Are Traffic Wardens Incentivised To Give You Tickets?
Sometimes it seems traffic wardens have a badly hidden agenda. Not only do they want to do their job, issuing tickets to illegally parked vehicles, but maybe they want to go just that bit further and can seem incentivised to do so?
The truth is that official local authority employed traffic wardens don’t have targets to meet. However, when it comes to private companies, it may depend on whether they're a member of the British Parking Association or the Independent Parking Committee, or neither!
Parking Tickets - What Are The Rules?
According to the British Parking Association, their code of practice now states that financial incentives relating to the number of parking tickets issued isn't permitted.
Over at the Independent Parking Committee, they claim to only permit incentive schemes to motivate staff, but those schemes cannot be based exclusively on the amount of parking tickets and charges issued.
A quick Google search brings up numerous stories online of traffic wardens recieving bonuses and of local councils using parking scheme providers on the proviso they hit parking ticket targets.
It is still possible of course, for a private company to set up a scheme, skirting around these guidelines. If they aren't a member of either of these bodies, then there's no way of telling if these companies offer an incentive.
"employees of parking contractors have revealed that they operated under pressure"
There have been several cases in recent years, most notably Kensington and Chelsea, where employees of parking contractors have revealed that they operated under pressure to meet targets set by these private companies.
What Type Of Parking Ticket Have You Got?
You'll know whether the ticket is from the council, police or a private company, as the covering letter will say so.
You could be on the receiving end of a Penalty Charge Notice or Excess Charge Notice, which is issue by the council for an infringement on the highway, or a council car park.
Then there's a Parking Charge Notice from a private landowner, usually through a private parking company. This can be for an infringement in a private car park or on private land, like a supermarket or industrial estate.
Finally you could get a Fixed Penalty Notice from the Police when there are serious infringements. Such as, parking on red routes, or any area where the police monitor parking.
With most, you can appeal and it's worth searching for success stories online if you fell confident you have a good case. If you've accepted the ticket there's usually a siginificant saving if you pay quickly - so make your mind up fast!
