Parking Fines Could Rise By Almost Double

Motorists outside of London currently pay approximately £70 at a maximum for a parking fine which is under an intense review. In London the price of a parking ticket is as much as £130 since Boris Johnston and Ken Livingstone increased the cap, this review could bring the first changes in parking fines outside of London since 2001. Just how much will the price of a parking ticket go up by however? The aim of Transport Secretary Norman Baker is to deter drivers from breaking parking laws as his current thoughts are that the fine of £70 doesn’t do the job.

The cost of a parking ticket could rise outside the capital to £130, a £50 rise although Londoners have already seen this change. The worry highlighted by Edmund King president of the AA was “our concern would be that local authorities become reliant on the fines as income” he also added that the danger is that local authorities won’t use it as a measure to prevent illegal parking but more as a source of revenue.

Mr Baker could be a very unpopular man if these fines get increased as he admits that the rise in struggling towns could send out the wrong message. Despite this he still stands by his decision in the fact that “there is an urgent need to change these penalty charges since they often fail to act as a deterrent and sometimes encourage non-compliance with traffic management and parking rules” Mr Baker has said. Mr Baker however refuses to tell the committee what decision he is likely to make, unsurprisingly. The only reason they are having to increase the cost of parking fines is because the cost of parking has increased already, everything is increasing it seems.