For second year in a row over a million pounds raised from local motorists

A new report has shown that Chiswick High Road is the only street in the country on which fines for parking and bus lane violations top one million pounds. For the second year in a row it is the nation’s top road for issuance of these type of fines.

The figures published by the Sunday Express show that 20,257 tickets were issued in a single year on the road raising £1.14 million.

Three quarters of the fines issued on Chiswick High Road are enforced by CCTV and nearly half of the total are for driving down a bus lane. Other infringements enforced by CCTV include stopping in loading bays and on bus stops.

4,352 PCNs were issued on the road by Parking Attendants during the year. This was made up of 1,411 (32%) for expired payment and 1,547 (36%) for non-payment in a paid for parking space. There were also 701 (16%) for parking during a waiting/loading restriction. The figures are for the financial year to March 2015.

Changes to legislation from April 2015 means that CCTV cannot be used to enforce parking restrictions such as parking in loading bays and during a waiting/loading restrictions. This is likely to lead to a 20% drop in revenue from this source as over 4,000 of these types of PCN were enforced by PCN during the year. It is believed that one of the reasons that the Council is looking to press ahead with Sunday parking restrictions is to compensate for this loss of revenue.

The top ten roads in the country for these kinds of fine were all in London with £932,000 raised in High Street, Haringey to put it in second place and £768,000 from drivers in Southampton Row, Camden.

The latest numbers actually down on the previous year when 23,780 fines were issued raising £1.36 million. This was inflated by a large number of PCNs being issued during the temporary suspension of parking on the High Road during the closure of Hammersmith Flyover.

Cllr Richard Foote, Hounslow Council ‘s Cabinet Member for Parking, said, “CCTV systems are vital for us to help traffic flow smoothly around the borough and to ensure as far possible the safety of pedestrians. A lot of vehicles use Chiswick High Road so it’s crucial that traffic can move safely and without undue hindrance. Where we know congestion builds up, CCTV is used to enforce where drivers are prohibited; bus lanes, stopping in loading bays, stopping during a waiting/loading restriction and stopping at bus stops.”

One Chiswick trader who asked not to be named said, "The Council have recognised that there is a problem with the impact this level of enforcement is having on footfall on the High Road. They did try to help by introducing free short-term parking but this has become part of the problem rather than part of the solution as it has added to the complexity of trying to park in the area. Sunday parking restrictions would be the final straw for several local independent businesses."

A spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said, “Unfair parking fines push up the cost of living and undermine the high street, and councils should not be raising money through over-zealous enforcement. Instead they should be focusing their efforts on supporting local businesses and championing town centres.”

April 1, 2016