borough of Bromley. This means that it is no longer illegal to park in breach of
regulations. Enforcement of most of the on-street parking regulations is now the
sole responsibility of the Local Authority rather than of the Police. Non-compliance
is treated as a civil offence rather than a criminal offence. Ultimately unpaid Penalty
Charge Notices are pursued by debt collection agencies, rather than through the
criminal courts.

DIFFERENTIAL PARKING PENALTIES

This is the name given to the changes in the levels of charging for penalties
implemented by the Government on 1st July 2007 to make the system fairer. Higher
level charges apply to contraventions that are considered serious and lower levels to
those that are considered less serious.

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ENFORCEMENT NOTICE

An Enforcement Notice is a statutory notice served by the authority to the person

they believe is the owner of a vehicle issued with a Penalty Charge Notice. This
notice is only served for bus lane contraventions if the penalty remains unpaid
after 28 days. Within 28 days of the Enforcement Notice, the owner is required to
either:
• make payment of the full penalty charge; or
• make representations against liability for the charge.

MULTI-STOREY CAR PARK (MSCP)

A multi-storey car park is a building that has a number of floors or levels designed
specifically for vehicle parking.

NOTICE TO OWNER (NTO)

A Notice to Owner is a statutory notice served by the authority to the person they
believe is the owner of a vehicle issued with a Penalty Charge Notice. This notice is
served for parking contraventions where a penalty issued by a CEO remains
unpaid after 28 days. Within 28 days of the Notice to Owner, the owner is required to
either:
• make payment of the full penalty charge; or
• make representations against liability for the charge.

OFF-STREET PARKING

Off-street parking facilities are those within car parks.

ON-STREET PARKING

On-street parking facilities are those by the kerbside

ORDER FOR RECOVERY OF UNPAID PENALTY CHARGE

This is an order for recovery of an unpaid penalty charge which has been registered
with the Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC). TEC is currently situated at the County
Court in Northampton and is the centre where unpaid penalty charges are registered
as debts at the County Court. This is an automated process, not requiring, or
allowing an appearance by any party and once registration has taken place, the debt
can be passed to a bailiff for collection of the outstanding monies.

PAY ON FOOT

Pay on foot is a method of payment for parking in a car park bay whereby on arrival
the driver stops at the barrier, takes a ticket and parks their car. On leaving, the
driver inserts the ticket in a pay station and pays the parking charge. He/She then
takes back the ticket, drives to the barrier, inserts the ticket and the barrier lifts for
exit.

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PARKING ATTENDANT (PA)

This is a designated name given by the Road Traffic Act 1991 to those officers
engaged by councils to issue Penalty Charge Notices. PAs (now known as Civil
Enforcement Officers, CEOs) may be employed directly by the council or through a
specialist contractor. When parking enforcement was the responsibility of the
Police, these officers were known as Traffic Wardens.

PENALTY CHARGE NOTICE

This is a notice issued because a vehicle has allegedly contravened a parking or bus
lane regulation. A Penalty Charge Notice must contain certain information, including
a description of the contravention alleged to have occurred.

REGISTERED KEEPER

This is the person or organisation recorded at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing
Agency (DVLA) as being the keeper of a vehicle. Under the concept of owner
liability, the registered keeper is presumed to be the owner of the vehicle for the
purposes of enforcement, appeal and debt recovery action.

REPRESENTATION

A representation is a challenge against a Penalty Charge Notice after a Notice to

Owner or Enforcement Notice has been issued.

SPECIAL PARKING AREA (SPA)

This is an area in which most on-street parking contraventions have been

decriminalised. The area is established by a highway authority to enable the Local
Authority’s Civil Enforcement Officers to put parking controls in place.

WAIVERS

A PCN is waived when we accept mitigating circumstances and close the case
without accepting payment.

WRITE-OFFS

A PCN is written-off when we are unable to pursue the penalty and close the case
without accepting payment. This may be when the DVLA has no information about
the registered keeper, or even after our bailiff companies have attempted to collect
the debt without success.

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