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How to enforce parking - littlerussell

We are a school in a city centre location, with a small car park which is also a right of way to two other properties - a small block of student flats, and a public access sports facility. Both of these have their own allocated spaces, and generally stick to them during the day. However, our car park is filling up with local residents/commuters who have decided it's a good place to park. We have spoken to them, and some don't return but others are rude and abusive and continue to park there. It is a huge issue for school staff and visitors as road parking is very limited and the public car parks nearby are around £15/day.

We've been told we can't fit a gate due to the complexities of comings and goings and the right of way, so some form of permit parking + enforcement seems to be the only way forward. A fully contracted parking service would be very expensive.

This appears - on the face of it - to be a relatively cheap parking solution:

www.flashpark.co.uk/HowItWorks.aspx

We rent parking signs, send them photos of cars which we *know* are parked without permission, they send out parking fines, and they keep any revenue. I suspect that their powers to enforce through the courts are very limited, but the act of issuing parking tickets might just scare away some of our more stubborn regulars.

This does, however, seem to me to be a bit of a cowboy outfit. Can anyone tell me what the pitfalls and/or legal ramifications for us would be, or any other ideas which might be worthwhile?

How to enforce parking - Palcouk

They are a BPA approved Operator

Vehicle Control Solutions t/a Flash Park Ltd

www.britishparking.co.uk/BPA-Approved-Operators

Edited by Palcouk on 18/10/2018 at 09:38

How to enforce parking - Gibbo_Wirral

Can anyone tell me what the pitfalls and/or legal ramifications for us would be, or any other ideas which might be worthwhile?

The only pitfall is the Facebook and forum armchair "experts" who will always say "its an invoice, not a fine, just ignore it, I've had ten years of threats and I now owe them £10,000 blah blah blah"

Edited by Gibbo_Wirral on 18/10/2018 at 13:43

How to enforce parking - daveyjp

Plenty of pitfalls - plenty of info online about why.

How to enforce parking - SLO76
Cheap option. Big warning signs declaring it private property and buy a tatty old banger to block them in regularly enough to inconvenience them. I did similar in a dispute with a neighbour many years ago. £300 car that’s still Mot’d, tax it and park it to cause maximum annoyance.
How to enforce parking - nick62

I live in a private park (un-adopted roads), which has full public access due to there being a railway station within the boundary.

Although there are a few legit parking spaces on the "Station" road, the rest of the park was being badly abused by non-resident commuters.

The trustees of the park use Flashpark to police parking, but there are only two or three residents with permission to issue tickets (which are then sent to Flashpark for administration and as you say, they keep any fines).

The only problem is that for a parking ticket to be valid, the parking wardens have to photograph the offending vehicle always showing the number plate AND:

1. The Flashpark warning sign in the same shot.

2. The windscreen (for proof that no parking permit is on display)

Therefore getting proof of "illegal" parking is a bit like the landlord who offers credit, but only to punters over 85 who are accompanied by both parents.

How to enforce parking - Falkirk Bairn

Many years ago I worked in Edinburgh city centre. The company rented a collection of odd buildings behind a church - took 15 cars or so. Entry was via a short lane but you came across punters who would squeeze a small car near the entrance to the land - turning in meant shuffling back & forwards to get past.

Piece of packing tape, lift the door lock & you were in - in the days before car alarms. Handbrake off, push car forward onto the start of the double yellows......the owner never came back BUT a few months later someone else would try the same parking trick.

It was many years ago - car alarms were standard fit on upmarket cars or GTi owners who valued their cars.

How to enforce parking - Brit_in_Germany

There is always the physical barrier solution, e.g.

www.ebay.co.uk/p/3-Legged-Folding-Security-Car-Par...6

How to enforce parking - Twinwren
As another poster mentioned, bay barriers are a way of protecting your spaces but inconvenient for staff and visitors.
I quite like the idea of buying an old banger and blocking the repeat offenders in. If the hanger is parked on your land then they’re nothing the police can do to get it moved.

Do let us know what you decide to do.