What is Civil Parking Enforcement?

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Civil Parking Enforcement describes the situation where a local Council (rather than the police) have been given the authority to tackle motorists who park in contravention of restrictions. The restrictions are in place to ensure good traffic management and include on-street parking restrictions and loading and waiting restrictions.

• Pay for it online

By allowing local Councils to enforce parking restrictions, police time is freed to spend more time fighting crime.

The Council has hired its own officers who are trained to carry out parking enforcement.

Enforcement Officers do not have targets, nor are they paid bonuses for issuing tickets. Their aim is simply to help keep the streets clearer to help traffic flow.

Better enforcement of parking regulations and targeting of wrongly and inconsiderately parked vehicles will benefit residents and visitors by:

• Helping the free flow of traffic 
• Improving access and response times for emergency vehicles
• Improving safety outside schools and at junctions where parked vehicles block the view of other drivers and pedestrians
• Improving the circulation for buses and cyclists
• Cutting abuse of disabled parking spaces and freeing them up for genuine disabled car users

Effective enforcement helps to reduce illegal, dangerous and inconsiderate parking. It encourages sensible and safe parking and cuts congestion, reduces pollution and improves road safety.