MotorAuthority

Parking tickets rise 500% over five years in UK

Posted Thu Apr 3 2008 1:03 PM by Viknesh Vijayenthiran

Just when you thought owning a car in the UK couldn’t get any more expensive, what with all the congestion charges and registration taxes, a new report has found parking a car for free in some areas is becoming near impossible. In just six years, the number of drivers issued with a parking ticket in the UK has risen 500%.

The finding was released by the country’s Traffic Penalty Tribunal in its annual report, which shows that more than 3.5 million parking tickets were issued during the 2006-07 financial year, up from 800,000 tickets just six years earlier. Total revenue from all the issued tickets amounted to more than £214 million ($428 million), all going directly to local council coffers.

This number doesn’t show the true extent of the problem as it only includes tickets issued by parking enforcement agents. When combined with tickets issued by the police, the figure skyrockets to more than eight million tickets and up to £480 million ($960 million) in fines.

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Reader Comments

• Thu Apr 3 2008 1:11 PM

  Gus says

  But parking fees are only issued if you park illegally or don't pay the meter, correct?
  Or am I missing something here?
  I guess if I park at a meter and let it run out, I wouldn't be too suprised (pi$$ed off, maybe) if there was a ticket on the windshield. But our parking tickets are about $30, I don't know what they are in the UK.
  Unlike the congestion charge, this seems like a relatively preventable fine? Or is there just not enough parking? Maybe I'm not seeing the whole picture.

• Thu Apr 3 2008 1:20 PM

  Strada Auto Store says

  Interesting information, Thank You.

• Thu Apr 3 2008 2:48 PM

  cj says

  UK parking tickets would be about $110, they're £60

• Thu Apr 3 2008 4:14 PM

  Ian says

  Great to see a story about the United Kingdom , with a picture of a Rolls-Royce outside the Peninsula in Hong Kong....

• Thu Apr 3 2008 4:35 PM

  Fritz says

  Where's Robin Hood when you need him?

• Thu Apr 3 2008 5:05 PM

  Gus says

  Good one Fritz.
  
  Wow, that is really expensive. Kind of out of line with what you would expect, but it is the UK after all...

• Thu Apr 3 2008 9:17 PM

  HECTOR says

  Gus: European streets are often very crowded with no available parking anywhere. While some poeple park illegally because they think they're entitled too many other simply don't have a choice.