London drivers are being hit with fines after parking in loading bays for five minutes even though they are allowed to stay four times as long.
LONDON drivers are being hit with fines after parking in loading bays for five minutes even though they are allowed to stay four times as long.
Transport chiefs admitted motorists are being given penalties before the 20-minute limit occurs simply because it is “not always practical” to watch for that length of time to see if a car breaks the rules.
The admission was extracted by Labour MP and shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna after he complained on behalf of a Streatham constituent. He said today: “It is outrageous for Transport for London to put up boards telling motorists they have 20 minutes to load their cars and then to book people after they’ve only been unloading for five minutes. It is utterly misleading and wrong.
“Particularly on high streets, drivers — including local business-owners — often need to be able to load and unload.”
Motorists can get hit with a £130 fine if they breach TfL parking rules, though it can be halved if paid within a fortnight.
Fines on roads under Boris Johnson’s control rose by almost 14 per cent in 2012 to £72 million despite pressure from ministers to be more lenient. TfL issued 553,000 penalty charge notices, mainly for parking offences — a rise of 67,000 on the previous year.
It was the first rise in the annual number of tickets issued by TfL since the first full year in office for Mr Johnson, who criticised his predecessor for presiding over a “mountain” of fines. Mr Umunna accused Boris Johnson of using London’s drivers “as cash machines for TfL”.
A spokesman for Transport for London said it was “within their discretion” to charge drivers after five minutes, but that the driver could appeal if they left within the 20-minute limit.
