Parking ticket protests soar

Published on Friday 21 March 2008 09:27

THE number of people contesting parking tickets in the Capital has jumped by more than a quarter over the past three years.

A total of 5430 drivers challenged their fines last year – up from 4008 in 2005.

And more than half of those who appeal against parking tickets are successful in getting their 60 penalty notices quashed.

The results of the appeals were revealed following a request under the Freedom of Information Act by the Evening News. Council chiefs today said the rise was partly because of an extension of the city's controlled parking zones and also down to a change in the way it logs queries about tickets.

Officials said they were unable to put a figure on the cost of quashing the fines but it is estimated to be up to 6.3 million.

Motoring groups said the rise was worrying and opposition politicians today called for improved training for the city's parking attendants.

Councillor Phil Wheeler, the city's transport leader, said that from December 2006, inquiries relating to several tickets were logged separately instead of as one, which would account for some of the increase.

He added: "The number of accepted representations may have risen, but we are also rejecting a lot more invalid ones at the same time. The council encourages drivers to appeal if they feel they have just cause and while we accept that mistakes are occasionally made, the fact is that more than 99 per cent of tickets are issued correctly."

Councillor Mark McInnes, the city's Tory transport spokesman, said: "With so many invalid parking tickets, I think the council needs to speak to its contractor again and make sure the right training is in place."

The number of fines successfully overturned still represents a fraction of the 250,000 tickets dished out in the city every year.

Drivers who think they have been unfairly ticketed can initially appeal to the council. If they are unsuccessful there, they can then appeal to the Scottish Parking Appeals Service.

Bruce Young, Lothian and Borders co-ordinator of the Association of British Drivers, said: "These figures are not in the least bit surprising because people have lost confidence in the privatised parking enforcement.

"A lot of people are suspicious that many of the parking tickets are simply a money-making exercise and will question the tickets they get. If you look at the number of successful appeals then there must be the assumption that these tickets have been issued incorrectly, which is very worrying."