Drivers given 10-minute grace period to avoid parking tickets
DRIVERS will be given a 10-minute grace period after parking meters run out before being fined, under proposals announced this weekend to boost trade on the high street.
The rule is one of a range of measures to encourage people put off by overly-zealous traffic wardens to go to their local shops rather than out-of-town centres, where parking is often free.
Communities secretary Eric Pickles said: “Popping to the shops should be simple and pain-free. Slapping people with hefty fines is akin to criminalising shoppers and making our high streets or shopping parades no-go zones for drivers.”
“By making ten minute grace periods mandatory we can bring some common sense back to parking on the high street and ease every traffic warden’s finger off the ticket trigger,” Pickles said.
Pickles and transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said they will also ban the use of CCTV cameras and spy cars by councils over parking.
There will also be a new right for local residents and shops to review charges and the use of yellow lines in their area. These rules are expected to come into effect in the autumn.