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Medway tackles overnight HGV parking problem

Deniz Huseyin
02 December 2016
Managing lorries parked on roads at business parks is a challenge
Managing lorries parked on roads at business parks is a challenge

 

Medway Council has started carrying out nighttime parking enforcement patrols on business parks in a bid to stop illegal lorry parking. This is to tackle problems of anti-social behaviour and dangerous parking. The Kent council has received reports of drivers parking on-street and in business parks and sleeping overnight in their cabs.

On 1 November the hours of enforcement in Medway were extended to 7am - 1am seven days a week. Previously patrols ran from 7.30am – 10pm Monday to Friday, 7.30am – 6pm on Saturdays and 7.30am - 1pm on Sundays. 

A new team of five civil enforcement officers has been deployed to work the ‘twilight shift’. So far 363 PCNs have been issued to HGVs at Gillingham Business Park, said the council.

The patrol is targetting Gillingham Business Park and Medway City Estate, where the problem has been worst. The sites comprise a range of retail outlets, and drivers have complained of the lorries causing dangerous obstructions.

Medway’s parking manager Rubena Hafizi said that previously CEOs did not work late enough hours to enforce the nighttime Lorry Ban, which runs from 9pm – 7am. 

“We decided to extend the hours of patrols to ensure double yellow lines were being enforced more robustly,” she said. “This is designed to assist in providing safer roads within Medway, and to also address the HGV parking issues, which is a growing concern.”

Lorry drivers parking on industrial estates will be issued with a £70 penalty charge notice (PCN) for parking in contravention of the council’s overnight lorry ban, said Hafizi.

The rise in HGVs using industrial estates has been linked to anti-social behaviour, said Hafizi. This has included lorry drivers leaving behind rubbish and using bushes as toilets. “This raises health concerns for passers-by and local residents,” she said.

"The large HGVs also cause visual obstructions for other drivers. There have been near misses, with motorists having to drive around the lorries and on to the opposite side of the road. The HGVs create blind spots – we receive lots of complaints from local residents regarding these matters.”

Lorry drivers are using industrial estates because they do not want to pay for parking, said Hafizi. “Industrial estates are off-road so lorry drivers think they can hide there without being detected for a little while.”

Suitable parking facilities are available in Medway at the Farthing Corner Services parking facilities on the M2, as well as at junction 8 on the M20, and off the A2 at Gravesend, Hafizi said. “But there is a charge to use the facilities.”

The cost of the extended enforcement hours will be covered by income generated from additional PCNs issued, she pointed out.

The council has warned it will remove HGVs if they are parked dangerously or belong to persistent evaders with three or more unpaid PCNs.

Medway is using the cross-border debt collection agency EPC to chase PCNs from foreign vehicles. “EPC do not charge for this service but they keep 30% of whatever they collect,” said Hafizi.

The council is working closely with managers of the industrial estates and will hold regular meetings to assess how effective the patrols have been.

Specialist Transport Services Manager
Warrington Borough Council
Warrington
GRADE 13 (£58,797 - £63,735)
Specialist Transport Services Manager
Warrington Borough Council
Warrington
GRADE 13 (£58,797 - £63,735)
Specialist Transport Services Manager
Warrington Borough Council
Warrington
GRADE 13 (£58,797 - £63,735)
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