The UK government plans to roll out major changes to parking by scrapping the need to have multiple parking apps. With the National Parking Platform (NPP), you’ll be able to use any parking app regardless of which app the car park uses.
After a successful trial in 10 local authorities across the UK, the NPP is ready to be rolled out nationwide. The government aims to end the ‘hassle’ of parking apps and hopes this approach will simplify an overcomplicated system.
The ‘one app fits all’ approach
The British Parking Association (BPA) “will be onboarding more local authorities (to the NPP) imminently”. Which means we could start to see the changes soon.
For UK drivers to feel the full benefit, it would need to be rolled out across the whole of the UK to meet the government’s ‘one app fits all’ solution.
RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said: “Paying to park a car should be one of the simplest things any driver does, but things have got much more complicated in recent years.
“If the arrival of a National Parking Platform removes that hassle, it’s definitely a welcome move,” he added.
There’s also hope that parking prices could become more competitively priced. A spokesman from the BPA said: “If anything, we think this will drive increased competition between providers. We do not anticipate any increase in parking fees.”
Investment in infrastructure
As a part of the government’s Plan for Change, they’ve been investing in British roads to try and improve driving conditions and save people money.
The government has pledged £1.6 billion to fix the ‘pothole plague’ facing UK motorways and introduced a new system to make sure fixing targets are met.
And the NPP follows other parking changes brought in by the government – such as ending ‘five minute parking fines’ to stop unfair enforcement from private companies.
Parking tickets in the headlines – Zoe Bread
Parking tickets have been well-publicised recently thanks to the battle of TikTokker Zoe Bread and Manchester City Council.
Zoe received a parking fine after confusing signage meant she bought a ticket at the wrong machine. A ‘Pay At Machine’ sign pointed to both council-run and private machines.
After her appeal was rejected, Zoe took her battle to TikTok to prevent more drivers being wrongly fined. A Freedom of Information request revealed an increase in parking tickets issued after the private car park opened in the same area.
After the videos gained traction and attracted the attention of local counsellors, Manchester City Council backed down and have agreed to take action.
Council leader Bev Craig said: “We’re going to address this as soon as possible with new signs, by relocating the meter and by asking the owners of the nearby private car park to take down their signs which have contributed to confusion.
“As a goodwill gesture, we will also quash any pending or unpaid tickets relating to Collier Street – including Zoe’s – and review our records of fines for the last 12 months in that location.
“We will refund anyone who said at the time that they believed they had paid for their parking.”
These new NPP changes could potentially help prevent drivers in other areas having similar difficulties.
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