Parking Review 336 | April 2020

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April 2020 | #336

www.parkingreview.co.uk

The British Parking Awards 2020 winners PA R K I N G • T R A FF I C • K E R B S I D E

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RESCHEDULED EVENT CALENDAR We look forward to seeing you again in the Autumn 21 OCTOBER

4 SEPTEMBER

Council House, Nottingham

City Hall, Bristol

WORKPLACE PARKING LEVY CLEAN AIR ZONES

15 SEPTEMBER

STEAM: Museum of the Great Western Railway, Swindon

26 - 27 NOVEMBER

Holiday Inn, Brentford Lock, London

The 2nd SWHA conference

23 SEPTEMBER

1 DECEMBER

Council House, Birmingham

Manchester Conference Centre, The Pendulum Hotel,Manchester

25 SEPTEMBER

Fairfield Halls, Croydon

2020

Liveable THE

NEIGHBOURHOODS

2 DECEMBER

Manchester Conference Centre, The Pendulum Hotel,Manchester

CONFERENCE 2020

15 - 16 OCTOBER

Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham

3 DECEMBER

Manchester Conference Centre, The Pendulum Hotel,Manchester

2020

Correct at time of going to press.

Further events to be announced.

Plus more, for further information visit:

www.TransportXtra.com/events

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WHAT’S IN STAY SAFE. The UK parking community gathered at the start of March to celebrate at the British Parking Awards.

The event, hosted by the ebulliant Dr Xand van Tulleken, was also a chance to network and catch up with colleagues.

It is strange to realise that within a matter of weeks the country found itself in a virtual lockdown as the government sought to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

When the pandemic abates I look forward to meeting up with you all again. In the meantime, happy reading…

APRIL 2020 Editorial Managing editor: Mark Moran Tel: 020 7091 7871 mark.moran@landor.co.uk Deputy editor: Deniz Huseyin Tel: 020 7091 7872 deniz.huseyin@landor.co.uk Editorial director: Peter Stonham

Advertising Jason Conboy Tel: 020 7091 7895 jason@landor.co.uk

Production & Design production@landor.co.uk

Subscriptions Christina Pierre Tel: 020 7091 7959 subs@landor.co.uk

Mark Moran and Dr Xand van Tulleken

Mark Moran, Editor

ALL PHOTOS: DENIZ HUSEYIN

Accounts Irina Cocks Tel: 020 7091 7854 irina.cocks@landor.co.uk

Business manager Rod Fletcher Tel: 0191 280 1410 Parking Review was launched in 1989 and is published twelve times a year. It is the only independent magazine dedicated to the UK parking sector.

Jade Neville

451

Vicki Neville

452

Rebecca Harper

453

ISSN: 0962 3599 Published by: Landor LINKS Ltd, Apollo House, 359 Kennington Lane, London SE11 5QY Printed by Pensord Tram Road, Pontllanfraith, Blackwood NP12 2YA

CONTENTS 4

COVID-19: Parking on the front line The parking sector is responding to the emergency

6

© Landor LINKS Ltd 2020

Policing the pandemic The challenge of how to enforce with sensitivity

8

Looking after NHS staff How the parking sector is supporting key workers

www.landor.co.uk Landor LINKS is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation. www.ipso.co.uk and the Professional Publishers Association www.ppa.co.uk

9

The role of parking portals Online resources are helping NHS staff find free parking

10 The changing scene Coronavirus is having a major impact on how we travel

28 Does parking add up?

Centre for London’s landmark report on the kerbside

30 Connecting journeys Innovate UK supports the ParkAV trial

31 Delivering efficiencies London FreightLab pilots AppyWay solution

The parking champions Find out who won what and the parking year’s main event.

The 2020 awards review

COVER IMAGE: HARROGATE COUNCIL’S SUSAN MCGARRY AND THE SMART CITY PARKING

Parking Review online: www.parkingreview.co.uk

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COVID-19 Sevenoaks District Council in Kent has reassigned civil enforcement officers the task of delivering food and prescription parcels to those unable to leave their homes

Let us now praise parking people...

The coronavirus epidemic has placed the parking sector on the front line, writes Mark Moran

W

e are living through a pandemic. We are living in the age of lockdown, self-isolation and social distancing. We are seeking to survive the era of COVID-19. The battle against coronavirus has dramatically transformed the way we live, work, shop and travel. We have seen the closure of schools, shuttering of businesses, the discouragement of unnecessary journeys, restrictions on public gatherings, and even limitations on who can visit us at home. When only food stores and pharmacies remain open, offices and factories close, planes do not fly and public transport is massively reduced there are major effects on driving and, by extension, on parking.

The impacts of the pandemic on the kerbside and the off-street parking sector are complex, reflecting how the provision of parking is variously (and sometimes simultaneously): a traffic demand management tool; a facilities management function; and a business in its own right. Parking is thus one of the pandemic’s front lines.

Early warnings The arrival of the COVID-19 virus on the British Isles was inevitable, but few who gathered at the British Parking Awards 2020 in London on 6 March would have suspected that this would be perhaps the last major parking sector gathering for many months.

The event was unexpectedly prescient in that its host, the energetic and amusing Dr Xand van Tulleken, is also a public health expert. He used his appearance to pass on sound advice on social distancing and the celebrated the importance of the NHS.

Local authority parking teams are keeping essential routes open and helping those in need

4 | APRIL 2020 | PARKING REVIEW

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COVID-19 Car parks have become drive-thru COVID-19 test centres

Residents in Golborne, Wigan created a special bay on-street for a neighbour working in the NHS

A test centre at the Wembley IKEA car park

Parking operators are offering NHS staff free parking

In the weeks that followed a sense of the chilling effect the pandemic would have on business life became evident in the postponement of many parking and traffic events, including Intertraffic Amsterdam, the Parking Industry Expo (PIE) in the USA and Parkex in the UK. Likewise, the spring conferences planned by our publisher, Landor LINKS, have been relocated to the autumn. This pattern of postponement has been replicated across the business, education and sports sectors.

Panics, policing and positive parking Car parks have become places of both tension and hope during the pandemic. Over a matter of weeks supermarket car parks transformed from being the backdrop for scenes of people panic buying trolley loads of toilet paper and beer, to become holding areas for orderly queues of shoppers practicing social distancing. Parking attendants are extending their duties to help marshal traffic and assist managing queues at supermarkets and other essential outlets.

Rural and seaside car parks were initially starting points for outings until concerns over the contagion being passed on by mass gatherings led to the lockdown. There has been some initial confusion and tension over how travel by car should be policed, but it was heartening to see how local authorities rapidly adopted what can be termed a ‘common-sense’ lighter touch approach to enforcing parking, especially in residential areas where many more vehicles are being left on-street by housebound, furloughed workers.

Civil enforcement officers (CEOs) are protecting spaces allocated to NHS staff, monitoring routes to hospitals and ensuring loading bays serving key stores are kept clear. CEOs are also being deployed to help communities by delivering aid to the vulnerable.

Looking after those who look after us Without a doubt, the parking sector’s finest moments have been in the provision of free parking spaces for NHS staff and care workers who have come to rely on their cars as a safe and reliable way of getting to and from hospitals, clinics and care homes.

NHS trusts in England have joined those in Scotland and Wales and made on campus parking free for staff. Meanwhile, local authorities, private car park operators and online providers are providing additional free parking to NHS staff in the wider community. These initiatives are being supported by both the British Parking Association and International Parking Community.

And even car parks at shuttered shopping centres and airports are being positively repurposed as distribution hubs for essential deliveries or as drive-thru COVID-19 testing centres.

Car park operators want people to respect the #StayAtHome message

Parking Review keeps reporting Parking Review will keep reporting through the pandemic. Beside appearing in print, the magazine will be made available online as a free PDF and there will be more reportage on our website. You can also sign up for the new Transport Responds e-bulletin, produced with our colleagues on Local Transport Today magazine.

www.parkingreview.co.uk PARKING REVIEW | APRIL 2020 | 5

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COVID-19

A common-sense approach to enforcement Local authorities seek to ensure essential services keep running Local authorities are facing the challenge of enforcing parking regulations in a manner that recognises the impact of coronavirus. This means relaxing some restrictions to help key workers in the health and care sectors and keeping loading areas clear to ensure food stores, pharmacies and other essential services such as waste collection are able to function.

Local government secretary Robert Jenrick said: “Local councils will continue to carry out crucial parking enforcement locally to ensure the public are kept safe and that the roads remain clear for emergency and essential services.”

London’s boroughs have agreed to adopt a common-sense approach to issuing parking and driving fines that has been endorsed by London Councils, the body that represents the capital’s 32 borough councils and the City of London.

Coronavirus has had a significant impact on London’s transport network, said London

Staff furloughs mean that more cars are being left parked at home during the day Councils. Reduced public transport means that key workers are more likely to drive to their place of work or to visit people in the community. At the same time, the majority of Londoners are now staying at home, leading to increased parking in residential areas.

Parking teams have been asked to focus on enforcement of safety-critical controls and assisting key workers helping unwell and vulnerable people, such as older people while also carrying out other duties.

Policing during the pandemic

Derbyshire Police released drone footage of people walking in the Peak District during the first weekend of the nationwide lockdown To deliver its aim of ensuring people stay at home and avoid non-essential travel during the pandemic, the government has made new public health regulations that strengthen police powers under the Coronavirus Act 2020.

If members of the public do

6 | APRIL 2020 | PARKING REVIEW

not comply the police may: • instruct them to go home, leave an area or disperse • ensure parents are taking necessary steps to stop their children breaking these rules • issue a fixed penalty notice of £60, which will be lowered to £30 if paid within 14 days

London Councils has thus issued guidance for London boroughs on a pragmatic approach to enforcement of parking and driving offences during the coronavirus pandemic. This could include: • relaxing parking restrictions for vital members of staff around hospitals, clinics and emergency services control centres (e.g. no time limit and no charge) • giving parking permits to key workers allowing them to park more flexibly if there are no parking spaces available • issue a fixed penalty notice of £120 for second time offenders, doubling on each further repeat offence (if they keep breaking the law, more fines can be given – up to a maximum of £960).

A police officer can order a non-essential business to close while coronavirus regulations are in place.

Police could ultimately charge someone with the more serious criminal offence of breaching coronavirus regulations and a direction to follow them. This could lead to a conviction in a magistrates court and an unlimited fine.

Individuals who do not pay a fixed penalty notice under the regulations could be taken to court, with magistrates able to impose unlimited fines. If an individual continues to refuse to comply, they will be acting unlawfully, and the police may arrest them where deemed proportionate and necessary.

However, the Home Office, said that in the first instance the police will be expected to apply their common-sense and discretion.

• taking into account when drivers demonstrate they are key workers (e.g. when deciding whether to issue a penalty charge notice or when a driver is appealing a penalty) • making additional parking spaces available to key workers (e.g. business parking).

A similar common-sense approach is being adopted across the country. Motorists in Essex are being encouraged to act responsibly and observe safety and critical-route parking restrictions, as wide-ranging efforts continue to help combat the spread of COVID-19.

The North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP), for example, has published a set of coronavirus parking FAQs on its website. NEPP’s traffic officers are now focussing patrols on safety-critical routes and areas, while relaxing patrols in some areas to react to changing needs.

Their key priorities will be to manage the safe movement of traffic and ensuring safe access for emergency vehicles and other essential services such as waste and recycling lorries.

London Councils and NEPP both hope that enforcement staff will be treated with respect.

Parking tribunals suspend casework The pandemic has had an impact on the functioning of appeals services for drivers issued parking and road user penalties.

London Tribunals said that appeals against parking, road user charges and other fines received from 19 March 2020 will be allocated a hearing date from June 2020, though this may be subject to change depending on government advice.

The adjudicators of the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, which deals with appeals against PCNs issued by local authorities in England outside London and Wales, have taken the decision have put on hold all appeal activity for a period of eight weeks starting 30 March.

When it comes to parking charge notices issued on private land, Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA), said it will be giving more time to prepare their cases. All appeals received after 6 April have been adjourned, meaning no action will be taken until further notice.

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COVID-19

NHS staff and social carers get free parking Discussions between central government, NHS trusts and local authorities have led to an agreement to offer free car parking to NHS workers, social care staff and other key workers.

Hospital parking The government will cover the costs of providing free car parking to NHS staff working in hospitals. The health secretary thus urged all trusts to immediately make use of government funding to abolish parking charges for their staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. NHS trusts are responsible for setting car parking charges locally.

The changes will apply to hospitals in England as parking is already free at almost all NHS hospitals in Wales and Scotland.

On 26 March, Matt Hancock announced: “In the face of this global pandemic it is essential NHS and social care staff are able to carry out their vital work without worrying about paying for car parking.

“Government is rightly committing to providing the financial backing NHS trusts need to make this a reality in hospitals for the duration of this viral outbreak. We will provide free car parking for our NHS staff that are going above and beyond the call of duty every day in hospitals across England.

My enormous gratitude goes out to the many NHS Trusts and other organisations already providing free car parking and I urge other trusts to do the same with our backing.”

NHS chief executive Simon Stevens praised NHS trusts that were already providing free car parking to staff working on the front line. Stevens said: “Free parking will make a big difference for hundreds of thousands of front line staff, but this is just the start, and we will setting out further support offers over the coming days and weeks, to ensure the NHS looks after those who look after all of us.”

The large number of volunteers and retired NHS staff coming forward to work on the front line means that some hospitals will require additional car parking capacity.

Local authority provision Under measures agreed by local government secretary Robert Jenrick, all councils in England and the Local Government Association (LGA), critical key workers are able to use council parking bays without time restriction or charge.

Jenrick said: “Our NHS staff and social care workers are working round the clock to save lives and should not have to worry about the cost or time restrictions of parking.

Which is why, I’ve agreed with the LGA and councils in England to provide free car parking, on council owned on-street spaces and car parks. By working together we are able to support these heroes as they play a front line role in our national effort to tackle the coronavirus crisis.”

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The changes suspend charges for health workers, social care workers and NHS volunteers and apply to all on-street parking and council-run car parks.

On 6 April, the government launched a parking pass scheme for critical workers who are eligible for free parking from local authorities. Council parking teams are not required to administer the pass scheme, as the pass will be distributed via employer networks to NHS staff, health and social care workers and NHS volunteers and will be accompanied by guidance about its use.

However, councils will need to make their front line teams aware of what the pass looks like and of the guidance.

The pass and guidance will not be published to reduce the risk of misuse.

Where special COVID-19 permit systems for critical workers have already been set up by a council they should continue as the pass does not need to replace them.

Cllr James Jamieson, chairman of the LGA, said: “Many councils have already suspended parking charges in council-run car parks and for on-street parking and have waived all fines on appeal for critical workers. Councils agree and have worked with government to develop this scheme

BPA offers support

The British Parking Association (BPA) says that its members have agreed to provide free parking to NHS staff during the coronavirus emergency. The BPA’s 700-plus members will also be cancelling any

that now means no health worker, social care worker or anyone volunteering for the NHS, should have to pay parking charges as they tackle the coronavirus and support communities. These critical workers are all doing vital work to support the most vulnerable in our society and councils want to do all they can to support them.”

NHS and social care workers in the capital will be able to park for free in council-run car parks, said London Councils. Cllr Julian Bell, chair of the transport and environment committee (TEC), said: “Having already agreed a flexible approach to parking enforcement to help key workers across the capital, boroughs are pleased to say that London’s NHS staff and social care workforce will be able to park their cars for free in council parking locations. To protect parking for key workers and keep London’s roads moving, the government has also confirmed that some essential parking enforcement must continue and therefore council enforcement staff should be out on the streets where necessary, while practicing social distancing. Essential enforcement includes ensuring that access for emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire appliances is maintained.” penalty charges that have been issued to NHS staff since the lockdown began.

The BPA has launched a website designed to enable NHS staff, health and social care workers and NHS volunteers to find free parking locations quickly and easily. The new site is a joint collaboration between the BPA and three online parking companies Parkopedia, YourParkingSpace and JustPark.

The site www.nhs-freeparking.co.uk contains more than one million parking spaces at car parks, privately owned spaces and driveways. The BPA has also worked with local authority organisations across Britain to produce guidance on how parking should be managed and enforced during the COVID-19 pandemic. These guidelines are hosted on the BPA website: www.britishparking.co.uk

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COVID-19

Private sector provides life support

Operators and online providers offer key workers free parking The commercial parking sector has stepped up to provide NHS and other critical workers with free parking. Operators such as APCOA, CitiPark, NCP, Q-Park and Saba announced free parking for NHS staff on sites where they controlled tariffs.

NCP’s chief executive Jonathan Scott said: “We’re aligned with the government’s definition of key workers so anyone within these groups can park at no cost at the participating car parks. At car parks where the free parking offer is available, there is no cost or requirement to pay for parking during the lockdown period. At other car parks where the free parking offer isn’t applicable we won’t be accepting cash pay-

ments to pay for parking but using alternative payment options such as card or mobile.”

The pandemic is presenting operators with some logistical challenges. For example, to comply with social distancing requirements, lifts have been closed at multi-storey car parks.”During the lock down period for safety reasons our lifts won’t be operational,” said Scott. “There will be a 24/7 number for customers to call in an emergency.”

Q-Park has partnered with membership schemes Blue Light Card and We Are Discounts, to set up Employee Parking Platforms for healthcare workers, emergency services, Armed Forces, charities, teachers and carers. John Denton, head of sales and marketing at Q-Park said: “We are delighted to be able to offer discounted parking to a group of people who play such an important role in our society.”

Online parking portals such as JustPark, and YourParkingSpace acted quickly to launch campaigns that match NHS workers up with spare driveway and parking bays near hospitals for free. In parallel, database specialist Parkopedia worked with JustPark and YourParkingSpace to create the British Parking Association’s NHS free parking portal. The IPC has also launched a portal.

Ministers have also urged businesses located near hospitals to work with their local NHS trusts to consider allowing NHS staff use their car parks.

International rescue

An online portal providing NHS staff and care workers with details of where they can find free parking has been launched by the International Parking Community (IPC) trade association.

The Free Car Park Finder information portal will be updated continuously to include every possible provider of free parking, not just the local authorities that have received a government mandate to provide such arrangements.

The IPC hopes that the portal will also help identify parking hotspots where contingency arrangements may be required due to parking capacity at NHS trusts, and will provide links to all relevant local car park providers.

Will Hurley, the IPC’s chief executive, said: “It is wonderful that so many organisations and individuals have rallied to offer free parking for health workers.” nhscarparking.co.uk

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COVID-19

Car park operator wants business rate relief Chancellor should help parking sector, says CitiPark finance chief The closure of almost all nonfood retail and leisure venues, combined with a collapse in commuter road traffic, rail use and airline travel have caused revenues at paid car parks to dry up. However, unlike many business sectors, car parks are receiving little support from the government, despite many offering free parking to NHS staff and other key workers.

John Gautrey, chief operating officer of car park operator CitiPark, has gone on the record with his concern. “The parking industry is vital to our economy, enabling users to maintain social distance and help minimise the spread of COVID-19 which on public transport would otherwise be impossible,” he said.

“Though we support the government’s plight to help those most affected in this pandemic, we are rallying for the parking sector to be recognised equally to our fellow businesses in retail, hospitality and leisure so that we can continue to operate and serve our customers.”

Many town centre car parks are near empty The issue of rates relief is a particular bone of contention.

Last month the chancellor Rishi Sunak announced extended business rates relief for the high street but this concession has not been extended to car parks.

“The chancellor repeatedly fails to acknowledge the plight of car park operators as part of his coronavirus rescue package,” said Gautrey. “Thus far we have seen unparalleled intervention with 100% relief for retail, leisure and hospitality premises, with support most recently extended to bingo halls, letting agents and day nurseries. However, many multi-storey car park operators, who rely on the custom of those

benefiting from the exemption, believe that this support is not far reaching enough.

“Unfortunately, the government does not recognise parking companies such as CitiPark as a standalone business in its own right, with intrinsically linked revenue streams to leisure and retail. As a result, we may have to close our facilities, all of which are providing parking for NHS staff and other key workers at this extremely difficult time.”

Gautrey said that England has approximately 1,500, which have an estimated combined rateable value of £187m. “These sites generally occupy town and city centre locations, serving the

needs of retail, leisure, and hospitality properties, all of which are receiving 100% relief. One must question the logic behind this,” said Gautrey. “These sectors have been provided with rates relief because they are the hardest hit by the effects of the virus. But surely the support network should be adequately compensated also? So what can car park operators do? Feel aggrieved in silence, potentially.”

Gautrey’s concerns are supported by Philip Clarkson, director of business rates at real estate consultants Lambert Smith Hampton. “Multi-storey car park operators are right to feel aggrieved by chancellor Rishi Sunak’s failure to acknowledge their plight in his coronavirus rescue package,” said Clarkson.

“We have seen many open their doors to provide free parking to NHS staff in recent weeks, which is highly commendable but simply not sustainable. These operators cannot continue to suffer in silence as they will soon be faced with the moral choice of whether to close their car parks and claim business rates relief, or stay open to help the community at the cost of their businesses’ future.”

Department for Transport works to understand travel patterns Transport use change Transport use in Great Britain has decreased since the imposition of social distancing rules.

The percentage change in the use of all motor vehicles, National Rail, the London Underground (TfL), and bus travel (TfL).

Source: Department for Transport

Travel has decreased massively since the government introduced its lockdown on 23 March. Data released by 10 Downing Street revealed a precipitous decline in use of all transport modes after prime minister Boris Johnson requested that people stay at home and limit themselves to only making essential journeys.

On 8 April, the government revealed that transport use is down by more than 60% for all transport types in the last week of March compared to early February,

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Department for Transport (DfT) data shows road travel has plummeted by as much as 73%, falling to levels not seen in Great Britain since 1955.

All forms of travel have fallen in urban areas. Walking, cycling and car and van journeys are all down by about threequarters, while bus numbers have fallen by 60%. The number of large lorries has declined by just 40% as essential supplies continue to be transported.

The DfT said it was keen to source data

sets in the following areas, especially for local roads: • Traffic flow (i.e. count, not speed) • Traffic movement (e.g. trip length and overall distance) • Parking • Cycle and pedestrian movements.

The request for data was made via intelligent transport association ITS (UK).

Authorities and companies reacted within 24 hours with enough information to fulfil the DfT’s requirements.

The DfT’s chief scientist professor, Phil Blythe, said: “ITS (UK)’s assistance was much appreciated. Its publicity helped us to quickly start working with a number of organisations and individuals who came forward to assist us. The industry really did step up to the mark.”

Andy Graham of White Willow Consulting, who is co-ordinating the effort for the department, said: “Before I could finish reading an email, another three came in. I am so grateful to all who helped deliver what we needed, now we can work on getting a true understanding of new travel patterns in the country.”

Working via the Transport Technology Forum, the DfT is now analysing the data and supplying results to the scientists managing the COVID-19 response.

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COVID-19

Clean air zone launches will be delayed Government says councils should be able to focus on pandemic The Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) is reviewing the timetable for implementing clean air zones (CAZs) and now expects their introduction to take place no earlier than January 2021. Both Birmingham City Council and Leeds City Council had recently written to the government asking for their CAZs to be delayed. The zones in each of these cities were due to be introduced this year.

Birmingham’s scheme covers the city centre within the ring road and will be a Class D zone covering cars as well as buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, lorries and vans.

Leeds City Council’s Class B CAZ was due to go live on 28 September, when it had planned to charge buses, coaches, heavy goods vehicles, taxis and private hire vehicles, which failed to

Clean air zones will now start being rolled out in 2021 meet minimum emissions standards for driving within the zone’s boundary.

Rebecca Pow, environment minister at Defra has written to organisations such as the Freight Transport Association (FTA), which has been urging that CAZs are postponed to allow businesses to focus on the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter to David Wells, the

TfL suspends road charging schemes Transport for London has announced that all road user charging schemes in the capital will be temporarily suspended. This will come into effect so that none of the charges are in operation from 23 March until further notice.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has asked for this move to ensure London’s critical workers, particularly those in the NHS, are able to travel round London as easily as possible during this national emergency.

Khan argued that for some critical workers, in the current circumstances, driving to work will be the simplest option, which is why the charges have been lifted. The move is also intended to support the supply chain, keep supermarkets fully stocked and the City of London’s continued operation.

Mayor Khan said: “People should not be travelling, by any means, unless they really have to. London’s roads should now only be used for essential journeys. To help our critical workers get to work and for essential deliveries to take place, I have instructed TfL to temporarily suspend the congestion charge, ULEZ and low emission zone.

TfL said it has taken account of government advice that people need to limit social contact and travel should only be undertaken if absolutely necessary. This will mean roads need to be kept clear for the emergency services and critical workers who need to get around by car. Drivers are asked to consider the wider implications when thinking about using their vehicles.

To keep the public transport network running TfL has reduced the number of stations open and are ensuring they are appropriately staffed.

To further support hospital staff getting into work during what are challenging times, NHS workers will be given a code that waives the 24-hour access fee for Santander Cycles, meaning any journey under 30 minutes is free.

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chief executive of the FTA, Pow said the government has a legal obligation to deliver compliance with air quality limits in the shortest possible time, which Pow says the government still intends to deliver. However, she confirmed that no CAZs would be expected to launch this year.

“We will keep the timetable under review but we expect the introduction of clean air zones

to be no earlier than January 2021,” she said. “We are in a new and evolving situation which needs a co-ordinated approach to minimise wider societal impacts.” Pow added: “We have agreed with Leeds, Birmingham and Bath to delay the introduction of CAZs in their areas until after January 2021 to help them focus on their response to coronavirus.”

The FTA said that once the coronavirus crisis comes to an end, it will work with Defra and cities to ensure the schemes take into account the needs of businesses whilst delivering improvements to air quality.

Natalie Chapman, the FTA’s head of urban policy, said: “With the industry focussing all its attention on ensuring the public, supermarkets and other retailers continue to receive the essential items they need during the pandemic, logistics businesses simply do not have the resources to dedicate to preparing for the imminent introduction of CAZs.”

London Lorry Control Scheme enforcement put on hold London Councils has suspended enforcement of the London Lorry Control Scheme (LLCS) to help the freight and logistics industry cope with increasing pressures during the coronavirus epidemic.

The move aims to help keep London’s shop shelves filled with essential supplies. The decision was made in response to freight industry concerns and government calls on local authorities to lift night-time restrictions on deliveries.

Cllr Peter John, chair of London Councils, said: “Protecting and supporting Londoners, including our most vulnerable residents, is the boroughs’ top priority as London rises to the unprecedented challenge of coronavirus. Suspending enforcement of the London Lorry Control Scheme will give hauliers peace of mind as they work under incredible pressure to supply London’s shops and other businesses.”

The LLCS helps to control the routes the largest lorries use overnight and at weekends to minimise noise disturbance.

The environmental protection scheme that covers

the whole of London and operates between 9pm and 7am during the week and from 1pm Saturday to 7am Monday over the weekend. It is not a ban and does not prevent any journeys, but vehicles over 18 tonnes will still need to have a permit to use restricted roads during operating hours.

Once a vehicle has a permit, the driver can make a delivery or collection anywhere in London at any time, as long as they follow a compliant route in accordance with the rules of the scheme.

In 2018-19, nearly 5,000 freight operators and more than 800 drivers received penalty charge notices (PCNs) for breaching LLCS rule.

PR336_P04-13_COVID.qxp_PR336_p04-13 14/04/2020 16:31 Page 13

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PR336_P14-23_News.qxp_PR336_p14-23 14/04/2020 16:30 Page 15

NEWS

Boroughs step up action against idling cars London councils to take tougher stance despite legal doubts, says Andrew Forster A number of London boroughs are issuing tougher penalties against motorists who leave their engine idling, even though there appears to be some uncertainty about the legality of the approach.

Last month City of London Corporation became the latest authority to approve plans to enforce against idling using a traffic management order (TMO).

The corporation said at least seven other boroughs are already using the approach.

The traditional method to enforce idling is widely regarded as ineffective. Regulations made in 2002 under the Environment Act 1995 allow councils to issue £20 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) to motorists who leave their engine idling. Enforcement officers must first, however, ask the motorist to switch their engine off.

“Over the past 12 months the City’s environmental officers have not issued any fixed penalty notices as motorists have either complied with their instructions or driven off,” Carolyn Dwyer, the corporation’s director of built environment, told members.

She said Department for Transport (DfT) officials had acknowledged that the Environment Act 1995 powers were ineffective and that it had announced plans last June to

Diesel surcharges for Haringey The London Borough of Haringey plans to introduce an £80 diesel surcharge on residential parking permits and a 25% diesel surcharge for parking on-street and in council-owned car parks.

Haringey currently issues about 7,800 parking permits for diesel vehicles and 44% of vehicles using on-street and car parks are diesels. The council has rejected exempting the cleanest Euro 6 diesels.

The surcharges for parking are subject to the council finalising arrangements for the delivery of contactless payments and moving to a new pay-by-phone provider.

London councils, such as Westminster, are using publicity to warn drivers who idle their engines that they risk penalties consult on proposals to impose tougher penalties on idling motorists. Nothing had happened since, however.

Because of the current unsatisfactory arrangements, Dwyer said at least seven boroughs in the last two years had made a TMO under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to prohibit idling.

The TMO allows civil enforcement officers to issue penalty charge notices (PCNs) of £80 against idlers. She indicated, however, that there were questions about the legality of the approach.

“For a TMO to be valid, adequate information on the prohibition or direction through signage is required. However, the DfT has not yet approved standardised signage and discussions with the DfT have so far indicated that there is a lack of appetite for a

new sign at this stage.

“To overcome this when enforcing TMOs, the approach of some authorities has been to first request that the motorist switch their engine off and only if they fail to comply with the request, is a PCN issued. Given the absence of signage and the fact that this is an untested and new approach, it is expected that challenges may follow.”

A private report was presented to corporation members discussing the legal aspects of the proposal.

Dwyer described how the Corporation planned to carry out enforcement under the TMO: “Civil enforcement officers [would] first issue a warning notice to a non-exempt idling vehicle. This warning would be held on record against the [vehicle] registration to ensure

CO2-based permits for Newham The London Borough of Newham plans to become the latest council in the capital to introduce emissions-based parking permit charges linked to a vehicle’s carbon dioxide emissions.

The borough has, however, ruled out a diesel surcharge for the time being, “due to the high proportion of lower income groups that own diesel vehicles”. It may review this position in due course.

Newham Council has launched a consultation on parking policy plans to address poor air quality, the climate emergency and vehicle emissions.

The parking proposals are aimed at encouraging residents

to switch towards less polluting vehicles and to encourage more local trips to be made by sustainable modes of transport.

Data from Public Health England revealed that Newham has the highest death rate attributable to air pollution in the whole of London.

Last year, the council declared a ‘climate emergency’ and published a 25-point action plan to address the challenges of poor air quality in the borough, including measures to reduce pollution created by vehicles.

Cllr James Asser, cabinet member for the environment, highways and sustainable transport said: “Emissions from vehicles are the major

the motorist has been made aware of the prohibition. Any subsequent idling observation of the same vehicle would result in a PCN being issued by a civil enforcement officer without further warning. If signage is agreed with the DfT, these will then be installed across the City to further improve awareness and compliance.”

Certain vehicle types will be exempted, including taxis waiting on a rank and vehicles that require their engine to be running to operate machinery such as refrigerated units, hydraulic doors/lifts and cement mixers.

Our sister paper Local Transport Today asked the DfT why it had not approved signage to support TMOs. In a statement it said: “The DfT has not been contacted to authorise anti-idling signs to advise of Traffic Management Orders.”

On the question of the legality of the TMOs, the DfT said: “The current traffic management order system that some London councils operate to prevent unnecessary idling is separate from the Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) (Fixed Penalty) (England) Regulations 2002.

“It is the responsibility of individual councils to determine the use of traffic management orders, dependent on their individual circumstances.”

The DfT told Local Transport Today that it still planned to consult on raising the level of penalty charge notice for idling from £20.

It did not reply to this point. contributor to the borough’s poor air quality and parking policies and procedures have the ability to influence the number, type and use of vehicles in an area, and can be an important tool in delivering behavioural change and air quality improvement.

The council’s parking policies do not currently meet air quality or public health objectives and have not been reviewed since 2012.”

As well as meeting its own targets, Newham must also meet the challenge set out in the Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy to reduce the number of vehicle kilometres driven and car ownership in the borough (a reduction of 15% and of 10,000 vehicles by 2041).

PARKING REVIEW | APRIL 2020 | 15

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NEWS

GUIDE DOGS

Pavement parking ban consultation on the way Government agrees to consultation on footway obstructions

Narrow footways may be exempt Scotland Councils in Scotland are likely to be able to exempt streets from the country’s new pavement parking ban if the width of an unobstructed footway with a vehicle parked remains at least 1.5 metres wide.

The prohibition on footway parking features in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 but the precise details will be set out in regulations still being drafted.

John Berry, Dundee City Council’s parking and sustainable transport team leader, said: “The Act will prohibit pavement parking unless an exemption order is in place. The regulations that support this part of the Act will determine minimum footway widths, level of penalty charges and a national implementation date. It is anticipated that exemption orders will only be permitted where a minimum footway width of 1.5 metres is retained.”

Dundee has a high demand for street parking because much of its housing is in tenements.

Vehicles parked on pavements are a hazard for the partially sighted to improve the lives of people with mobility or sight impairments, as well as parents with prams who may be forced into the road to get around parked cars.

The 12-week consultation, which will open later in the year, will include options such as allowing local authorities with civil parking enforcement powers to crack down on unnecessary obstruction of the pavement. Currently, outside London, only the police have this power.

It will also consider how a nationwide ban on pavement parking enforced by local authorities might work, allowing for any necessary exceptions or designated spots for pavement park-

ing where needed, and how a tailored approach may be required in rural and suburban areas which face very different challenges.

Transport secretary Shapps said: “Vehicles parked on the pavement can cause very real difficulties for many pedestrians.

That’s why I am taking action to make pavements safer and I will be launching a consultation to find a long-term solution for this complex issue.

“We welcome the transport select committee’s recent report and share their drive to tackle pavement parking and improve people’s daily lives.

“In 2019 the Department for Transport concluded a review

Blind man, 73, with guide dog punched by driver A blind man out walking was punched repeatedly when he asked a van driver to move off the pavement to enable him and his guide dog Sammy to pass.

Tony Webb, 73, was attacked in Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire at about 9am on Sunday 9 March.

His daughter posted a photograph of his black eye that was widely shared by on social media. She said he was very shaken and scared of going outside.

Tracy Hassell, who said her father can see some light and dark, wrote on Facebook: “My blind dad was attacked in Bishop’s Stortford town centre this morning at 9am by a man who was parked on the pavement in a white van.”

She told the BBC: “Dad asked the driver if he would move so he and Sammy, his guide dog, could get past, but the man said ‘no’. Dad asked him again and said it was out of order to park on the pavement, and the next thing

TRACY HASSELL

The government is to consult on introducing a nationwide ban on pavement parking in England, with the offence decriminalised. Local authorities in London can already use civil enforcement but outside the capital obstructing the pavement is a police responsibility. Any national ban would include provision for councils to exempt streets.

Last year, the House of Commons transport committee called for a nationwide ban on the ‘blight’ of parking on pavements. Witnesses told the committee that the worst cases of pavement parking were effectively trapping disabled, elderly and vulnerable people, making them “afraid to leave their homes”.

The government’s new proposals to tackle pavement parking and make streets safer for parents and disabled people have been set out by transport secretary Grant Shapps.

The government is set to consult on proposals designed

which looked at the problems caused by pavement parking, the effectiveness of legislation, and the case for reform. It found that pavement parking was problematic for 95% of respondents who are visually impaired and 98% of wheelchair users.”

The transport select committee also recently conducted an inquiry into the issue, with the commitment to consult on proposals forming a key part of the government’s response to its findings.

Stephen Edwards, director of policy and communications at Living Streets said: “Pavement parking forces people with wheelchairs, buggies and those living with sight loss into the road and into oncoming traffic, and the most vulnerable pedestrians continue to be put at risk of injury and isolation every day that this dangerous act continues. Clear pavements need clear laws, but currently regional differences cause confusion. We need a nationwide default ban, with the option to allow pavement parking in certain circumstances, as is currently available in London. This would be much simpler to enact and easier for everyone to understand.”

Tony Webb

Sammy the guide dog

he knew he was pushed up against the van. He thinks he was punched three times in his eye. The man even told my father he didn’t believe he was blind.”

A Guide Dogs spokesman said: “We have been in touch with him to ensure that he and his guide dog are both OK and will continue to support them in any way we can.”

PC Luke Collyer, of Hertfordshire police, who is

investigating the incident, said: “We are speaking with both men involved to establish the circumstances of the incident, but we are keen to also hear from any witnesses or anyone with information about what happened.

“Were you in the area at the time? Did you see what happened? Any information, no matter how small it might seem, could be vital to the investigation.”

PARKING REVIEW | APRIL 2020 | 17

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NEWS

DfT maps out route to net zero by 2050 Shapps says dominance of car must end, reports Deniz Huseyin

180

Statistical data

Projections

160

Understanding emissions

140

Index (1990 = 100)

Public transport, cycling and walking must supersede the car as the “first choice for daily activities” if the UK is to meet its target of achieving net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, states a new report from the Department for Transport (DfT).

In the report’s foreword transport secretary Grant Shapps states: “Public transport and active travel will be the natural first choice for our daily activities. We will use our cars less and be able to rely on a convenient, cost-effective and coherent public transport network.”

Cycling and walking must be the easy and obvious choice for short journeys, he said. “Through the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, 2020 will be the year we set out the policies and plans needed to tackle transport emissions,” said Shapps.

“We want to hear from individuals, businesses, trade associations, local authorities, scientists, researchers, innovators, interest groups and environmental groups as we develop the first comprehensive action plan for decarbonising transport.”

The DfT hopes the policies outlined in the report will help forge working partnerships with industry and business groups, academics and researchers, community and interest groups, environmental NGOs, local authorities and the public. Feedback

the next two years for infrastructure and other active travel projects. The result is that £2.4bn is being invested in this area.”

Projection of change in car GHG emissions, distance driven and gCO2/km from current policy compared to 1990

120 100 80 60 40 20 0 1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

GHG

2020

Vehicle km

from interested parties will be incorporated into a final plan to be published in the autumn.

Exploring innovations The government is exploring ways in which vehicles can be used differently, such as mobility -as-a-service (MaaS) platforms, says the report. “This will require behavioural changes and we will consider how government and others can support this shift through infrastructure and encouraging those forms of travel.”

The right market conditions are needed to challenge the dominance of the car. This should include a “supportive regulatory framework” and a “strong consumer base”, which would be developed by building trust in new technologies, with adequate vehicle supply and the necessary refuelling and recharging infrastructure. “Investing in innovative technology developments across road transport, and developing sustainable supply chains, must

2025

2030

2035

2040

2045

2050

GHG per km

be fully considered to ensure the maximum possible benefits from the transition, in the UK and internationally.”

The last-mile There is a “huge opportunity” to transform last-mile deliveries, to ensure an integrated, clean and sustainable delivery system, particularly in urban areas. “As we consider the future of the transport system, innovative digitally-enabled solutions, datasharing and collaborative platforms could transform how our goods are moved, potentially also reducing the negative impact of congestion.”

Support for cycling More funding will be made available for improving cycling infrastructure, says the DfT. It points out that the £1.2bn earmarked for the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) projects between 2016 and 2021 has already been invested. “A further £1.2bn is projected over

It does not make sense to apply the same solution to reducing emissions to every location across the UK, argues the report.

“Understanding where, how and why emissions occur in specific locations, be it around a major airport, port, motorway junction, or within a city centre, will enable us to develop a tailored response. We will work with relevant stakeholders to consider how local management of transport systems can best address emissions at a local level, and make an important contribution to national GHG emissions.”

The DfT is looking to councils, combined authorities, subnational transport bodies and other interested parties to provide “valuable insights” into considering place-based solutions for emissions reduction.

Support is also sought from innovators to help develop the technologies to “nurture near market quick wins”. Transport innovations, such as digitalisation and making data available to empower customer choice, “could tackle congestion, pollution and disconnection whilst improving our environment”, says the report. “We want to harness the UK as a centre of expertise to drive low carbon innovation and travel behaviour that helps enable a global transition to low carbon transport.”

Fossil fuel phase-out consultation

Treasury considers revamp for VED

The government has launched a consultation on a phase-out date for the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans.

The consultation is extraordinary for its brevity.

No analysis or discussion of the policy is provided, despite the huge social and economic implications and concerns that a phase-out date in the 2030s is impractical.

Running to just half a page of text, the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) consultation stated: “On 4 February 2020, the Prime Minister announced that the government is consulting on bringing forward the end to

The Treasury has invited views on how the Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) system should be reformed to encourage the take up of zero and ultra-low emission vehicles.

VED rates for cars have been based on the carbon dioxide emissions of vehicles since 2001. For vehicles registered between 2001 and 2017 the VED rate is based on a system of emission bands.

Since 2017 a new regime has applied to new car registrations. This sees the first year registration rate based on a car’s CO2 emission band, with significantly higher rates for

the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040 to 2035, or earlier if a faster transition appears feasible, as well as including hybrids for the first time.

“This reflects the independent Committee on Climate Change’s advice on what is needed in order for the UK to end its contribution to climate change by 2050.

“The proposals relate to new cars and vans – owners of existing petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans will still be able to use these vehicles and buy and sell them on the used market.”

The deadline for submissions is 29 May.

18 | APRIL 2020 | PARKING REVIEW

cars with the highest emissions. In subsequent years, however, the price moves to a standard flat rate.

“The average carbon emissions of new cars have fallen significantly over the last two decades, with reductions every year until 2016,” says the Treasury.

“That average increased for the first time in 2017, by 0.8 per cent, and by 2.9 per cent in 2018. Initial data for 2019 suggests the upwards trend is set to continue, despite modest growth in the sale of battery electric vehicles.”

The increasing popularity of sport utility vehicles has contributed to the rise.

PR336_P14-23_News.qxp_PR336_p14-23 14/04/2020 16:30 Page 19

NEWS

Infrastructure boost in Budget

£2.2m for councils to tackle pollution

Chancellor offers funds for roads, potholes and EV charging network Strengthening the NHS and supporting businesses in the face of the deepening coronavirus outbreak dominated the first Budget of Boris Johnson’s Conservative government.

However, chancellor Rishi Sunak also used his speech on 11 March to make a series of spending commitments that included more than £600bn set to be spent on roads, rail, broadband and housing by the middle of 2025.

The Treasury has earmarked £27bn for motorways and other arterial roads, including the A66 in the North East, the Lower Thames Crossing in the South East and a new tunnel for the A303 near Stonehenge in the South West.

There will be a £2.5bn funding pot to fix potholes and resurface local roads in England over the next five years.

Elected mayors will get long-

Rishi Sunak term settlements for local transport worth £4.2bn. The chancellor said the government aimed to ensure every region, places beyond London and the South East benefit from increased in investment. He stressed the importance of elected ‘Metro Mayors’, announcing that a new devolution deal would see West Yorkshire get the UK’s eighth elected mayor.

The government will commit £500m to support the rollout of a super-fast electric vehicle charging network. The government also announced £532m for consumer incentives for ultra-low emission vehicles.

There will be £403m for the Plug-in Car Grant, extending it to 2022-23, and £129.5m to extend the Plug-in Grants for vans, taxis and motorcycles to 2022-23.

Sunak announced the exemption of zero emission cars from the Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) and a call for evidence on the future of VED, including ideas on how the duty can be used to reduce vehicle emissions.

The tax relief for ‘red diesel’ used by off-road vehicles will be phased out.

The Budget was delivered before Sunak’s coronavirus spending announcements.

Local authorities across England have been granted more than £2.2m in government funding to deliver innovative projects to improve air quality.

The money, from the government’s Air Quality Grant, supports local authority schemes that help reduce the impact on people’s health and creating cleaner environments.

Proposals receiving funding include projects and campaigns to: • reduce harmful emissions outside schools • encourage the take-up of electric taxis • encourage more active transport through education, awareness, and the creation and improvement of cycling and pedestrian routes • the collection of data on the exposure to air pollution by vulnerable groups in order to better design future policies.

The £2,273,367 awarded in this round of funding means more than £64m has been granted through the Air Quality Grant since it was launched in 1997.

Future transport zones planned The government has launched a consultation to make journeys easier, smarter and greener through new technology as part of the Future of Transport regulatory review.

The review will consider how to make small changes to everyday travel decisions and whether citizens could choose to walk, cycle, bus or one day scoot instead of take the car.

Alongside the review, a £90m funding boost will lead to trials of new transport innovation in three new ‘future transport zones’.

The zones will provide real-world testing for experts, allowing them to work with a range of local bodies such as councils, hospitals, airports and universities to test innovative ways to transport people and goods.

The three new zones set to receive a share of the funding are in Portsmouth and Southampton, the West of England Combined Authority, and Derby and Nottingham – they will join

the existing West Midlands future of transport zone.

One of the projects tested will see drones carrying medical supplies from clinics on the Isle of Wight to hospitals on the mainland.

This will help speed up diagnoses by cutting out time spent journeying on ferries and roads. Once trials are complete, the drones could eventually be used to transport chemotherapy kits to save time and potentially save lives.

The government will also consult on the use of e-scooters and the impact they may have on UK transport. Requirements for both e-scooters and those using them are being explored to make sure they are safe for use on roads.

This includes a minimum age and vehicle standards as well as insurance requirements.

The review will also consider if local authorities should have extra powers to manage the impacts of e-scooters on public space, for example where they can be parked.

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NEWS

Wales asks Turner for road pricing advice Welsh Government turns to London charging mastermind The Welsh Government has commissioned an investigation of road user charging options from the man who masterminded the introduction of the London congestion charge in 2003.

Transport minister Ken Skates has appointed Derek Turner to conduct the review. Turner was TfL’s managing director for street management from 2000 to 2003, leaving soon after the congestion charge was successfully implemented to set up his own consultancy. He subsequently worked for the Highways Agency from 2005 to 2013 as deputy chief executive and director of network delivery. He now lives in Shropshire.

Skates said: “Derek has considerable experience of providing strategic transport policy advice and his expertise includes road user charging. It is intended that the review will report this autumn and it will help inform

our national and regional policy on this issue in the context of the ongoing work of the South East Wales Transport Commission and the consideration of congestion charging by Cardiff Council.”

The South East Wales Transport Commission is developing a new transport strategy for the area following the government’s decision to abandon the M4 relief road project round the south of Newport.

Turner’s review will consider all feasible road charging methods, including distance charging,

Nationwide road user pricing plan proposed A national road pricing scheme may be one of the key recommendations to come out of Climate Assembly UK, the citizens’ assembly set up by the House of Commons to advise on how the UK should meet its net zero emissions target by 2050.

At the second weekend gathering of the assembly last month, reforming how we pay for road use was the key idea presented to a sub-group of members considering surface transport.

The assembly convened for a third time last weekend. Members voted on policy options, ranking them in order of preference.

The assembly will meet for a final time on the weekend of 20-22 March, after which its recommendations will be published.

In a separate development, campaign group Friends of the Earth and consultant Transport for Quality of Life are calling for road charging in the form of an ‘eco levy’, with revenues used to improve public transport.

20 | APRIL 2020 | PARKING REVIEW

congestion charging, and workplace and retail parking levies.

The work is expected to inform future detailed work.

Turner will report on: • the potential rationale for different types of road user charging in Wales • the options for implementation of different charging types, including a broad SWOT assessment of the options and the different technologies available; their costs, and who charges might be borne by • the case for an over-arching national framework to be applied

to any local or sub-regional road user charging policies in order to avoid undue adverse wider effects, such as impacts on drivers affected by more than one charge, and to preserve and incentivise the option of subsequent incorporation into a national policy • what other policies or transport interventions might be required to successfully implement road user charging in Wales, and at what stage in the implementation timeline • an assessment of the likely acceptability of any such scheme, and the political, social and economic issues that will have to be addressed by anyone wishing to take forward such a scheme at a local, regional or national level • the wider economic, social, environmental and behavioural implications of road user charging in the Welsh context, including issues arising from the border with England • the evidence of effectiveness and any lessons learnt from implementation.

Green groups call for national road ‘eco levy’ Environmental campaigners are calling on the government to introduce a nationwide road pricing scheme, with revenues used for public transport and active travel.

Campaign group Friends of the Earth and environmental consultant Transport for Quality of Life are promoting a payper-mile ‘eco levy’ on driving.

They say the current debate about road pricing as a way of alleviating congestion or dealing with the decline in fuel duty, as drivers switch to battery electric vehicles, is too technocratic.

“An eco levy, framed as a

way of tackling climate change, cleaning up toxic air, and making towns and cities healthier and more liveable, has a higher chance of winning public support.”

The government should not attempt to make the eco levy revenue neutral for drivers, they say. “It should not be designed to be revenue neutral across the country as a whole, as this could increase carbon emissions by displacing activity to rural and peri-urban areas.

“All the revenue raised by the eco levy should be invested in providing excellent alternatives to driving. There should also be

extra up-front investment in public transport in the months before an eco levy comes in.”

The charge per mile on local roads should be set by councils, within a range set by the government. Highways England should set charges on the strategic road network.

Charges should be set at a level that is enough to reduce traffic (and CO2 emissions) to stay within a carbon budget agreed with the DfT. The eco levy should be complemented by guaranteed service frequency standards for public transport, and by free local bus services.

Bristol workplace parking levy plan progresses Councillors in Bristol have approved expenditure to take forward work on a workplace parking levy. Councillors voted by 55 votes to 13 to accept a Green Party amendment to the council’s 2020/21 revenue budget, which included spending £30,000 to update work on a levy scheme so that it can be presented for consultation with businesses.

The officer assessment of the Green’s proposal said: “Authorities must demonstrate that they have properly consulted local businesses, secured support from them, and addressed any concerns raised. We cannot therefore implement one [a workplace parking levy] without business approval, which would not be forthcoming if it was not linked

to transport improvements and was effectively to cover revenue budget gaps.”

The Green Party also tabled an amendment to the council’s capital budget for 2020/21, including a proposal to spend £8.85m on a congestion charge scheme that would apply to non-Bristol residents.

Councillors rejected this package of amendments.

PR336_P14-23_News.qxp_PR336_p14-23 14/04/2020 16:30 Page 21

NEWS

Diplomats clock up unpaid penalties in London Embassies build up parking fines and congestion charges Diplomats owe Transport for London (TfL) more than £116m for unpaid congestion charges, the Foreign Office has revealed.

The US Embassy owes the largest amount at almost £12.5m, while the Embassy of Japan owes over £8.5m.

Diplomats also owe London’s boroughs over £200,000 in unpaid parking fines, with Nigeria’s High Commission owing over £47,000.

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said the government had held meetings with embassies to press for payment.

Congestion charges clocked

by US Embassy staff alone rose by more than £520,000 in one year, whilst Japan’s went up by almost £500,000 for the same period.

As well as topping the list for parking fines, up by £8,000 from the previous year, Nigeria was third on the congestion charge

Congestion charge Top five embassies by amount owed Embassy No. of fines US Embassy 102,255 Embassy of Japan 69,690 Nigerian High Commission 58,102 Indian High Commissioner 47,654 Russian Federation Embassy 48,535

Amount owed £12,446,845 £8,510,650 £7,063,965 £6,009,905 £5,721,865

Source: Foreign Office

Parking fines Top five embassies by amount owed Embassy Nigerian High Commission Embassy of Afghanistan Zambian High Commission Embassy of the UAE Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia

Amount owed £47,165 £19,765 £17,000 £11,565 £9,785

Source: Foreign Office

list, owing over £7m.

While US Embassy staff pay fines for traffic violations, such as parking and speeding, the embassy regards the congestion charge as a tax that diplomats do not have to pay. “Our position on the congestion charge taxes based on the 1961 Vienna

Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which expressly prohibits the taxation of diplomatic missions in this manner,” an embassy spokesman said.

“This is a position shared by many other diplomatic missions in London. Our position is wholly in accordance with the

convention, to which both the United States and the United Kingdom are parties.”

A Foreign Office spokesman said they did not believe there were any legal grounds to exempt diplomats from paying the congestion charge. “The charge is comparable to a parking fee or a toll charge, which diplomatic missions and international organisations are required to pay,” said the spokesman.

On the issue of parking fines, the Foreign Office spokesman said: “Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, those entitled to immunity are expected to obey the law and we therefore expect all foreign diplomats to pay their parking fines. As the foreign secretary points out, we have made a concerted effort to urge missions to pay their fines.”

The figures for the congestion charge date back to between 2003 and 2018, with a total of £116,868,825 outstanding from embassies.

The parking fines date from 2018 and total £200,686.

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NEWS

Stirling stands up to disabled parking abuse Scottish council backs publicity with stricter enforcement campaign Stirling Council has launched a campaign to crackdown on disabled parking abuse after issuing more than 1,100 tickets to offending drivers in 2019.

Enforcement officers will be monitoring disabled bays across Stirling closely over the coming months as part of the clampdown, while the local authority’s social media channels will raise awareness on the issue.

Convener of Stirling Council’s environment and housing committee, Cllr Jim Thomson, said: “It is completely unacceptable that a small minority of drivers continue to act this way with no consideration to disabled people.

“Parking in a bay designated for Blue Badge holders prevents them from carrying out day-today activities, accessing essential services and living independent lives. This campaign will demonstrate our zero-tolerance to this kind of selfish behaviour and highlight why these spaces are vital for disabled drivers.”

The move has been backed by the Stirling Area Access Panel (SAAP), a local organisation who work to improve the local accessible environment.

Cllr Jim Thomson with Isabella Gorska, a trustee of the Stirling Area Access Panel, and Cllr Danny Gibson Chair of SAAP, Robert Dick, said: “We fully support the Council enforcing Blue Badge parking as, routinely, it is blatantly abused by other motorists, particularly in off-street locations

like supermarkets, schools and railway stations. There seems to be a lack of understanding of the importance of disabled parking for people with disabilities, and parking near to an entrance

East Riding receives 16th Park Mark

The Bishops Manor House car park The Bishops Manor House car park in Howden has become East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s sixteenth Park Mark Award. Cllr Mike Stathers, portfolio holder for enhancing communities at East Riding

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of Yorkshire Council, said: “We are pleased to receive the council’s 16th Park Mark Award, which shows our continual commitment to raise the standard of our car parks.

can make the difference between whether a disabled driver or passenger is able to shop, and access services, or not.”

Motorists in Stirling who do not adhere to the council’s parking restrictions are issued with a standard fine of £60.

Vice-convener of the environment and housing committee, Cllr Danny Gibson, said: “Being able to use a blue badge bay is a necessity for disabled people, not a luxury, and inconsiderate parking in these spaces can make their daily life incredibly challenging.

“This campaign will give us a fresh opportunity to hammer home this important message to the public across Stirling and step up our enforcement activity for those who continue to break the rules.

“Cars parking in loading bays can negatively impact our businesses’ ability to send and receive goods, damaging the local economy, along with having serious safety implications. We will also be taking a tough stance against these offenders.”

The campaign comes as figures from the same period in 2019 show that over 1,200 penalty notices were issued by the local authority to drivers for parking in loading bays, an action that can disrupt businesses who rely on the spaces.

“We are always looking to include more locations whilst retaining the high standards of those already in the scheme.

We are grateful for the support and advice of our partners, to improve our car parks for our residents and visitors now and in the future.”

The car park underwent a risk assessment conducted by the police and the British Parking Association (BPA). Tracy Rokahr of Humberside Police said: “I am delighted that East Riding of Yorkshire Council continues to achieve the Park Mark award as it demonstrates the hard work and commitment to providing a safe environment for users of the car parks.”

Ryan Davey, BPA area manager said: “East Riding of Yorkshire Council has achieved Park Mark at 16 of its car parks.

This is a great achievement and the addition of Bishops Manor car park shows the commitment they have for providing safer parking for all of the car park users.”

The Park Mark is the award of the Safer Parking Scheme that recognises car parks with measures in place that actively deter crime and the fear of crime in car parks.

Car parks that join the Safer Parking Scheme can use signage featuring the Park Mark tick.

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NEWS

Bus lane plan for West Midlands

EPs could deliver Herts bus lanes

TfWM reveals the details of its bus Enhanced Partnerships Transport for the West Midlands (TfWM) is preparing to consult on a proposed Enhanced Partnership (EP) for bus services.

The partnership is one of the first to be prepared using the EP powers of the Bus Services Act 2017.

EPs have two components, an EP plan and an EP scheme. The EP plan will explain the objectives for buses for the whole conurbation, excluding the three areas covered by Advanced Quality Partnership schemes (Birmingham city centre, Solihull town centre, and Wolverhampton city centre).

The EP scheme covers the A34 between Birmingham city centre and Walsall, and the A45 between Birmingham city centre and Birmingham Airport/Solihull. The plan outlines the commitments of the West Midland Combined Authority, four highway authorities (Birmingham, Sandwell, Walsall and Solihull) and the operators.

Bus lane on Sheepcote Street in Birmingham The A34 and A45 are the first two corridors on which TfWM’s Sprint bus rapid transit will operate.

TfWM also wants to deliver improvements to all services using the corridors in time for Birmingham hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

The athletes’ village and the Alexander Stadium lie on the A34 corridor.

TfWM consulted operators on the EP last year and received no objections. However, a further review of the EP scheme has

been undertaken since then.

The EP scheme will cover four operators’ routes on the A34 corridor: West Midlands Travel, Diamond Bus, Claribel Coaches, and the Green Bus Company.

The A45 scheme covers the same four operators plus a fifth, Silverline Landflight.

The bus lanes will be enforced

by CCTV. District councils will enforce moving traffic offences such as yellow box junction infringements on the corridors if the government grants these powers to councils.

Controversial bus priority measures could become easier to implement using Enhanced Partnership (EP) powers, says Hertfordshire County Council. Under an EP, the local transport authority and bus operators are legally bound to deliver all commitments agreed by the partnership.

“Where the county council has struggled to deliver significant bus priority, it would have a statutory mandate to do so,” Mark Kemp, Hertfordshire’s director of environment and infrastructure, told councillors.

Hertfordshire is to commence development of bus priority feasibility studies in Stevenage, St Albans and Watford. “It is vital that these studies provide outputs that assist bus operators with reciprocal investment decisions on those routes,” said Kemp. “Operators will therefore set out the required outputs for each scheme that will assist them with an investment decision.”

Hertfordshire has approved its EP using powers in the Bus Services Act 2017.

Manningtree rail parking upgraded

The finished car park extension A £3.1m extension of Manningtree rail station’s car park is now complete. Some 220 additional spaces have been provided following work by Greater Anglia to expand the existing one-storey decked car park and develop wasteland, bringing the total number of spaces to over 800.

An additional 20 Blue Badge spaces have been created and more energy efficient LED lighting has also been installed throughout the site.

The work is part of a £25m investment in improving car parks including installing ANPR at 20 car parks, adding an extra 1,782 spaces, fitting LED lights, improving CCTV and security and re-surfacing.

Simone Bailey, Greater Anglia’s asset management director, said: “As more people make the switch from car to rail, attracted by its

sustainability in terms of being a better choice environmentally, but also thanks to the introduction of our longer, more comfortable fleet of brand new trains, it’s important that we can meet this growing demand.”

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) has been installed at the car park. The ticketless ANPR technology enables customers to pay for parking. They can register their car and payment details online at the Great Anglia Parking Portal (gaparking.co.uk), allowing automatic payment. Day customers can also pay for parking online anytime up until midnight the day after their visit on the portal.

Blue Badge holders can park for free provided they register with NCP within 24 hours of leaving the car park.

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BUSINESS NEWS

Royal Society fellowship for Moorby Chipside founder’s work in promoting technology recognised Paul Moorby OBE has been appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA).

Moorby received the honour after creating and overseeing Chipside, a company that works on innovative cashless-payment apps for car parks around the country. He has been recognised for his efforts in promoting this technology across the globe.

The Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts is an award granted to people that the organisation’s judges deem to have made outstanding achievements for social progress and development.

Moorby describes himself as a passionate advocate of innovation for the benefit of the local economy and public wellbeing.

“I look forward to joining a global network of inspiring people who want to make a positive impact on society and to contributing to RSA’s work.

“Our main purpose at Chipside is to provide local authorities with solutions to empower their residents and visitors through digital transformation. So, this is a fantastic opportunity to exchange ideas with thousands of like-minded individuals.”

Paul Moorby OBE Chipside, which is based in Brinkworth, Wiltshire, was founded by Moorby in 2003.

Chipside provides digital ticketing and permitting services for local authorities and national governments. It works with more than half of all the councils in the UK to provide digital and app-based parking payment and permit services.

The company operates the MiPermit platform that has helped almost three million people benefit from cashless parking in the UK. The company’s core software and services can be used to provide a host of ticketing and permitting services digitally

which, it claims, reduces time and cost, and delivers a more effective service to people paying for parking.

The company has 50 employees and operations in the UK and Asia.

Chipside was awarded a Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation in April 2019 for its outstanding commercial success.

Moorby has worked with local government on digital transformation projects for more than 25 years and received an OBE in the New Year’s Honours 2019 for his services to promoting UK technology abroad. Paul Moorby has also been elected as chair of

the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership (SWLEP).

He will to provide leadership in the delivery of the partnership’s vision for its Local Industrial Strategy and champion the SWLEP at national, regional and local level.

Moorby has been an active board member since 2019.

The SWLEP was established by central government in July 2011 as a private sector led partnership between local businesses, Swindon Borough Council, Wiltshire Council, the military and the education sector. Ranked 12th out of the 38 LEPs in England, SWLEP aims to build a reputation for innovation, entrepreneurialism and greater quality of life.

The board also includes representatives from Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire Council whose administrative areas make up the geographic area of the SWLEP. “My immediate task, alongside the board is to ensure our area is resilient against the challenges that the current health emergency brings for our local economy, our local schools and businesses. Beyond this crisis, my aim is to ensure SWLEP works with the council to build a sustainable future for Swindon and Wiltshire, and as chair it is my priority to make sure that happens,” said Moorby.

Parsons joins Kapsch TrafficCom

Designa’s Dr Waibel retires

Steve Parsons has been appointed as head of UK sales by intelligent transportation systems (ITS) company Kapsch TrafficCom. Prior to joining Kapsch Traffic, Parsons worked as head of sales for Siemens UK for many years.

“I am delighted to be joining Kapsch TrafficCom and share their vision that high levels of congestion, poor air quality and inadequate safety practices should belong to the past,” he said.

“The company has an excellent portfolio of solutions to these pressing issues and a continuous drive for innovation. This allows us to develop tailored solutions in close collaboration with our customers.”

Kapsch TrafficCom provides systems in the fields of tolling, traffic management, smart urban mobility, traffic safety and security, and connected vehicles.

The company offers end-to-end solutions covering component

Dr Thomas Waibel has retired as chief executive of German parking payment technicology manufacturer Designa.

Dr Waibel joined Designa in 2006 to head development, production, supply chain and administrative departments, as well as marketing and sales.

He went on to become managing director, president, board member, supervisory board member and chairman of the board.

During Dr Waibel’s tenure, the company has seen its sales figures more than triple, from an initial annual target of €30m to currently around €100m.

“Technology has always accompanied me on my journey,” said Dr Waibel. “My motto is ‘Try something new; you can always change it if you don’t like it’.

“After 14 years of responsibility, it is an upright feeling to know that the company, with its experienced

Steve Parsons design through to the implementation and operation of systems.

The company has implemented six nationwide toll collection systems. It also has reference sites in more than 50 countries, including tolling solutions for the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and Australia’s Sydney Harbour Bridge, as well as urban traffic management solutions in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Madrid in Spain.

24 | APRIL 2020 | PARKING REVIEW

Dr Thomas Waibel management colleagues and competent team, is still on course in a rapidly changing environment.”

Designa’s management team, which includes Robert Monsberger and Gotthard Mayringer, will increasingly focus on a digital-based innovation course. In recent years they have driven Designa’s strategic orientation alongside Dr Waibel.

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BUSINESS NEWS

Saba and Mobile Worker Plus develop app Cashless service launched at Govia Thameslink rail stations Parking operator Saba and technology firm Mobile Worker Plus have developed a new app for railway stations. The baliza app has been launched at car parks Saba operates for train operating company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which operates the Southern, Thameslink and Great Northern networks.

The app, which is available for both iOS and Android devices, allows payment for its users. It uses Bluetooth wireless technology, allowing for parking to be booked ahead of time.

The app covers station car park locations operating with or without automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. A ‘late pay’ feature allows users to pay for their stays up until the end of the day.

To use the app, users need to add a mobile number. By enabling Bluetooth on their mobile phones they can receive notifications and be fast tracked

The baliza app can be used at Thameslink stations to the relevant daily product based on when they enter the car park.

Unlimited numbers of vehicles can be added using the facility.

Users will also be informed if a credit card is due to expire.

Alex Cleland, regional commercial manager at Saba, said: “Working with Mobile Worker

Saba clocks up Park Marks across the UK Saba UK says that 80% of the sites it operates now hold a Park Mark under the Safer Parking Scheme. The Park Mark is given to parking facilities that have demonstrated they are concerned with safety and have taken steps to ensure that they’re secure and safe from crime. The Park Mark award scheme is managed by the British Parking Association and fully supported by the Home Office and Scottish Government.

Plus to deliver the new baliza app was quick and efficient. The platform was integrated into Saba’s existing product portfolio.

Designed with our customers at the forefront, it will make payments quick and stress free.”

Mobile Worker Plus is a technology provider to the parking industry and has worked with Saba to enable engagement with employees and clients.

Previous products developed

by Saba and Mobile Worker Plus include a lone worker app to support employees working alone in the field. They have also developed a Blue Badge Portal to support disabled users parking at GTR station car parks controlled by ANPR. Blue Badge holders can register for an annual free e-parking permit, enabling them to park free of charge at GTR stations.

Neville Adams, sales director at Mobile Worker Plus, said: “We have been working with Saba for a number of years. For this solution, we were supported by our technology partner Giant Leap Technologies based in Norway.”

Clearview Intelligence strengthen management team We currently supply and have vacancies around the UK for Permanent and Temporary positions: • Civil Enforcement Officers • Environmental Enforcement Officers • Parking Back Office (Appeals/Notice Processing/Correspondence) • Parking Change Management • Interim Parking Managers • Car Park Attendants/Marshalls/Stewarding • Parking Supervisors (Both Enforcement and Back Office)

Paul Bates Traffic and parking system manufacturer Clearview Intelligence has strengthened its senior management team by drawing on its internal client.

Chris Keenan joins the board as the new director of Business, Scotland. He assumes full profit and loss and business development responsibility for the Clearview business north of the border.

Paul Bates takes on the role of director of solutions, which combines leading the product management team with a new wider remit of special project support. This move creates a single team that will be responsible for

• Parking Management (Both Enforcement and Back Office)

developing innovative uses of Clearview’s product range on all types of projects.

There is also a promotion to executive director on the main board for Andy Salotti who assumes the role of client relationship director, overseeing the external facing sales, marketing and client relationship teams.

Managing director Nick Lanigan said: “These new roles align to the needs of our five-year strategic plan.

Clearview’s aim of making journeys work is not only about external road operators and users but also about creating internal career journeys for all our employees.”

• Heads of Parking/Directors • Parking Technologies (Business Development and Project Managers/ Field Service Engineers/General Managers)

• Off Street Parking (Business Development, Contract Managers and Regional Managers)

• CCTV Operators – SIA and BTEC qualified

Looking for staff or need employment?

Please contact our experienced team on: Tel: 0203 668 5680 Email: parking@unity-recruitment.co.uk Web: www.unity-recruitment.co.uk

***Parking Experience Essential***

PARKING REVIEW | APRIL 2020 | 25

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CityLine

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“CityLine is totally radical“

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THE KERBSIDE

Does parking add up?

Residents are being undercharged for parking permits, says Centre for London

C

ar owners are underpaying for their on-street residential parking space across London, according to a new report by think-tank Centre for London.

The think-tank calls on councils to act more strategically with parking controls, promote alternatives to car ownership and use, and reallocate parking to prioritise cycleways, disabled parking bays and green space.

The report, Reclaim the kerb: The future of parking and kerbside management in London, was authored by Silviya Barrett, Joe Wills and Mario Washington-Ihieme from the Centre for London.

The authors state: “The opportunity to repurpose London’s kerbsides and transform them into valuable public space is huge: 43% of the city’s cars are parked on-street, taking up space equivalent to 10 Hyde Parks. This space should be used for the alternatives that Londoners value.”

The report was funded by AppyWay and the boroughs of Enfield, Hackney, Barnet, Camden, Hounslow, Waltham Forest and Westminster City Council.

The think-tank found the annual cost of operating residential parking spaces far outstrips the price that drivers pay for residential permits, with even the most expensive permits falling short.

“On average it costs councils £336 to operate a parking space in inner London (compared to average resident permit costs across councils between £51-£230), and £295 in outer London (compared to average permit costs between £29-£154),” states the think-tank. “Instead, pay & display, and enforcement charges, subsidise lost revenue from resident permits.”

The Centre for London looked at data from the JustPark tech-

28 | APRIL 2020 | PARKING REVIEW

nology platform where residents can rent out their parking space to motorists. This found that spaces were being rented out at a yearly average of £2,740 in inner London, and £1,587 in outer London, up to ten times more than the annual cost of a council permit to park on-street.

The report also found that boroughs reported parking expenditure does not reflect the full cost of parking provision. “Between 2014/15 and 2018/19, London boroughs collectively made an average annual parking surplus of £243m,” says the think-tank.

Londoners prioritise green spaces and clutter-free pavements over on-street parking spaces Joe Wills

“But when other costs required to operate controlled parking zones (CPZs), such as road maintenance and back office staff are taken into account, this surplus diminishes significantly and even becomes a loss for four London boroughs. Any surplus is ringfenced by government for transport services, including road maintenance and provisions for disadvantaged groups.”

The yearly operating costs per parking space were calculated by dividing the estimated total operational spend on parking in

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THE KERBSIDE Priority Londoners ascribe to different street space uses in their local area High

Low

Medium

Don't know

Trees and other green space Pavements free of clutter Children’s play space Community space, such as seating and recreation space On-street parking for residents Dedicated disabled parking spaces Priority bus lanes Electric vehicle charging points Segregated cycle lanes Secure cycle parking Dedicated space for deliveries or tradespeople to park On-street parking for visitors Bike hire stations Dedicated pick-up and drop-off spaces for taxis and ride-hailing services Car club vehicles 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Percentage (%) Source: Savanta ComRes survey of 1,005 adult London residents for Centre for London.

each borough by an estimation of the number of parking spaces within CPZs in each borough (using AppyWay data). This was then averaged for Inner and Outer London.

With more than half of London councils having declared a climate emergency and road transport contributing over 20% of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions, the report argues that the time has come to rethink parking policies and support the shift towards sustainable modes of transport.

It calls on councils to take a more strategic approach to parking controls and promote alternatives to car ownership and use.

Centre for London recommends that boroughs: • Develop kerbside strategies that allocate road and kerb space in accordance with clear user hierarchies • Reallocate road space gradually through introducing a cap on the number of permits issued, and using waiting lists or limited eligibility for new residents • Set residential permit charges at a level that fully covers operating costs • Regularly review the coverage, size and operating hours of controlled parking zones • Move towards an emissions-based charging structure for resident permits, and escalating charges for additional vehicles.

“Residential parking in the capital is under-priced, while Londoners prioritise green spaces and clutter-free pavements over on-street parking,” said Joe Wills, senior researcher at Centre for London. “With a climate emergency on our hands, councils can play an important role in encouraging the shift from car use towards walking, cycling and public transport – and many are already doing good work here. There will continue to be a place for private cars in the short and medium term, but what we need now is action. The time is right to rethink the way councils approach parking and reclaim the kerb, accelerating London towards the greener, safer, healthier city that will benefit us all.”

Reclaim the kerb: The future of parking and kerbside management in London www.centreforlondon.org

Helping people reclaim the street Cllr Jon Burke, cabinet member for energy, waste, transport and public realm, Hackney Council “In Hackney, we’re working to radically reassign road space away from cars – by filtering roads, introducing parklets and dockless bike parking instead of bays, delivering emissions-based controlled parking – and through our pioneering vision for 21st Century Streets, with substantial green space displacing car parking, tree cover for a minimum of 40% of the street, new secure and dockless bike storage, and discreet electric vehicle chargepoints. We welcome the Centre for London report calling for more councils to follow Hackney’s lead in prioritising pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport users over cars. Land transport is the UK’s largest and growing source of planet heating emissions, with the largest proportion coming from private cars. Hackney Council is working to ensure that the future of our borough is built around the principles of fewer, cleaner, smaller, and slower motor vehicles on our roads.

Cllr Clyde Loakes, deputy leader and cabinet member for the environment, London Borough of Waltham Forest “We are proud to be leading the way in helping people reclaim their streets and neighbourhoods from the motor car. When we create areas where neighbours can chat whilst their children play, where plants, trees, and wildlife can flourish, and where space is provided for people to walk and cycle safely, we see stronger, healthier communities thrive. We are helping families reclaim streets through our School Streets and Play Streets programmes alongside increasing numbers of Street Party events, where roads are shut to cars for residents to enjoy and better utilise that valuable community space and get to know each other better.

“We have introduced our award-winning road improvement programme, Enjoy Waltham Forest, which has seen top-quality cycling and walking infrastructure created across the borough, recreating a network of residential neighbourhoods where the needs of people are put first rather than a single mode of transport, opening up new sustainable transport options to thousands and reducing the daily blight of ‘rat-running’ through hundreds of residential streets.”

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SMARTER PARKING

Connecting journeys ParkAV project explores how connected and autonomous vehicles interact with the kerbside, car parks and MaaS providers

A

consortium of public and private sector organisations has announced an Innovate UK funded project focussed on technical and commercial research to help realise Level 4/5 connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) adoption in cities. The ParkAV project aims to solve issues of: where these vehicles will go to drop off passengers; how they park between trips to recharge; access storage; and be serviced. It will also explore how to blend the relationship between on-street and offstreet parking to support Mobility as a Service (MaaS) operators.

The consortium is made up of Jaguar Land Rover, AppyWay, Coventry City Council, Milton Keynes Council and will be managed

by WhiteWillow Consulting, have focussed efforts on what is seen as the core issues for the successful introduction of CAVs. Sunil Budheo, innovation manager at Coventry City Council said: “When thinking about what our constituents might expect in the future with the rise of CAVs, it’s important to focus on not only optimising the user experience but also making sure the needs of the city are considered. Drop-offs and pick-ups for CAV journeys are likely to be on-street and close to points of interest, so both on-street and nearby off-street parking locations need to be part of our thinking. We must mitigate the circulation of empty vehicles on our streets and we’re proud to be continuing our innovative work in this space as part of the ParkAV project.”

The project will seek to answer questions such as how cities, urban areas, traffic and highways planners will ensure empty CAVs do not contribute to traffic and congestion.

The notion of Automated Valet Parking (AVP) is actively being explored at a technical level by vehicle manufacturers globally.

However, the ParkAV partners suggest that whilst such engineering

30 | APRIL 2020 | PARKING REVIEW

developments are to be welcomed, developing a scalable and sustainable framework to see AVP become commonplace, and monetised, requires a deeper public and private sector collaboration.

Brian Matthews. head of transport innovation at Milton Keynes Council said: “We have recently seen practical demonstrations of CAVs operating in both Milton Keynes and Coventry, so we are very confident that self-driving vehicles parking themselves is not too far away. ParkAV gives us the opportunity to understand how this technology can be best applied in city environments, maximizing the benefits for travellers and cities.”

The ParkAV consortium has already outlined the baseline requirements and considerations across four key areas: • User experience: what do consumers/passengers want and expect?

• Commercial model: how are all parties active within an AVP session compensated? How will market opportunity be unlocked to enable scale?

• Integration: how do the physical and digital realms integrate across on and off-street infrastructure? How do cleaning and valet services access vehicles?

• Local government integration: off-street parking works best when it compliments on-street provision and supports local transport and traffic policies. Solutions that support both are important requirements for the mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) marketplace.

Key to the research is to understand the detailed flow of money and data that will enable multiple on and off-street operators and service providers to work together, presenting the operator and end consumer with a single interface with which to do business.

This will maintain safe and reliable mobility for consumers. A comprehensive data and money exchange model has been developed, ensuring systems scale across multiple sites and are commercially and socially viable.

Ben Boutcher-West, head of mobility for AppyWay, said: “A key deliverable within the project has been a detailed framework for both the flow of data and the flow of money to ensure AVP is a

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SMARTER PARKING viable solution. Beyond just the vehicle technology, AVP looks to deliver the function within a mobility subscription, one that manages topics such as VAT, all suppliers and even EV payment, in one technical and commercial interface. As a consortium, we have maintained a customer focus, ensuring they would be set down compliantly at their chosen destination. That means consumers would no longer have to enter the off-street facility at all, and enjoy a much more convenient and hassle-free service, dropped off at their point of interest.”

The work from the ParkAV project enables the sector to deliver CAVs in a more integrated way. A key point is that in order to scale the rollout of shared, connected and one-day autonomous vehicles, through a concept the consortium call MaaSpark (MaaSpark is the concept of parking for MaaS providing dynamic kerbside access and integrated payments), further steps are required to make parking better for everyone.

Boutcher-West said: “We don’t have to wait to take these steps; they can be implemented ahead of the CAV technology itself. The steps laid out by the consortium form a ‘call to action’ for government and an opportunity for all sectors to collaborate further.”

AppyWay, Jaguar Land Rover and the wider UK industry then have opportunities to exploit these actions, enable changes, and help to provide better parking for all, not just autonomous vehicles. Colin Teed, lead engineer, advanced electrical research at Jaguar Land Rover said: “The ParkAV project demonstrates the key role that AVP could play in the future of mobility. The potential for AVP to reduce the time and stress when parking a vehicle is an exciting step forward in helping Jaguar Land Rover to reduce congestion in the future. By developing premium features, which enhance our customers driving experiences we can achieve our Destination Zero mission.”

The ParkAV project is part-funded by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. It is part of the government’s £100m Intelligent Mobility Fund, supporting the Future of Mobility Grand Challenge.

A key part of the UK government’s Industrial Strategy, the Future of Mobility Grand Challenge was announced in 2017 to encourage and support innovation in UK engineering and technology.

ParkAV recommendations For central government: • Change the Road Traffic Act to allow short-term parking (“kerb-kissing”) in bays dedicated for other users and allow dynamic payment/reservation of parking bays (this also works for human driven vehicles).

• Allow digital and dynamic traffic regulation orders (TROs) captured from roadside data to enable digital coverage for the whole UK. Within this, renaming the traffic regulation order to “Mobility Enabling Order” will emphasise the change in thinking.

• Mandate standards that support interoperability from parking payment systems (as is starting to happen with electric vehicles for both charge point access and payment accounts).

• Don’t just look at CAV vehicle capability, but have a customer and business-centric view of how they influence land use and development planning to encourage adaptability of land use and growth with a technology agnostic approach.

For local government: • Develop new approaches to more open parking contracts, based on outcome-based key performance indicators (KPIs) with more risk taken by the contractor. This would allow parking to move from a negatively viewed labour intensive enforcement model to an outcome driven enabling model to support social good, whilst preserving current income levels from “parking”.

• See MaaSpark as an important enabler of MaaS, rather than a competitor/blocker to it.

• Develop ways to charge wholesale prices for parking by changing contract approaches.

• Consider and plan now for future AV parking within new developments, allowing for future change of use.

A Gnewt van

Delivering efficiencies London FreightLab to pilot Appyway system

K

erbside management firm AppyWay is one of the companies selected by the London FreightLab to develop innovative freight and servicing arrangements for London.

In January, Transport for London (TfL) launched the FreightLab as part of the Mayor’s Civic Innovation Challenge, which brings the public and private sectors together with tech companies to develop solutions to the most pressing problems facing the city.

The challenge is being delivered in partnership with Microsoft and the Social Tech Trust.

Last year Mayor of London Sadiq Khan launched a Freight and Servicing Action Plan that aims to tackle the poor air quality, congestion and road traffic accidents that have increased as a result of urban migration and the rise of online shopping. The freight action plan also outlines the need to protect London’s thriving economy, allowing continued growth, whilst also delivering its citizens a cleaner, safer, and more liveable and workable city.

AppyWay is among the companies that have been tasked with pitching solutions to tackle the negative impacts on London’s route network and improving the operational efficiency of vital freight and servicing activity. AppyWay’s innovation, to be enabled through a consortium of FreightLab partners, is a real-time kerbside management and utilisation solution, for freight and service vehicles in Greater London. Dan Hubert, chief executive of AppyWay, said: “The integration of a digital parking and reservation layer within the existing freight and traffic management processes is a quick win for a safe, low emission and thriving London. By tackling these quick wins, we can support freight and servicing in their move to electric vehicles and beyond, unlocking additional revenue as fleets look to optimise their operations. The pilot of this innovation will demonstrate the administrative, environmental and commercial benefits of moving to a digitally managed and compliant kerbside.”

TfL is working with ten partners on the FreightLab challenge.

These organisations will be using their expertise to evaluate the innovative ideas and see whether they could work on a larger scale.

The project partners include: • CEVA Logistics • DPD • Gnewt • Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust • John Lewis Partnership • Plexal • REEF Technology • Royal Mail • Thames Water • UPS

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MATTHEW WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY

BRITISH PARKING AWARDS

The British Parking Awards 2020 winners

The best of the best The British Parking Awards celebrated stories of innovation and achievement

T

he deployment of parking bay sensors across Harrogate, a giant multi-storey coach park at Wembley and a scheme that deters dangerous parking outside schools were among the winners of the British Parking Awards 2020. The annual awards, launched

by Parking Review magazine in 2002, encompass both kerbside parking and off-street car parks. The awards ceremony has become the highlight of the parking sector’s social calendar. This year over 730 people from across the public and private sectors gathered at the Royal Lancaster hotel in London for a lunchtime ceremony that celebrated the best in parking management, design and technology. The awards were hosted by broadcaster Dr Xand van Tulleken, co-star of the BBC’s Bafta award-winning Operation Ouch and The Twinstitute, as well as documentary investigations into various health issues.

Managing the kerbside This was, in many ways, the year of the traffic regulation order, with several winners being won by people and projects involving the generation of TROs. The Department for Transport’s TRO Discovery Project, carried out by the British Parking Association, GeoPlace and Ordnance Survey received a Special Jury Award.

This project is defining the digitisation of the orders that underpin the way the kerbside is organised.

Hazel Game, Project Centre’s veteran TRO specialist, and Vicki Neville, principal parking and TRO officer at Northamptonshire County Council, were the joint recipients of Back Office Awards.

The Parking Partnership Award was presented to an Innovate UK supported public-private partnership that is developing digital TROs. The scheme sees technology company AppyWay’s digital mapping system being trialled by Cambridgeshire County Council, Coventry City Council and Milton Keynes Council.

AppyWay was also part of a public-private partnership that developed real-time parking management in Harrogate. Smart City Parking, a scheme that links over 2,000 bay sensors to a payment app, is being piloted by Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

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Working together There were prizes for teams that have gone above and beyond the normal. The B4 car park team in Birmingham won the Front Line Award for their customer-focussed approach to running a city centre site. The long-standing partnership between London’s Brent Council and Serco was named Parking Team of the Year.

The North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP) is a group of local authorities who have pooled their parking expertise. NEPP won The Communication Award for its exemplary use of digital and social media channels to engage with motorists, residents and stakeholders.

Partnerships between local authorities and the private sector were the joint winners in the Parking Technology Award category.

Cornwall County Council, phone parking company JustPark and pay-on-foot system developer WPS were recognised for their work creating a system that allows drivers to use phone parking to activate car park barriers. The ROADflow attended camera enforcement at school gates won Derby City Council and CCTV technology company SEA the other Parking Technology Award.

A pair of schemes that saw local authorities and enforcement contractors harness data to target anti-social drivers were category winners. A Walsall Council scheme that sees bailiff Penham Excel use real-time DVLA data to spot and immobilise nontaxed cars in the West Midlands town won the Parking in the Community Awards. The London Borough of Waltham’s work with NSL targeting persistent evaders received an Intelligent Parking Award.

Buildings for cars and people The teams who designed and delivered major new car parks were honoured. The Watts House multi-storey at the University of Brighton was named Best New Car Park.

The massive Pink Parking car and coach park at Wembley Park in London won a pair of Special Project Awards: one for the challenge of engineering a multi-storey coach park; the other for the striking internal and giant external graphics designed to orientate the sports fans and concert audiences who will use the site.

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BRITISH PARKING AWARDS The Car Park Renewal Award was presented to the team that transformed the 1960s Rotherham Interchange car park into a striking structure with a contemporary feel inside and out.

Providing a top notch service The Parking as a Service Award was presented to the OCS and CBRE team at the centre:mk shopping centre in Milton Keynes, where the new car park is notable for its mixture of good design, driver-assistance technology and customer-friendly service. High quality services won ParkVia, a UK-based international airport parking portal, the Parking Provider of the Year Award.

Praise for parking people Besides the systems, services and structures, the awards recognise the achievements of individuals. The Parking Person of the Year was Anthony Eskinazi, chief executive of JustPark, a leading online parking provider. The MiPermit Inspiration Award was presented to Jade Neville, head of parking services, OCS. Neville has been a champion of skills development across the parking sector and also pioneered projects that support parking staff who have been subjected to verbal and physical abuse.

The Young Parking Professional of the Year was Rebecca Harper, membership engagement manager at the British Parking Association. A pair of Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to Jim Daniels and Mike James, senior local authority officers who led the debate that spawned the Positive Parking Agenda, an initiative that has been adopted by councils across the country. www.britishparkingawards.co.uk

Let’s imagine and then create

The Winners The MiPermit Inspiration Award Jade Neville

Parking Person of the Year Anthony Eskinazi

The Back Office Award Hazel Game Vicki Neville

Young Parking Professional Award Rebecca Harper

Lifetime Achievement Award Jim Daniels Mike James

Parking Partnerships Award Future ready traffic orders – AppyWay, Innovate UK, Cambridgeshire County Council, Coventry City Council and Milton Keynes Council

Special Jury Prize TRO Discovery Project – Department for Transport, British Parking Association, GeoPlace and Ordnance Survey

The Intelligent Parking Award Smart City Parking, Harrogate Persistent evader scheme – Waltham Forest Council

Best New Car Park

Paul Moorby OBE called on the parking sector to help build a greener and fairer world MiPermit is proud to be associated with the British Parking Awards. Having seen the fantastic entries and imagination displayed in the 2020 competition I would like to set a challenge for the future, for all our futures.

The climate is changing and so the nature of our industry must change. According to the DVLA, there are currently 39 million vehicles on the UK’s roads. If we are going to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 we need to convert to electric vehicles and create another 8 GigaWatts of electrical generation capacity as we roll out charging points across the nation.

We need every ounce of the parking sector’s creativity to deliver the innovations to meet this challenge. I promise you, the UK will be a world leader in net neutral. In the 1960s the UK led the world when it signed the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights. One of those key rights was the right of mobility for every citizen across each nation.

And so, as we build the transport infrastructure of the future, as the price of cars rises and rises, I ask everyone in parking to be on your guard that we don’t disenfranchise the poorest people in this nation. We need everybody’s help to make sure that accessibility to the economy is on a level playing field for everyone.

Paul Moorby OBE is the founder of Chipside, which provides the MiPermit system, and is the British Parking Awards headline sponsor

Watts House car park, University of Brighton

The Special Projects Award HUBER Car Park Systems Potter Church & Holmes Architects, Hemingway Design, Quintain and HUBER Car Park Systems

Car Park Renewal Award Rotherham Interchange

Parking in the Community Award Penham Excel and Walsall Council

Parking Technology Award Cornwall Council, JustPark and WPS Derby City Council and SEA

Parking Provider of the Year Award ParkVia

Parking as a Service centre:mk, Milton Keynes – OCS and CBRE

The Front Line Award Car park team, B4 Parking, Birmingham

Parking Team of the Year Brent parking team, Brent Council and Serco

Communication Award North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP)

Parking Legend Mark Moran

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GALLERY

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PICTURES BY MATTHEW WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY

GALLERY

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BRITISH PARKING AWARDS

The organisers have paid for me to be here until 6pm, so that means they can get use of me until 8am tomorrow morning…

Awards ‘judge’, Dr Xand, stretches the truth to comic effect

Tickling the funny bone Dr Xand van Tulleken revealed a lifelong passion for the world of parking

T

he British Parking Awards is an enormously important event recognising the difficult and important work that everyone in parking. Like healthcare staff in the NHS many of you have public-facing jobs and dealing with the general public in the raw can be extremely difficult, so I am very glad to be here recognising the important work that you do.

I have become the award’s presenter by popular demand. I am well aware of the parking industry’s enthusiasm for my particular brand of twin-based, weight loss, science documentaries and diarrhoea-based humour on Children’s BBC! But, in fact, I am a huge fan of Mark Moran from Parking Review. He asked me to come not because he couldn’t afford my twin brother Dr Chris (although, I assure you, he couldn’t) but because I have a long-standing enthusiasm for all things parking related. When I was very young I struggled with all kinds of parking related difficulties. In fact, I couldn’t even do up my seatbelt but then, one day, it just clicked. (It does get better!)

begging Mark from Parking Review to invite me vastly diminishes that honour. If I think back to this time in 2011, I was just a boy standing in front of Mark from Parking Review asking him to love me. And it’s finally paid off.

Confessions of a parking awards judge As the losers from previous years among you will well know, the gods of the parking awards are not easy to satisfy. They demand commitment and sacrifice from every participant. But I think few among you understand what the judges go through so I wanted to take you behind the scenes of the ways in which we, as the judges, have made some of these terribly difficult decisions.

I would like to start with the Front Line Award, as an example.

A common misconception about the Front Line Award is that it refers to being on the front line of the parking industry. In fact, each of the nominees is flown to a conflict zone (I can’t say which one) where they are asked to park an armoured personal carrier full of rebels near the capital city and find the cheapest tariff for up to four hours! [ This sounds exciting – Ed ]

A dream come true When I was young I genuinely wanted to be a parking warden, like many kids, but I couldn’t bear to encounter the depths of human misery and suffering every single day, so I became a doctor instead. Being a doctor is a great deal like being a parking warden. You have got lots of fiddly clamps, you have got paperwork, most of the day is spent on your feet, and you are usually right but everyone hates you all the same.

It is so wonderful to see so many past entrants back in the room. I hope that we are welcoming in a new era for the awards under my tenure as the host for 2020. After all, we are all aware of the bribery, corruption and drugs scandals that beset my predecessor [ NAME REDACTED ] as the presenter, which has led to their conspicuous absence this year!

Being asked to present these awards is a tremendous honour.

And the fact that I have spent, sincerely, the last eight years

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I am very excited to be here! Are you excited? That’s what you get for inviting a children’s television presenter…

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BRITISH PARKING AWARDS Let me tell you paying by phone is a nightmare if you don’t speak the regional dialect. There are two kinds of pay-by-phone experience. There are the ones where it goes incredibly smoothly, but occasionally you get what happened to me this morning, when I pulled up my car and tried to park near here. I was cleanshaven when I first arrived. The Front Line Award this year was very difficult to judge, but I don’t think I am giving anything away by saying the winners distinguished themselves by not committing any war crimes. [ Phew! – Ed ] The Parking Partnerships Award is one of the more exciting ones. For the judges there are many criteria for this illustrious award, but for the final assessment in this category the partners put their car keys into a bowl and then, one by one, they take out someone else’s keys from the bowl and they head off in pairs into the car parks… I am so sorry, that was an offer from an enthusiastic fan that my agent has passed on to me. I don’t know how it slipped in there!

Of course, as you can imagine, many of my fans are extremely keen and have mistaken me for my twin brother and, in fact, I get all kinds of offers of gifts and money. But I suppose ‘pay and display’ is a familiar concept to everyone in parking.

April 2020 | #336

www.parkingreview.co.uk

My life in parking (literally) The Parking Technology Award is of particular emotional interest to me because that is how I got my start in the parking industry when I was aged five. Working inside a piece of technology really has changed dramatically over the past 35 years.

As many of the older parking professionals among you will know the automatic ticket machines and the barriers that we used to have at the entrance to many a car park used to contain small children that lived inside the metal boxes. We would push the tickets out through the little slot and pull ropes to lift the automatic barriers. It was an unforgiving task, working tirelessly for long hours in freezing conditions and often subject to abuse, but it was a job that I was grateful for. I know a lot of people in the room got their start in the industry this way. In fact, Kenny Baker got his break to play R2D2 in Star Wars when George Lucas discovered him working in a ticket dispenser at Elstree Studios. [ Is this true? I’m checking IMDb now – Ed ] It’s sad that so many of the children working in these machines have been replaced with robots and monkeys. But I think, in the end, you as an industry were right to move away from child labour. So many of these children were allowing their families to park for free. It was a loss of revenue we could ill afford.

I should also note in the Intelligent Parking category the fact that the Waltham Forest Council scheme identified so many of the judges in no way prejudiced us against them. I should say for myself, my parking in Walthamstow has always been exemplary.

In fact, my parking is so good the council’s patrol officers are kind enough to pay me compliments, leaving me a note saying ‘Parking fine’ on the windscreen.

Car park tasting notes For the judges, it is the car parks themselves that demand the real work. Over the last year we have revamped things and spared no efforts to make sure that every aspect of the incredible service that you all provide is scrutinised in detail. This year the way in which we have selected the winners is really beyond reproach.

The main change in the judging system this year is the expanded use of blind tasting of car parks and parking experiences.

It is easy to be seduced by a sexy façade, I am thinking of you Jubilee car park at the University of Sussex, or a bulging set of shiny bollards or a sleek barrier, as found at Sand Martin House in Peterborough. So the judges are blindfolded as we make our way through the parking services.

I know that a lot of the teams did complain about the damage to facilities and danger to life as we made our way through town centres and multi-storey car parks using only our senses of taste, touch, hearing and smell. But I think that there can be no doubt when you see the winners that this was, for us, the most authentic way of experiencing and encountering a car park. I don’t want to give anything away, but we were all impressed by the Watts House Car Park at the University of Brighton. Rich aromas of

XAN D TH E WIN N ER IS…

Find out who else took home a coveted British Parking Award in our Winners Spec

ial

PA R K I N G • T R A FF I C • K E R B S I DE

Dr Xand became the first ever awards host to win a trophy fresh paint, cement undertones and bright notes of student’s urine really set apart Bay B36.

Parking during a pandemic There is, of course, a serious element to my addressing you this afternoon. We are facing a national crisis. I want to address that now. A lot of the senior parking professionals in the room will have come from the government’s COBRA meeting this morning where they were outlining plans for the parking industry to be a core part of our response to the coronavirus.

After all, the hospitals are full. There is about to be a huge demand for facility space. Of course, car parks and intensive care units are very similar in so many ways.

We have bays. You have bays. We have little flashing lights. You have little flashing lights. We have barrier nursing. You have barriers. It is often hard to find a space in the right places.

The conversations you hear in intensive care units are very similar to those that take place in car parks: “Are you moving out of this space?”

“No, no, I am just pulling in and I have got terrible coronavirus and I need to go shopping.”

Ventilation is a big issue for both of us. And we all have a problem with leaking fluids on the floor. I think, in some ways, cars are similar to people. A petrol pump is kind of IV for cars.

We are NHS. Some of you used to be NCP. And in the NHS we see a lot of pee!

A parking warden is, of course, doing a kind of ward round. Is everyone here still meant to be here? And like doctors, of course, parking wardens are waiting for something to expire so they can do the paperwork and then make a cuppa. The only difference is that in car parks you have to pay and the NHS is free for the first 30 minutes… and then keeps being free, which is the whole point actually. [ Bravo Dr Xand! – Ed ] Dr Xand van Tulleken is a broadcaster and author. To keep up with Dr Xand’s adventures visit: www.vantullekenbrothers.com

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Making the connections that are transforming our world

Congratulations to all winners and finalists of the

As headline sponsor, we look forward to welcoming you again in 2021

mipermit.com

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BRITISH PARKING AWARDS

MATTHEW WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY

Very inspiring people

Dr Xand with Jade Neville and sponsor Paul Moorby OBE

MiPermit Inspiration Award Jade Neville

operator Hermes and property services company CBRE. Roger Young, CBRE’s head of operations at centre:MK, said: “Jade is a true expert who is dragging parking into the 21st Century. Constantly searching for ways to innovate, Jade is the goto person within the parking industry not just for ourselves and Hermes, but all our clients. She also drives professional standards within parking, an industry known to be made up of an older male demographic.”

Neville sits on the British Parking Association’s council and is also a member of BPA’s professional development board, where she is a champion for skills development, leading a working group that comprises local authorities and operators.

DENIZ HUSEYIN

Jade Neville has been an inspirational figure in parking for over a decade, initially entering the sector as a parking attendant. In 2014 she won a Front Line Award for her work supporting colleagues as an anti-hate crime ambassador.

Since then Neville has moved into the management sphere, becoming the head of parking services at facilities management company OCS Group. Last year, she led the launch of the centre:MK car park in Milton Keynes, working closely with shopping centre

Anthony Eskinazi

Parking Person of the Year Anthony Eskinazi Anthony Eskinazi founded the ParkAtMyHouse driveway parking service in 2006 when he was just 23 years old. Eskinazi was a pioneer in the use of emerging mobile technology to solve the ageold headache of parking by connecting homeowners with unused parking spaces to drivers in need of parking.

ParkAtMyHouse branched out from working purely with domestic parking space owners to build partnerships with car park operators, hotels, churches, businesses and any other parking space owners looking to maximise the use of their asset. The company rebranded to JustPark in 2014 to reflect this development.

JustPark has moved into the local authority sector, and now works with approximately 40 local authorities and recently won the contract to operate mobile parking payments across Northern Ireland.

Eskinazi remains enthusiastic about embracing new technology and also bringing a range diverse talent to the company. He spends a lot of time with new employees, encouraging them to incubate ideas and have the confidence to try and test new things without fear of failure.

He is also contributing to the wider parking sector, sharing his experience by serving as vice-chair of the British Parking Association’s Technology, Research and Innovation Board.

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MATTHEW WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY

Back in the office

Dr Xand with Hazel Game and sponsor Paul Moorby OBE

Back Office Award Hazel Game

Keith Hanshaw, managing director of Project Centre, said: “I have known Hazel for nearly 35 years from back when we both worked for the GLC and now work together at Project Centre.

Hazel’s commitment to parking and in particular traffic order making is unrivalled. I have had a number of clients speak to me about her diligence and attitude and this is testament to her dedication within parking.

“Her knowledge is absolutely exemplary and she is our ‘go-to’ person on any technical issues. She is now training up the next generation of TRO makers, so that her wealth of knowledge and experience is shared and helps to encourage growth within the industry.”

DENIZ HUSEYIN

Hazel Game has over 45 years’ experience in drafting and processing traffic regulation orders (TROs), which she has gained while working at the Greater London Council, City of Westminster Council and Lambeth Council before starting work with Project Centre in 2002.

As the Project Centre’s senior TRO specialist, she has advised numerous local authorities and the Department for Transport. She was the first person to write TROs for virtual permits and she drafted all the Orders for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Vicki Neville

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Back Office Award Vicki Neville Vicki Neville is Northamptonshire Highways’ principal parking and traffic regulation order officer, a role that sees her oversee and investigate all of TRO requests made by the districts and boroughs across the county. She designs and implements parking schemes, liaises with council members and the general public.

Neville has also led work on a school parking scheme and implemented schemes to improve environmental issues and that deter anti-social behaviour.

Diane Walsh, parking and senior operations manager at Northamptonshire County Council, said: “Vicki came to our authority as a parking investigations officer dealing with challenges, representations and appeals, having previously worked as a civil enforcement officer in Southend, and she outshone all other applicants. Her knowledge was vast and invaluable. She soon picked up the local policies and procedures resulting in outstanding responses to motorists covering all points made.

“Whilst parking staff are rarely praised for their work, Vicki is the exception. The way Vicki has interacted with members of the public both on the telephone, through letters and emails was extraordinary, which went beyond any expectation and anything you could possibly teach a person. She is without doubt naturally gifted. Vicki has a passion for parking, perhaps never before seen at such a high level.”

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BRITISH PARKING AWARDS

MATTHEW WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY

The professionals

Dr Xand with Rebecca Harper and Ryan Williams from sponsor USL StructureCare annual events programme and improving membership services.

Caron Fassetta, the BPA’s head of membership and information management, said: “Rebecca represents the parking sector, our organisation and herself to the highest degree of professionalism.

She throws herself into projects with gusto. She is an outstanding young leader who has delivered so much and has so much more to give. I can only hope that I am around to watch, and support, this young woman enjoying an incredible journey to reach her potential, which, in my view, knows no bounds.”

Young Parking Professional Rebecca Harper

MATTHEW WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY

Rebecca Harper joined the British Parking Association’s membership and information management team in 2016. Last year she was promoted to the role of membership engagement manager, a role that has seen her take on line management responsibilities and a more strategic focus. For example, she is creating content for the

Lifetime Achievement Jim Daniels Jim Daniels held a number of key management roles during a long public sector career, including over a decade as parking manager at Gloucestershire County Council until his retirement last year.

Daniels was regarded as a master of the art of being a ‘critical friend’ to commercial partners, who held his counsel, judgement and experience in high regard.

Daniels led a number of initiatives furthering understanding of the local authority parking sector. Alongside Bristol’s Mike James, he was the other “Grumpy Old Man” who inspired the creation of the Positive Parking Agenda.

Lifetime Achievement Mike James

Jim Daniels and Mike James

Mike James has worked in the parking industry for over 30 years.

He was an early champion of the use of electronic systems in parking, the introduction of handheld devices and the use of CCTV and ANPR devices in parking enforcement.

As the much respected parking enforcement manager at Bristol City Council, James has been happy to assist other councils throughout his career, including parking teams across Wales and in Northern Ireland. He has also had a couple of brushes with fame, featuring in TV series such as Parking Mad and The CCTV Traffic Wardens.

Alongside Gloucestershire’s Jim Daniels, James was one half of the duo fondly known as “The Grumpy Old Men” who instigated the Positive Parking Agenda initiative.

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Year of the TRO

The Future Ready Traffic Orders team flanked by Dr Xand and Gary Robinson from sponsor DCBL

Parking Partnerships Award Future Ready Traffic Orders

The challenge was set and kerbside technology company AppWay designed an innovative and intuitive platform for creating and editing traffic orders, and pushing them to public consultation, one that is fit for the future, and allows authorities to embrace innovative ways of travel through cost and time savings. The output of the project is an authoritative source of standardised, mapbased traffic order data that is cloud hosted, scalable, and interoperable with legacy systems.

Traffic regulation orders (TROs) are the legal documents that regulate the use of highways for movement and parking.

Innovate UK has funded a pilot that has seen Cambridgeshire, Coventry and Milton Keynes councils test drive the platform.

DENIZ HUSEYIN

Special Jury Award TRO Discovery Project

The TRO Discovery team celebrate Digital technology is rapidly changing the way we travel. Our navigation devices will re-route us mid-journey as they receive real-time data about the road. This data is going to become increasingly important as we move into a world of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs), in-car navigation and parking apps.

Accurate real-time information on how long you can park and

44 | APRIL 2020 | PARKING REVIEW

about temporary road changes are going to be a huge part of the data that is needed to ensure a safe and efficiency journey.

The TRO Discovery project explored existing traffic regulation order (TRO) creation and management systems in local authorities to identify the data needs for emerging technologies, with a view to supporting legislative changes needed to implement new systems.

The TRO Discovery Project was formed when the Department for Transport (DfT), the British Parking Association (BPA), GeoPlace and the Ordnance Survey (OS) came together in a partnership. The partners agreed to support each other to deliver three aims, these were to: 1. Engage widely with TRO experts and those who require TROs to consider how well the process works and how it might be modernised and improved.

2. Produce a guide to help local authorities understand how they can work within the limits of current legislation based on best practice.

3. Produce a draft data model for TROs, a free open data resource for all.

The partners also sought to address the recommendations of the North Highlands’ Local Transport Data Discovery project, which found generating a TRO is: difficult and time-consuming to access, clean and process; TRO data is not in a standardised, machine-readable format; TROs lack of centralised point of reference; private sector organisations are being forced to collect TRO data manually; and the process for amending and implementing a TRO is labour intensive and time-consuming.

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BRITISH PARKING AWARDS

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Partnership pays off

Harrogate’s Susan McGarry holds the trophy for the Smart City Parking team

Intelligent Parking Award Smart City Parking Kerbside technology company AppyWay has teamed up with Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council to pilot a concept called Smart City Parking (SCP).

This system provides drivers with real-time parking bay availability data collected from bay sensors on their smartphone.

The user interface for this data is the AppyParking app, which combines nationwide parking data and frictionless parking payment integration.

The SCP solution, launched in January 2019, involved the installation of 2,156 smart sensors and the consolidation of digitised parking data, parking sensors, parking payments, ANPR barriers and linear pricing.

Drivers can use the app to find available on-street or off-street parking with realtime availability. Once parked they start to pay for parking sessions that end automatically when they drive away with a single click – this is a patented AppyWay solution called One Click Parking.

The local authorities are now able to see precisely how parking assets are consumed 24/7 through a web-hosted analytics platform called ‘Insights’.

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BRITISH PARKING AWARDS

Clever design on campus

Watts House car park

Best New Car Park Watts House, University of Brighton

MATTHEW WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY

The Watts House car park at the University of Brighton provides parking for staff, students and visitors to the Moulsecoomb Campus. The 550-space facility was designed by Stripe Consulting and built by Kier Construction.

The car park has a façade that mixes metal and planting. The façade has perforated, laser-cut metal panels with a powder coated finish. There is also a green wall high-tensile cable system to allow climbing plants to ‘green’ the building. The green wall

will soften the car park’s appearance in the context of the nearby Site of Nature Conservation Interest.

The primary structure is formed from a steel frame, designed to achieve maximum efficiency in terms of tonnage whilst adhering to all required standards. It has a composite deck structure comprising in-situ poured concrete onto a permanent metal framework tray. The deck was then waterproofed with a deck coating. The circulation of the car park is achieved by adopting a Vertical Circulation Module (VCM).

The car park also provides electric vehicle charging, offers cycle storage, shower and changing facilities, as well as office space for the parking team.

The Watts House car park team flanked by Dr Xand and Paul Musgrove from sponsor 3C Payment

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Pink Coach & CarPark

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BRITISH PARKING AWARDS

Pink Parking accommodates cars and coaches

The Wembley way Special Projects Award Pink Parking, Wembley Park

MATTHEW WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY

The Wembley Park Pink Parking project comprises a multi-storey car park and a decked coach park. It is part of the Wembley Park development that will deliver over 8,500 residential apartments alongside 21 acres of public realm, including a 42-acre park.

Pink Parking is Europe’s first multi-storey steel-framed coach and car park. At full capacity, it can accommodate up to 16,500 visitors. The open deck of the coach park will also serve as the location of broadcasting vehicles for events at Wembley Stadium.

The Pink Parking name comes from the principle that all the public and event day parking areas at Wembley Park all have a colour prefix. Football stadia around Europe for UEFA and the World for FIFA all have the same designation of four colour

HUBER’s Markus Lauble, Julian Schenk, Tomer Meirom, Nathaniel Parker and Timo Königs with Dr Xand and Stewart Clure from sponsor Debt Recovery Plus

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BRITISH PARKING AWARDS

The external graphics of Madonna and Freddie Mercury quadrants: Red, Yellow, Green and Blue. Wembley Park developer Quintain opted to give the new facility a memorable name, hence Pink Parking.

The scheme received two Special Project Awards

MATTHEW WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY

Engineering a multi-storey coach park Pink Parking is Europe’s first multi-storey steel coach and car park. HUBER Car Park Systems has described designing and building a structure that can house 290 coaches and 733 cars akin to creating a “roll-on/roll-off” ferry on dry land.

Public art and wayfinding graphics Getting thousands of fans to and from Wembley Stadium needs excellent wayfinding signage. Inside Pink Parking a bespoke wayfinding solution was designed using grey and pink supergraphics on columns, floors and walls.

Outside, there are giant pink LED silhouettes of people associated with Wembley, including Bobby Moore, Nelson Mandela, Anthony Joshua, Madonna and Freddie Mercury. These were designed by the artist Wayne Hemingway.

This award was presented to HUBER Car Park Systems, Quintain, Hemingway Design and Potter Church & Holmes Architects.

Mark Potter, Steven Jones and Polly Church of Potter, Church & Holmes Architects with Dr Xand and sponsor DRP’s Stewart Clure

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BRITISH PARKING AWARDS

Rotherham’s revival

Interior: Before

Interior: After

Interior: Concept

Exterior: After

Car Park Renewal Award Rotherham Interchange

MATTHEW WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY

Rotherham Interchange is a bus station and car park that was refurbished for South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) by Interserve in partnership with Arup and Jefferson Sheard Architects. Like many structures built in the 1960s, the concrete elements had experienced significant levels of degradation and required life extending repairs and improvements. Added to

this, the Interchange experienced an arson attack in 2016, which had caused significant internal damage, and the entire facility also needed to be brought in line with current building regulations and Equality Act requirements.

The ÂŁ12m refurbishment of Rotherham Interchange has provided the town with greatly improved public transport and parking facilities.

A tired civic building has been transformed, bringing it in line with modern standards, creating a significantly improved customer experience.

The Rotherham Interchange team flanked by Dr Xand and Tim Pryor of sponsor InaParc

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single point responsibility refurbishment solutions.

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It all means you have the reassurance of having just one point of contact – and none of the hassle.

Deck Coatings. Expansion Joints. Concrete Repairs. Corrosion Mitigation.

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Visit our website www.structurecare.com T: 0191 416 1530 E: info@usluk.com

Kingston House, 3 Walton Road, Pattinson North Washington, Tyne & Wear NE38 8QA United Kingdom

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BRITISH PARKING AWARDS

MATTHEW WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY

No hiding place

Penham Excel’s Darren Crombie, Alan Wood and Philip Hammonds with Walsall’s Zoe Richards and Glynnis Jeavons, all flanked by Chris Naylor of sponsor The IPC and Dr Xand

Parking in the Community Penham Excel and Walsall Council

vehicles in the community could be achieved for Walsall Council.

To tackle this problem, Penham Excel has been enforcing using devolved powers from the DVLA. The company’s ANPR vans are deployed on a daily basis, targeting known hot spots.

The regular presence of ANPR teams, clamped vehicles and tow trucks has been achieved at no cost to Walsall Council. Besides delivering benefits to the people of Walsall, the scheme is also enabling the DVLA and central government to keep their databases up-to-date.

Penham Excel has received many positive comments from members of the public who have thanked the company for reminding them to tax their vehicle – even some who had been clamped!

Walsall Metropolitan Council in the West Midlands found it was writing off thousands of penalty charge notices (PCNs) with a value of up to half-a-million pounds per year due to there being no trace of the offending vehicles’ registered keepers on the DVLA database.

The aim of this pilot scheme was to determine if, by using the devolved powers for untaxed vehicle enforcement, a cost neutral solution for dealing with the increasing numbers of nuisance

Intelligent Parking Award Waltham Forest Council

DENIZ HUSEYIN

The local community in the east London borough of Waltham Forest was demanding that seemingly untouchable persistent evaders were prosecuted. These persistent evaders were constantly

Keith Hanshaw of NSL and Project Centre with Waltham Forest’s Anthony Hall and Mehmet Hassan

52 | APRIL 2020 | PARKING REVIEW

abusing the system, clocking up large numbers of penalty charge notices (PCNs) and were becoming ever harder to locate. Persistent evaders usually disguise their identities and change the addresses of the registered keepers regularly. This added to the problem of non-payment of PCNs that were being issued by Waltham Forest Council.

The local authority has now harnessed provisions introduced in the London Local Authorities and Transport for London Act 2008 (LLA & TfL Act 2008), which provides the capital’s councils with further powers to take enforcement action against persistent evaders of parking and traffic penalties. Whilst the legislation was introduced in 2008, an ongoing issue has been persistent evaders and the inability to immobilise and impound vehicles when they had left enforceable zones but still had unpaid fines outstanding.

Waltham Forest Council, through the required mechanism of adoption of the new powers under Section 5 of the LLA & TfL Act 2008 agreed the additional powers through cabinet in November 2018 and these came into force on 1 April 2019.

The new powers were enacted to enable Waltham Forest’s contractor NSL to use ANPR technology to locate the persistent evaders’ vehicles and collect the unpaid PCNs, while also relieving residents and businesses of disruptions to parking caused by persistent evaders. The ANPR patrols have also been adopted by a number of other London councils and there is partnership working with the Metropolitan Police.

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BRITISH PARKING AWARDS

MATTHEW WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY

Inventive spirits

The Derby City Council and SEA team flanked by Dr Xand and Darren Wootton of sponsor Makers Construction

Parking Technology Award Derby City Council and SEA

technology provider SEA to create an attended static camera technological system for the purpose of enforcing school ‘Keep Clear’ markings on a daily basis.

SEA and Derby have developed a system that comprises a ROADflow static camera unit that provides a live video stream that allows a council operator to capture contraventions as they occur. A penalty notice is generated and sent to the errant driver.

The ROADflow attended camera unit has been designed to be easy to install enabling it to be rapidly re-deployed from one site – as compliance improves at that site – to another. Supplementing SEA’s own field service engineers, Derby City Council now has staff trained to move cameras on a rapidly deployable basis meaning responses to significant complaints can be dealt with far more efficiently than ever before.

DENIZ HUSEYIN

Derby City Council is taking action against vehicles parked on school ‘Keep Clears’ using CCTV cameras that are monitored in real-time by enforcement teams.

Parking problems around school arrival and dispersal times are a long-standing concern for the council. Cameras are often put in place around parking restrictions where traditional enforcement with a foot patrol is difficult, insensitive or impractical.

While manned enforcement vehicles are a deterrent, they are often delayed by traffic congestion.

With this in mind, Derby City Council has worked with camera

JustPark’s Anthony Eskinazi, Cornwall Council’s Craig Taylor and Simon Jarvis from WPS

Parking Technology Award Cornwall Council, WPS and JustPark Cornwall Council’s multi-partner platform integration is a project that aims provide a seamless parking experience for car park users. The project has seen the council work with payment technology company WPS and cashless platform provider JustPark.

As a key part of Cornwall’s commitment to the Positive Parking Agenda, Cornwall Council wanted to introduce the more userfriendly WPS ParkAdvance pay-on-foot parking system in several larger car parks which had been run on a pay & display basis. It also wanted to harness JustPark’s ‘pay on arrival’ app technology at these car parks.

Creating a seamless experience required a three-way live integration of WPS’ ParkID software, JustPark’s platform and Cornwall Council’s car park tariff data, allowing the technologies talk to each other in real-time.

The WPS ParkAdvance barrier systems have been configured to recognise JustPark registered customers and automatically grant these drivers access to car parks. The barrier also recognises if a person has an advance ticket or is registered as disabled.

The project enables drivers using payment terminals to enjoy the same benefits they receive when using the JustPark app, namely Multi-Use Tickets, Seasonal Tickets and Rover Tickets.

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BRITISH PARKING AWARDS

MATTHEW WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY

Looking after customers

ParkVia’s Dr Valentina Moise and Gemma Killackley with Dr Xand and Graeme Middleton of sponsor Cemplas

Parking Provider of the Year ParkVia

drivers in more than 150 countries via a network of over 2,500 parking operators in 43 international markets, spanning 500,000 parking spaces. ParkVia holds contracts with 81 airports to promote their parking services through its platform, with affiliates and via its network of leading brand partners. It has also forged relationships with airlines such as Ryanair, easyJet, Wizz Air and IAG, owner of UK flag carrier British Airways.

Founded in 2008, a pivotal milestone in Manchester-based ParkVia’s 12-year history has been winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the category of International Trade twice – firstly in 2014 and then for a second time in 2019.

Online parking provider ParkVia allows consumers to plan parking as part of their journey, working with both operators and travel industry market leaders to ensure that parking is visible at the right time. Pre-booking parking lets customers plan in advance, and depart with the peace of mind that they will not struggle to find a place to park or have difficulty in gaining access.

Through its e-commerce platform, ParkVia takes bookings from

DENIZ HUSEYIN

Parking as a Service Award centre:MK, Milton Keynes

CBRE’s Andrew Gamblin with OCS’s Jade Neville and Lisa Pearce

Sitting at the heart of Milton Keynes is the centre:MK shopping centre. This iconic example of Post-War New Town architecture has Grade 1 listed status, which presented major challenges when creating a 1,400-space multi-storey car park.

Shopping centre operator Hermes, centre manager CBRE and facilities management company OCS worked with architect Leslie Jones and main contractor Rolton Group to create a structure that complemented the shopping centre, yet also offered a state-of-theart parking experience for shoppers.

The £32m car park is packed with smart technology such as individual bay monitoring, empty bay indicators, Find My Car screens and electric vehicle charging bays.

However, the ethos of the CBRE and OCS management teams is that parking is more than buildings and technology, with the human touch put at the forefront of guest experience at centre:MK. The OCS team, led by head of parking services Jade Neville, offers a range human services designed to enhance the shopping experience for the whole family such as assisted shopping, carry-to-car and free kiddie car hire. The parking team also comes up with initiatives to engage the local community such as organised supervised car meets and open-air cinemas to be staged in the new car park. The shopping centre also runs promotions, referred to as ‘random acts of kindness’, which allow guests to win free parking.

CBRE centre director Kevin Duffy says: “The team at the car park are a valuable asset to the centre. In most cases they are the first point of contact for our guests, who arrive and leave with a 5star impression.”

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www.jbwgroup.co.uk

Raising expectations together

www.phoenixcommercial.co.uk

@JBWGroup @Phoenix_EA1

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE PARKING TEAM OF THE YEAR Sponsored by JBW and Phoenix Commercial Collections

“And the winner is...”

London Borough of Brent & Serco

This award was open to teams working for either a local authority or for a private sector organisation.

The award recognises the work of both on-street and off-street parking operations.

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BRITISH PARKING AWARDS

MATTHEW WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY

Working together

The B4 Parking team with Jonny Combe of sponsor PayByPhone and Dr Xand

The Front Line Award B4 Parking, Birmingham

systems in operation at B4, including CCTV, fire alarms, building management and health and safety. For the car park to remain operational it is critical that these essential tasks are undertaken.

A member of staff is available day and night should a customer need assistance. The staff are trained to offer help and advice to customers regarding B4 membership and a range of Season and Flexi ticket options, as well as ensuring the car park remains clean and safe. Over 26,000 drivers have now become B4 members.

Many of B4’s business decisions are taken as a group. A member of the team will become the “leader” of that task. The leader then seeks input and support from their colleagues. All this is then taken into account before arriving at a final decision. For example, marketing literature is drafted and gets passed around several members of the team who add their own comments and amendments, upon which the final version is based.

Situated in the heart of Birmingham’s business district, the B4 Car Park has become the car park of choice for commuters, visitors to the Birmingham Children’s Hospital, for shoppers and tourists.

Open all day, every day and with high quality finishes throughout, B4’s aim is to deliver a customer focussed and hassle-free parking experience. With 752-spaces spread across six levels of meticulously clean floors, B4 aims to be a ‘hotel for cars’.

B4 staff a customer-facing team who engage with drivers and the public in a positive and professional fashion. The core responsibilities of the team are to oversee and manage the various

DENIZ HUSEYIN

Parking Team of the Year Brent Council and Serco

The jubilant Brent Council and Serco teams

Brent Council in London has worked with contractor Serco for over a decade. In December 2017, the council awarded Serco a contract extension that runs until March 2023, extending what is a successful and collaborative working relationship.

Serco provides civil enforcement officers, CCTV enforcement, pay & display machines, cashless parking and vehicle removals.

The range of services and activities is constantly evolving.

Following feedback from residents, Brent and Serco recently commenced weekend night-time parking enforcement at key locations to tackle illegally and dangerously parked vehicles, providing a safer and more orderly environment for residents and motorists.

Serco has also been working closely with Brent to tackle Blue Badge misuse across the borough. The council and Serco alss work closely with Wembley Park to manage parking arrangements in around the National Stadium and Wembley Arena.

Brent Council and Serco both strongly believe that no person should be subjected to violence, aggression or abuse in the workplace. Serco launched its Respect and Protect campaign in Brent.

Developed and agreed with colleagues, customers, trade unions and the Police, the ‘Charter of Protection’ protects those delivering front line services across its UK business.

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See you next year at the…

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BRITISH PARKING AWARDS

MATTHEW WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY

Engaging people

NEPP‘s Jason Butcher, Richard Walker, Emma Day and Cllr Robert Mitchell with Dave Herbert from sponsor ZatPark and Dr Xand

The Communication Award North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP) The North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP) was formed in 2011 to run parking in a fair, consistent and efficient manner. It has seven partners – Braintree Council, Colchester Council, Epping Forest Council, Harlow Council, Tendring Council, Uttlesford Council and Essex County Council.

NEPP has been an advocate of the Positive Parking Agenda,

which challenges misconceptions about the sector. To do this the partnership makes extensive use of communication channels Alongside its website (www.parkingpartnership.org/north), NEPP makes use of Twitter and LinkedIn, and has created a blog by imaginary patrol officer, ‘Anna Tendant’, as a way to give the organisation a human voice.

NEPP has also created a series of videos outlining: the work of organisation; the Positive Parking Agenda; the 3PR school streets scheme; how MiPermit works; and what to do if you receive a penalty charge notice.

A treasury of tweets

The Twitter hashtag #britishparkingawards enabled attendees at the awards to connect with colleagues, friends and family during the ceremony

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MATTHEW WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY

BRITISH PARKING AWARDS

Dr Xand van Tulleken and Mark Moran

Excellent performance Parking Legend Award Mark Moran

British Parking Awards 2020 jury The 120 entries to the British Parking Awards 2020 were assessed by a

The British Parking Awards ceremony ended with two surprises.

Presenter Dr Xand van Tulleken, who has been an enthusiastic Twitter follower of the awards for almost a decade, was presented with his very own trophy. The prize was also a recognition of his excellent reportage on the effects of air pollution on public health for cleaner air schemes in towns and city centres.

The final twist of the day was for Mark Moran, editor of Parking Review, who was actually running the competition and ceremony. The jury decided to honour the editor for his three decades of promoting best practice in the parking sector.

Presenting the award, jury member Anjna Patel MBE said: “Mark needs to be recognised as an individual who has actively supported and provided a platform for women in parking and, therefore, as a ‘Parking Legend’ to us women. Mark also needs to be recognised for making the awards a growing success for our parking family.”

jury drawn from across the parking, transport and automotive sectors.

Chair and organiser: Mark Moran, editor, Parking Review Jo Abbott, RAC Foundation Jason Benjamin, independent consultant Harry Clarke, director, Arlander Charles Clowes, director, Eversure Charging Jim Daniels, retired parking manager John Elliott, vice chair, transport committee, Local Government Technical Advisers Group (TAG) Paul Gallagher, consultant, JLL Automotive Andy Graham, director, White Willow Consulting Phil Grant, principal, Professionals in Parking Nick Lester-Davis, director, Nick Lester-Davis Consulting John McArdle, president, BPA Chris Naylor, membership and operations manager, IPC Paul Necus, independent consultant Angela O’Shea, independent consultant Anjna Patel MBE, parking professional Andrew Potter, director, Parking Perspectives Manny Rasores de Toro, principal, MR Parking Consultancy Kelvin Reynolds, director of policy & public affairs, BPA Richard Talbot, director, The Railway Consultancy Susan Taylor, director, Susan Taylor Consultancy

Anjna Patel MBE speaks as Mark Moran wonders why there is one trophy left!

60 | APRIL 2020 | PARKING REVIEW

Keith Williams, associate director, Parking Matters Plus the kind services of the BPA Safer Parking Scheme managers

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