10 Minute Grace Period on Public Roads |
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Ryan Jackson
8 May 2015
10 minutes can make a lot of difference, save a lot of time, a lot of money, and a lot of headaches. Communities Minister Eric Pickle has helped to implement a grace period of 10 minutes to be permitted on public parking spaces as a part of the government's Deregulation Bill.
The Bill is set to make several beneficial changes which includes a 10 minute grace period, which for many drivers is a welcome change. Most public spaces allow a limited grace period as well as some private parking spaces (which typically lasts for five minutes) and it's an encouraging change which emphasises the industry's commitment to providing a user-friendly service to the public.
Leniency in these instances makes a huge difference for customers who may not be able to get back to their parking spot on time and pay fines. The universal measure will offer people greater peace of mind when trying to get back to their cars on time.The prosCertainly, it is reflective of the fact that while parking spaces are engineered to profit companies, governments, and other organisations, they are ultimately there to provide a service for the public.
The notion that someone should be penalised for the sake of a few minutes is not only unnecessarily harsh, but unproductive. Should someone choose to contest a parking fine, then court costs and time are required to come out of local resources. High streets shops also benefit from grace periods, particularly during busy seasons. For many of these reasons, it is more economical to allow for grace periods which save time and money, and most importantly, result in happier customers.
A few other changes which are welcomed by local authorities is the implementation of new technology which can effectively monitor car parks as well. Not only will this ensure greater accuracy, but provide an extra security measure for drivers - yet another improvement to an increasingly evolving infrastructure which is here to serve the public in the best way possible.
Caroline Sheppard, chief Adjudicator at the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, said: 'The new grace period applies in limited circumstances and not to parking on yellow lines. It does not allow a driver to park for an extra ten minutes, it just means the council will not issue a Penalty Charge Notice until ten minutes have passed since the parking time paid for has elapsed. 'Motorists should note that these rules only apply to penalties issued after 6th April and appeals cannot be made on the basis of the 10 minute grace period for penalties issued before this time.'