Letter: Why Haven’t Councillors Properly Defined Responsibilities For Parking Enforcement

Published on: 29 Aug, 2017
Updated on: 29 Aug, 2017

From Martin Elliott

In response to: Opinion: Obstructive Parking – Not a Police Matter?

The enforcement of parking restrictions has all confused by the “Decriminalisation of Parking Offences”. Councils took on deferred responsibilities to enforce parking offences from the police (and keep the proceeds). They also took over responsibility for managing traffic wardens from the police and renamed them.

What was not properly defined in the various memorandum and circulars was the full extent of devolved duties and powers.

Included were the regulations covering obstruction of the highway, within 15ft of road junctions, or blocking dropped kerbs.

Parking on the pavement (outside London) is not specifically prohibited, it’s been illegal to drive on the pavement for over a hundred years. It doesn’t even have to be observed; being parked on pavement requires some explanation if you claim you didn’t drive there!

As for a response from GBC. Well, that’s to be expected because there is nothing on the council’s responsibilities except for controlled on and off road parking (in towns).

Expression of our general displeasure as residents with the situation seems to be prevalent. Why haven’t councillors (borough and county) picked it up and approached their own departments, PCC, SPS and properly defined roles and responsibilities within all the Highways Acts and regulations. Yes it may even mean going back over a hundred years, but I believe they have never been repealed, so why not use them?

See: Local Authority Parking Enforcement 

Editor’s note:

A Guildford Borough Council spokesperson said:

“There are three areas where we can enforce on the highway:

• where there is a formal parking restriction – a yellow line or parking bay. In areas where there are no formal parking restrictions we can issue a Penalty Charge Notice;
• where a vehicle is double parked – with wheels more than 50cm from the kerb;
• where a vehicle is actually parked across a dropped kerb. (Where the dropped kerb is for a driveway to a house, we require a complaint from the householder, as they are permitted to park across their own drive.).

“We can issue a Penalty Charge Notice if the householder has complained about a vehicle crossing the dropped kerb.

“We enforce these restrictions for Surrey County Council in Guildford and Waverley.

“Other than in the three circumstances above, if a vehicle is causing a danger or obstruction, people should call the Police on 101.”

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