Upfront Shaping the future Andrew Pester explains how the BPA is continuing to be at the heart of the issues that matter, helped by a conference or two It was good to catch up with colleagues and friends at last months Parking Scotland Expo a great opportunity to gain the latest insights and hear about the challenges facing the Scottish parking sector. Transport Scotland gave an excellent analysis of the latest developments around the emerging Transport (Scotland) Bill. Motorists in Scotland and Northern Ireland are now able to access an independent and free appeals service POPLA when they consider a parking ticket has been unfairly issued. The inclusion of keeper liability within the bill is certainly welcomed and something weve encouraged to support effective parking management. This month, we are preparing for our Annual Conference in London on 17 October. It will be an exceptional day of networking, information and knowledge sharing on the key topics that are relevant to our sector. Our Game changer programme contains a strong line-up of inspiring speakers from organisations including Centrica Mobility Ventures, the Renewable Energy Association, Office for Low Emission Vehicles, the Roads Policing Academic Network and the University of Sussex not to mention our highly anticipated keynote speaker, Hamish Taylor, who is in demand all over the world as a leading expert in innovation projects, customer focus and people leadership. An innovation this year is our advice clinic, allowing you to ask specific questions about key projects and sector issues. Check out the programme on pages 38-40 and book your place via our website. Despite the ongoing political uncertainty around Brexit, our political engagement has never been higher. We were pleased to see the Transport Select Committee publish its recent report setting out what it believes must be done to tackle the problems of dangerous and obstructive pavement parking. We continue to call for effective pavement parking management, allowing people and vehicles to move freely without causing obstruction and disruption to others. We want to see the creation of a clear and consistent UK-wide common standard to enable local authorities to manage and enforce pavement parking restrictions, with the presumption being that dangerous parking is not allowed. We continue to work with Guide Dogs, Living Streets, Disabled Motoring UK and the Local Government Association to raise awareness of this issue and push for a workable solution. Our Association continues to be at the heart of a rapidly developing sector and conversations that will shape it for years to come. We have never been more relevant, and we continue to look forward to making things better and helping to create a safer and less congested world. Despite the ongoing political uncertainty around Brexit, our political engagement has never been higher A fresh approach to notice processing and debt recovery from an award-winning business We engage with your customers to ensure we get results Our team of exceptional advisors all have a firm friendly and helpful approach to collection, and are accredited to WAMITAB Level 3 NVQ 3 Dedicated to being the best in the market for: - Customer satisfaction - Notice processing - Debt collection - Compliance To find out more about our services, call us now on 01932 918090 Or visit www.zzps.co.uk Andrew Pester Chief executive officer of the British Parking Association andrew.p@britishparking.co.uk britishparking.co.uk 3 PN Oct19 pp02-03 Upfront.indd 3 23/09/2019 13:37