3 Ways in Which the Parking “Code of Practice” Bill is Good for the Car Park Management Industry

The Parking “Code of Practice” Bill, sponsored by Sir Greg Knight MP, was first presented to Parliament on Wednesday 19th July 2017 and had its second reading on Friday 2nd February 2018. The Bill is summarised as “a Bill to make provision for and in connection with a code of practice containing guidance about the operation and management of private parking facilities; and for connected purposes”. Put simply, the Bill will introduce a code of practice to better regulate the management of parking on private land.

At HX Car Park Management, we welcome this new Bill and believe there are a number of ways in which it will benefit both the car park management industry and the motoring public.

1) Raising standards industry-wide

The vast majority of car park providers operate in a way that is both honest and fair. Unfortunately, however, it is a select few operators, who perhaps to not adhere to such high standards, who undermine the sector as a whole and this leads to large amounts of prejudice from the general public against our industry. A Bill enforcing standards industry-wide would help to rebuild a level of trust between car park operators and the motoring public, which would do a great deal to support the 82,000 people in the UK who work in the parking sector.

2) Providing the motoring public with a level playing field

A Bill enforcing universal standards would eradicate any confusion caused by varying codes of practice throughout the industry. A lower level of variance in the rules will ensure that motorists are clear on where they stand and what behaviours are and are not permitted when parking on private land. A Parking “Code of Practice” Bill will eliminate ambiguous terms of use, poor signage and any other causes for confusion, whilst making sure that the rights of both parties are fair, clear and unambiguous.

3) A fairer appeals system

The Bill should grant the motoring public with a right to make their case against a charge. Sir Greg Knight MP himself has stated that the Bill will put a stop to unreasonable terms, exorbitant fines, aggressive demands for payment and a generally opaque appeals process. This fairer appeals system will, once again, lead to a heightened level of trust and respect between the parking industry and the British public.

Ethical Car Park Management with HX

At HX, our practices reflect our commitment to ethical practices. This can be demonstrated, for example, by our use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to provide a fair and non-confrontational approach to enforcement. As great advocates of a fairer and less profit-oriented approach to car park management, we welcome Sir Greg Knight MP’s Bill and greatly look forward to seeing industry standards as a whole being raised to the level that we have been striving towards for many years.

Here at HX, we offer a range of car park management services to suit every piece of land. This ranges from Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), to Pay & Display and even Permit Parking. If you would like to find out about managing a car park ethically on your land, you can do so by contacting HX Car Park Management on 03330 066 316, or by filling out a contact form.