Drivers in the UK could soon see changes to parking rules in private car parks after industry bodies pledged a review.
Private parking companies have said they will update their code of conduct after legal action was launched against a driver who took more than five minutes to pay for using a car park after entering it.
Two industry bodies – British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC) – have announced the establishment of a new panel that will revise the code to ensure it “protects genuine motorists who have difficulty making prompt payment on entry”. The two organisations said the panel will also “fast-track updates to the code to reflect technological advancements”.
READ MORE: Baby dies after symptoms were initially blamed on ‘teething and milk allergy’
READ MORE: The 24 seconds that changed everything
In November last year, the BBC reported on the case of a driver who has been taken to court by a private parking company for £1,906. Rosey Hudson was fined after repeatedly taking more than five minutes to pay after entering a car park in Derby because of poor mobile phone signal.
Private parking businesses have been accused of using misleading and confusing signs, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees.
In November, new figures suggested that drivers in the UK are being hit by an average of more than 41,000 parking tickets a day by private companies. Some 3.8 million tickets were handed out between July and September 2024, according to analysis of government data by the PA news agency and motoring research charity the RAC Foundation.
Each ticket can be up to £100, meaning the total cost to drivers may be near £4.1 million per day.
In March 2019, a bill that would bring in a government-backed code of practice for private parking companies received royal assent. However, it was withdrawn in June 2022 after a legal challenge by parking companies.
The code included halving the cap on tickets for most parking offences to £50, creating a fairer appeals system, and banning the use of aggressive language on tickets.
In June, the BPA and IPC published their own code of practice, which will be overseen by the new panel.
IPC chief executive Will Hurley said: “The creation of the panel shows the commitment the industry has to improving the reputation of our sector. We must not forget the valuable service we provide to ensure the vast majority of people can park when and where they need to.”
BPA chief executive Andrew Pester said: “We want to demonstrate that not only are we serious about raising standards but also making decisive changes to the code when issues arise.”
In relation to the five-minute rule, the organisations stressed that “many car parks … are pay on entry”, and it is important drivers “read signage and follow instructions”.
RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said: “The fact that the private parking industry is already having to review its own code, just months after it was introduced, shows it’s not working in drivers’ interests.
“This is yet another reason why the launch of the long-overdue official Private Parking Code of Practice, that became law five years ago, is very much needed. We fear that without this, drivers who use private car parks will continue to be worse off.”