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British motorists can expect a major change in private parking rules in a bid to combat unfair parking fines after legal action was launched against a driver for taking more than five minutes to pay for using a car park.
The new rules, which could be implemented in the next month or two, would allow drivers more time to pay for their parking space.
Two industry bodies representing the private parking sector, The British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC) have established a panel review the UK’s private parking Sector Single Code of Practice, in particular its five minute payment rule.
The controversial rule gives drivers only five minutes between arriving in the car park and paying for their space before they are hit with penalty charges.
In November last year, the BBC reported that professional bodybuilder and makeup artist Rosey Hudson was taken to court by Excel Parking for almost £2,000 for repeatedly taking more than five minutes to park.
The car parking operator dropped their case against the Derby resident in December 2024.
Alterations to the five minute rule could come as early at the start of February, according to Will Hurley, chief executive of the IPC.
He said: “The creation of the Panel shows the commitment the industry has to improving the reputation of our sector. We must not forget the valuable service we provide to ensure the vast majority of people can park when and where they need to.”
The panel will review the UK’s private parking Sector Single Code of Practice in order to protect motorists who struggle to pay promptly on entry.
It emerged in November that drivers in Britain are being hit by an average of more than 41,000 parking tickets a day by private companies.
Some 3.8 million tickets were handed out between July and September 2024, according to analysis of Government data by the PA news agency and motoring research charity the RAC Foundation.
Each ticket can be up to £100, meaning the total cost to drivers may be near £4.1 million per day.
RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said: “The fact that the private parking industry is already having to review its own code, just months after it was introduced, shows it’s not working in drivers’ interests.
“This is yet another reason why the launch of the long-overdue official Private Parking Code of Practice, that became law five years ago, is very much needed.
“We fear that without this, drivers who use private car parks will continue to be worse off.”
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