A version of SignPlot that can spell check traffic signs and determine how big they should was launched at Parkex and Traffex 2013. Simon Morgan, managing director of Buchanan Computing, says: “Everyone thinks they can spell, but it is surprisingly common for signs to be erected with embarrassing mistakes, particularly of place names unfamiliar to those involved. SignPlot 2.60 helps to avoid this by linking to the Microsoft Word spelling dictionary. This has the advantages of being...

Westminster is set to “re-align” the way it runs parking services, with two new style contracts to be split between technology and “people and resources”. The council plans to re-structure its outsourcing model when its current contracts expire next year. The parking and CCTV contract with NSL Services ends in June 2014 while the back office processing contract with Serco ends in November 2014. The new structure will allow potential contract savings of nearly £3m...

Properly managed parking can be a boon to local economies and the environment, local transport minister Norman Baker said in a recorded address shown at Parkex. “Providing it is managed effectively, it can work for all of us. I welcome the take-up of civil enforcement by councils and it is a good example of localism in action. Parking can provide the two strands the government is keen to promote, in terms of economic growth on the one hand, and cutting congestion and emissions.”...

The London Borough of Islington has introduced virtual permits as an alternative to printed displays for residents, visitors and businesses. As there is no tangible permit displayed in the car, enforcement of the scheme depends on scanning vehicle registration marks using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology. The system used in Islington employs a patrol vehicle equipped with ANPR cameras, which scans number plates to distinguish between vehicles that are registered and those...

A photo of George Osbourne getting into a Range Rover parked in a disabled bay became one of the most controversial images of the past few months. News that the Chancellor of the Exchequer had abused a bay reserved for people with impaired mobility became a lightning rod for critics of the government’s decision to cut a range of benefits. The shot was taken just days ahead of the enactment of significant cuts in welfare benefits, including those received by disabled people. It also...

In America they have not one but three major parking events each year. Two are organised respectively by the National Parking Association and the International Parking Institution while the third is organised by the publishers of the magazine Parking Today and is called the Parking Industry Exhibition or PIE. This is a combined trade show and conference and I was invited to take part in this year’s event, which was held at the grandly named Donald E Stephens Convention Centre (the eighth...

Paul Caddy has joined bailiff enforcement and debt collection firm Phoenix after 13 years as a director at Marston Group. He will take on a broad role at Phoenix, which will include testing the firm’s internal and external operational processes and procedural systems. He will work closely with the company’s directors to address specific areas of weakness within the business. Caddy is the current president of civil enforcement association CIVEA and is an industry representative on...

Reducing dangerous parking outside schools, kerbing speeding in residential neighbourhoods and implementing civil parking enforcement are some of the themes that will be discussed in the next of Landor LINKS’ annual Enforcement Summits. This year's event will examine the factors that shape the behaviour of motorists and their perception of enforcement regimes. It will explore how driver education can be used alongside enforcement, deploying  attendants and CCTV systems to improve...

The third Parking & Property conference will take place in London on 23 May. The event, organised by Landor LINKS, provides a forum for the owners and operators of car parks to discuss issues such as car park design, refurbishment, funding, customer service and new technology. The programme has been developed by Parking Review in partnership with consultancy Parking Matters, whose principal Nigel Williams will deliver a keynote speech. It is a forum for public and private sector car park...

Visitors to all the country parks in Essex will be able to park for free during the Easter holiday. By booking free tickets online visitors will get free parking at the county’s seven parks from 29 March until 14 April. The daily tariffs at the country parks is normally £2.20. ?Visitparks.co.uk/Easter...

A Conservative councillor has defected to UKIP in protest over plans by New Forest District Council to scrap free parking for Blue Badge holders. Chris Lagdon resigned from the council’s ruling Tory group and has  become the sole UKIP councillor. He said: “This was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The council has introduced parking charges for disabled people to make money. As a lifelong Conservative this was a hard decision, but I cannot be associated with a party...

London property maintenance firm Aspect.co.uk is hiring unemployed young people with clean licences to act as ‘car sitters’ on Transport for London’s Red Routes. Trials in Westminster have been “incredibly successful”, said Will Davies, boss of Aspect.co.uk. Aspect.co.uk said it is planning to roll out a ‘car sitting’ service for the public in the autumn. The car sitters take the driver seat while the Aspect worker attends premises and conducts property...

Councils should be more lenient when enforcing High Street parking as a way of boosting local trade, communities secretary Eric Pickles told the Conservative Spring Forum. Pickles warned that  ‘over-zealous’ enforcement damaged trade as motorists are penalised for popping into high street shops. He said: “I believe we need to give people the good grace to pop into a local corner shop for 10 minutes, to buy a newspaper or a loaf of bread without risking a £70...

A parking campaigner has advised motorists not to take cases to the Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA) service. Speaking on Radio 4’s You and Yours, Barrie Segal said that motorists can choose to ignore a parking charge notice issued to them on private land or can write to the operator and offer payment based on the length of the overstay.  He told presenter Peter White: “Let’s say it costs £10 an hour to park and you have overstayed six minutes. What is the...

The British Parking Association (BPA) is carrying out a review of the Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA) service just six months after its launch, following complaints from enforcement operators. The association has appointed its honorary treasurer John McArdle to carry out the review. POPLA is run for the BPA by London Councils, which provides the Parking & Traffic Appeals Service (PATAS) for the capital’s on-street, bus lane and road user charging schemes. On 26 March the...

West Yorkshire Police has lost its appeal over the costs of policing home matches at Leeds United’s Elland Road stadium. The Court of Appeal told the force that they were not entitled to charge the club for policing outside land owned or controlled by the club. This follows a change in policy by West Yorkshire Police and ACPO for the 2009/2010 season, which meant that instead of charging for policing at the stadium, West Yorkshire Police sought to charge for an “extended...

One of Lincoln's largest car parks is to close for five months to allow the second phase of a refurbishment plan. The 458-space Lucy Tower car multi-storey park (MSCP) will shut for about 20 weeks from 25 March for £1.4m of maintenance work. Engineers from Mansell will replace steel supports and resurface the 1973 built MSCP’s lower levels. It has been timed to coincide with the reopening of Thornbridge car park, which has recently been resurfaced, and other alternative car parks,...

Plans for a new multi-storey at Banbury Railway Station have been approved by Cherwell District Council. The scheme will see a four-storey car park providing 707 spaces, associated drop-off circulation space and a pedestrian bridge linking the car park to the eastern-end of the station building. The MSCP’s lead designer for the project is McNaughton, and a contractor for the build is due to be appointed imminently. The MSCP would be a split-level design allowing more efficient vehicle...

Cash free phone payment is now being rolled out across pay & display areas in Aberdeen. More than 40,000 transactions have been made through PayByPhone since the system was introduced in Aberdeen City Council’s car parks in December 2011, with 4,500 people signing up to the service. Council leader and enterprise, planning and infrastructure convener Barney Crockett said: “The PayByPhone service has proven to be extremely popular with people using council car parks and I am sure...

Bus lane enforcement is being rolled out across Aberdeen. Eleven Vysionics LaneCheck ANPR cameras are being installed supported by a back office offence viewing and processing system (OVPS), using software supplied by Vysionics and Imperial Civil Enforcement Systems (ICES). Preparatory works for the launch of the new system, which will be administered by the city council, and is due to began at the end of March. Enforcement of the bus lane may not be continuous through a 24-hour period and...

The Olympic Games and a match-day car park used by fans of both Liverpool and Everton were among the winners at the British Parking Awards, which were announced in London on Friday 8 March. The competition, which is now in its 12th year, is organised by Parking Review and Landor LINKS to recognise and celebrate the best in parking management, design and innovation. The Olympic legacy was in evidence during the ceremony, as LOCOG Transport won the Partnership Award for its work to ensure that...

On 25 January 2013 the coalition government published its long awaited response to last year’s Transforming Bailiff Action consultation. This new attempt to reform bailiff and enforcement law, which started in 1998, has seen the government affirm its commitment to protect vulnerable people from aggressive bailiff action. The government’s response sets out 19 recommendations, but the key ones are for more protection against aggressive bailiffs whilst spelling out the need for...

Cutting edge technologies, the problems of congestion in our town centres, increasingly complex legislation and renewed efforts to boost the accessibility and appeal of High Street shops have all helped to put a new spotlight on to the parking services teams within town halls across the country. It’s fair to say that the professionalism of today’s civil enforcement teams bears little resemblance to years gone by. Much of this reflects how parking teams are benefitting from the...