National news Round-up of stories affecting the profession across the UK Idle no more, say 72% of motorists According to new RAC research, seven in 10 drivers (72 per cent) want to see councils tackle motorists who leave their engines running while parked and 44 per cent of them say officials should tell them to switch off and then fine them if they refuse. Councils already have the power to take action in the form of a 20 fine against drivers who idle their vehicles while parked, although only a few choose to enforce this. Eighty-eight per cent of respondents said that they see drivers parked at the side of a road or street with their engines still running. Most idling vehicles are generally seen parked on the side of the road in towns and cities (30 per cent), and 26 per cent of people have spotted drivers doing this outside schools. Drivers awareness and sensitivity to the issue of engine idling also appears to be health than they were three years ago. RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said: Many of the drivers we questioned would like to see some firm action taken engine idling signs, complete with penalties, must be the next step in making our urban environments better for everyone who lives, drives and works in them. growing significantly. More than half of those surveyed (55 per cent) say they are more concerned about the impact that vehicle emissions have on the environment and public against offenders. While the law is already in place for idling, enforcement is limited, if not non-existent. The presence of enforcement officers and no At the end of June, the government announced that it intends to launch a public consultation looking at increasing fines for idling drivers: see bit.ly/anti-idle 120k funding for road safety projects Local authorities, community groups and charities can apply for a new grant aimed at improving road safety. Road Safety Trust, a charity dedicated to making the UKs roads the safest in the world, has launched its Small Grants Funding Programme. The total value of the fund is 120k, with each project to be awarded between 10k and 30k. Projects should have a practical purpose with the aim of trialling or testing ways to improve road safety. The Small Grants Programme will be open for applications until 20 December. For more information, visit roadsafetytrust.org.uk Traffic + Parking conference The Traffic + Parking conference will take place on Wednesday 4 December at Manchester Conference Centre. BPA members will present an update on the TRO Discovery Project, a BPA collaboration with GeoPlace, Ordnance Survey and the Department for Transport. Find out more and book your place at bit.ly/2BiZeqN Drivers denied right to challenge in Cherwell Motorists using car parks run by Cherwell District Council contractor APCOA may have been denied their rights to challenge tickets through the courts, a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) investigation has found. The issue was uncovered after a woman complained about the way APCOA had handled her complaint. She had parked in a council car park, run by APCOA. The ticket machine was broken, and she tried to pay by phone. However, the number would not take calls from her withheld number so she was unable to pay. She received a fine, and challenged it, unsuccessfully. She tried to pay 40 online, but APCOA collected 80. When she complained to the council, she was wrongly told it had no jurisdiction over the car park. Returning to APCOA, her complaint was treated as an appeal and rejected. The Ombudsmans probe found APCOA at fault for trying to enforce parking charges without giving reasonable means to pay. It also ruled the firm had charged too much for the ticket, and criticised the way it dealt with the womans complaint. The Ombudsman also found APCOA was using the wrong process for enforcing the penalty, denying motorists the right to challenge it in court. Although the woman was not affected by this, it could affect others using car parks in this area. Michael King, local government and social care ombudsman, said: Councils can contract out services, but they cannot contract out responsibility for those services. If we find fault with a councils contractor, it is the councils responsibility to ensure things are put right. On balance, it appears APCOA was not complying with the law when it enforced the charge notice. This may have widereaching consequences for others using car parks in its area. I welcome the steps the council is now taking to improve its services and the way it works with APCOA to address the issues weve raised. Dave Smith, BPA head of public affairs and communications, said: When motorists are expected to pay for their parking, it should be simple, convenient and easy for them to do so. 8 britishparking.co.uk PN Nov19 pp08-09 News.indd 8 24/10/2019 12:14