Drivers have been warned they could be hit with hefty penalties for breaking new traffic rules in place across a popular seaside region.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council has started trialling higher parking charges near busy seafront areas in a bid to deter rulebreakers.
The higher parking fines, which began this month, will last until August 31 and will see drivers pay 128 per cent more in penalties for poor parking.
The measures come in response to reports of roughly 4,000 vehicles being caught breaking road rules near some seafront areas, from Sandbanks to Southbourne.
BOURNEMOUTH, CHRISTCHURCH AND POOLE COUNCIL
|The council will run the trial until 31 August before deciding to bring in it permanently
The changes now see Penalty Charge Notices increase from £70 to £160 for higher tariff fines and to £110 for lower tariff offences from the previous £50. However, the council did note that penalties can be reduced by half if paid within 14 days.
The council has defined higher tariff offences as when someone parks where they are not allowed to, for example, on double yellow lines.
Lower tariff offences include parking in a legal place but overstaying the allocated time frame or parking outside of the marked bays
Other traffic fines which will increase during the trial include changes to impounded vehicles, with drivers now having to pay £100 to release their vehicle from a wheel clamp, up from £50.
BOURNEMOUTH, CHRISTCHURCH AND POOLE COUNCIL
|Drivers will face sharp increases in penalties during the trial period
Drivers will also have to pay £280 for release from the car pound, up from £105, while storage fees for vehicles seized will increase from £12 per day to a whopping £55, with disposal fees rising from £50 to £100.
Councillor Richard Herrett said: "For too long, illegal and dangerous parking along our seafront roads has put lives at risk, obstructed emergency and resident access, and undermined the safety and enjoyment of our coastal spaces."
He warned that the parking measures are "not just a matter of inconvenience" but a "public safety issue we can no longer ignore".
The Liberal Democrat councillor, who represents Wallisdown & Winton West, explained that the trial is about seeing if tougher penalties will have an impact and "stop people from parking irresponsibly along our seafront".
Herrett detailed how the trail aims to make the area safer and easier to access for everyone and to help ensure drivers follow the rules.
The trial follows approval by the Department for Transport, which granted the council permission to increase the penalty fee on a trial basis.
It also aims to measure whether higher penalties will deter illegal, dangerous or inconsiderate parking in busy seafront areas during the popular summer months.
Herrett added: "It is also important that we get everyone’s feedback on the trial, so I urge everyone - residents, visitors and businesses - to fill in the short form on our website to let us know what you think."
BOURNEMOUTH, CHRISTCHURCH AND POOLE COUNCIL |
The council has begun its higher parking charges trial this month
Posting on social media, the council shared: "Motorists who park illegally near the seafront face significantly higher fines throughout August as part of a trial to make our coast safer and more accessible for everyone.
"Hundreds of you have asked us to take tougher action against those who choose to park illegally - and the Government has now recognised the scale of the challenge we face and is letting us do more to tackle this problem."
The authority explained that the region currently has enough parking spaces within a short walk of the beaches, with drivers urged to park legally to avoid risking a fine.
Drivers have had mixed views about the parking fines, with one person warning that parking "is already expensive" in the region, with the measures "penalising the local public".