Motorists fined nearly £50,000 in a week (From The Argus)

Motorists fined nearly £50,000 in a week

11:06am Friday 28th September 2007 in News By Katya Mira

Motorists have been charged nearly £50,000 in the first working week of a decriminalised parking scheme.

A zero-tolerance crackdown was introduced in and around Worthing on September 10 when NCP services took over control of parking from the police.

The firm, employed by Worthing Borough Council, gave the town a seven-day trial period when they issued warnings with no charge. Over the next week, they handed out 831 fines of £60 each - a fee reduced to £30 if paid within two weeks.

If the rate continues at the same pace, parking penalties could generate an income of £2.5 million a year.

Council officials say the new parking measures had been welcomed by most people because they lead to better traffic flow and free more spaces in the town.

But critics call the new system a "cash cow" which is more about making money than improving roads.

A spokesman from NCP said it is normal for the number of parking fines to be high in the first couple of weeks of a new scheme, but expected it would decrease as motorists got used to it.

Cliff Harrison, from the council's parking department, said: "It is difficult to say which way it will go over the next few months.

"There should be some people who realise the greater enforcement and see that parking illegally is riskier than it was which will lead to a reduction in the number of tickets being issued.

"At the same time attendants could become more efficient as they get to know their job better and know the areas which cause particular problems. This could lead to an increase in tickets because they catch more people.

"We will have to see how it pans out."

Liberal Democrat councillor Bob Smytherman said he had called for an in-depth review of the scheme when it was first brought up in the spring but was told there wasn't time to have one.

He said: "It is a huge amount of money and it seems exactly what we feared would happen has.

"It is ridiculous and heavy-handed and seems to be all about raising money.

"We are all going to need to park outside a shop so we can pop in to buy a pint of milk at some point.

"As long as we are not causing an obstruction why should we be confronted with a £60 fine on our window when we come out?"

The new service employs 21 attendants rather than the previous 12 traffic wardens and enforces parking restrictions over a larger area and longer hours.

NCP will receive a monthly payment from the borough council, with bonuses for efficiency but not the number of tickets issued. Any surplus cash will be given to West Sussex County Council to be re-invested into highways and transport needs for the Worthing area.

Were you given a ticket in the first week? Tell us your experiences below.