Parking and Traffic Enforcement Consultation, August 2023

In June 2023, London Councils’ Transport and Environment Committee (TEC) agreed that London Councils should undertake a full public consultation on parking and traffic enforcement penalty charges in London.

TEC is responsible for setting parking, bus lane and moving traffic penalty charges on roads controlled by London boroughs. Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) are issued when motorists do not follow parking, bus lane and moving traffic regulations.

A 12 week consultation on penalty charge levels was launched on 31 July 2023 to examine the following:

• Current penalty charge levels for parking, bus lane, and moving traffic contraventions
• Banding areas in London
• Early payment discount rate (currently 50%)
• Non-payment surcharge rate (currently 50%)
• Clamping/Removal/Storage and Disposal fees for parking contraventions and abandoned vehicles

Results will be reported to TEC in December 2023 and will inform the decision regarding the future level of penalty charges.

Why we are carrying out this consultation

• TEC historically reviewed the level of penalty charges every four years. However, following announcements from successive governments not supporting any increase in charges nationally, parking, bus lane and moving traffic penalty charges have not been reviewed since 2010 and many of the charges have not changed since 2007.
• The number of people receiving penalty charges has increased by 50% over the last 12 years and there are concerns that the current penalty levels are not set high enough to act as a deterrent. There are many examples of people choosing to park where they are not allowed to despite knowing they will receive a penalty charge.
• The impact of inflation on penalty charge levels has meant that there has been a reduction in the real value of penalties over time.
• The costs of providing parking and traffic management services have increased significantly since 2011.
• Local government, the Mayor of London and central government share the same aims: to increase active travel, improve road safety, and reduce air pollution and carbon emissions. One of the most effective tools to achieve this and reduce congestion is to effectively manage parking and traffic movement through enforcement to improve the compliance of motorists.
• Many parking, bus lane and moving traffic contraventions are dangerous and have impacts on the safety of other road users, how they travel and how they access public transport services in London.
• Transport for London (TfL) has similar responsibilities to London boroughs for setting charges on their own roads - the Transport for London Route Network (TLRN), or Red Routes. In 2022, TfL increased parking, bus lane and moving traffic penalty charges on the roads they manage from £130 to £160.

Summary of Parking Penalty Charges

There are two penalty notice charge bands in London. Band A and Band B charges depend on where in London the contravention takes place. There are also differential levels of charges, known as higher level and lower level, depending on the type of contravention.

Band A areas were traditionally concentrated in central London and urban town centres. However an increasing number of boroughs now issue Band A penalty charges because they found that Band B penalty charges were too low to prevent poor parking behaviour.

A full summary of penalty charges in London has been shared alongside the consultation to inform respondents in depth about current charges.

You can also read the full list of the Higher Level and Lower Level Contraventions that are subject to enforcement, and the full list of the traffic contravention signs that are subject to civil enforcement.