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Clamping and towing scrapped in Westminster (27/06/2008)
Vehicles will no longer be clamped or removed in Westminster as part of a radical shake-up of parking controls in central London, Westminster Council has announced.
From today any vehicle that is causing a serious obstruction on Westminster's streets, such as those parked in a disabled or suspended bay, or on the request of the police, will be relocated to the nearest available safe space instead.
Vehicles that are relocated will still be issued with a parking ticket but will not be charged any extra for being moved to another location.
The decision also means the council's Park Lane pound, which currently holds 280 vehicles, will be closed and used to provide more off street parking for drivers in Westminster.
The move is the first of its kind to be implemented in the UK and follows the decision by Westminster parking bosses that clamping and removal have become ineffective deterrents that hinder rather than improve traffic flow.
The new rules will also see a further relaxation of parking controls for residents. Permit holders incorrectly parked in a suspended resident's bay will now be given two warning notices on their windscreen over two separate days before being issued a ticket and relocated.
Earlier in the year Westminster residents welcomed a 'common sense' initiative that in just six months has seen a reduction by 40 per cent in the number of tickets issued to resident permit holders when loading or unloading.
As the largest parking authority in the UK, Westminster has become the ‘blueprint’ for improving parking services and has over the last three years introduced more than a dozen innovative initiatives aimed at keeping traffic moving around the capital.
Councillor Danny Chalkley, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: "I'm delighted and proud to have made the decision to end clamping and removals, some of the most unpopular forms of parking enforcement in the country.
"Motorists whose vehicles are clamped or removed feel that they have been hit twice, once by the parking ticket and then by the clamp - usually because they made a simple mistake or misread a sign.
"We will instead target our efforts on pursuing the hardcore of motoring offenders who repeatedly flout the law at the expense of the law-abiding majority."
The details of any motorist who attempts to persistently evade Westminster's parking controls will be forwarded to the council's bailiffs who will seek payment on behalf of the authority or in the case of untaxed vehicles, to the DVLA.
Westminster started phasing out clamping two years ago and now, following guidance in the Traffic Management Act it has scrapped it altogether. This has already resulted in a 30,000 fewer vehicles being clamped over the last three years.
There has been almost a 70 per cent reduction in clamping from 47,463 in 04/05 to 15,416 in 07/08.
The new rules do not apply to motorists who are clamped on private land each year. Private clampers are governed by voluntary rules, drawn up by the British Parking Association, which say that clamps are to be removed within two hours of payment and the fee must not exceed £125
Jbw enforcement were living off westminister council and were also starring courtesy of them as well.
Vehicles will no longer be clamped or removed in Westminster as part of a radical shake-up of parking controls in central London, Westminster Council has announced.
From today any vehicle that is causing a serious obstruction on Westminster's streets, such as those parked in a disabled or suspended bay, or on the request of the police, will be relocated to the nearest available safe space instead.
Vehicles that are relocated will still be issued with a parking ticket but will not be charged any extra for being moved to another location.
The decision also means the council's Park Lane pound, which currently holds 280 vehicles, will be closed and used to provide more off street parking for drivers in Westminster.
The move is the first of its kind to be implemented in the UK and follows the decision by Westminster parking bosses that clamping and removal have become ineffective deterrents that hinder rather than improve traffic flow.
The new rules will also see a further relaxation of parking controls for residents. Permit holders incorrectly parked in a suspended resident's bay will now be given two warning notices on their windscreen over two separate days before being issued a ticket and relocated.
Earlier in the year Westminster residents welcomed a 'common sense' initiative that in just six months has seen a reduction by 40 per cent in the number of tickets issued to resident permit holders when loading or unloading.
As the largest parking authority in the UK, Westminster has become the ‘blueprint’ for improving parking services and has over the last three years introduced more than a dozen innovative initiatives aimed at keeping traffic moving around the capital.
Councillor Danny Chalkley, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: "I'm delighted and proud to have made the decision to end clamping and removals, some of the most unpopular forms of parking enforcement in the country.
"Motorists whose vehicles are clamped or removed feel that they have been hit twice, once by the parking ticket and then by the clamp - usually because they made a simple mistake or misread a sign.
"We will instead target our efforts on pursuing the hardcore of motoring offenders who repeatedly flout the law at the expense of the law-abiding majority."
The details of any motorist who attempts to persistently evade Westminster's parking controls will be forwarded to the council's bailiffs who will seek payment on behalf of the authority or in the case of untaxed vehicles, to the DVLA.
Westminster started phasing out clamping two years ago and now, following guidance in the Traffic Management Act it has scrapped it altogether. This has already resulted in a 30,000 fewer vehicles being clamped over the last three years.
There has been almost a 70 per cent reduction in clamping from 47,463 in 04/05 to 15,416 in 07/08.
The new rules do not apply to motorists who are clamped on private land each year. Private clampers are governed by voluntary rules, drawn up by the British Parking Association, which say that clamps are to be removed within two hours of payment and the fee must not exceed £125
Jbw enforcement were living off westminister council and were also starring courtesy of them as well.
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