Decriminalised Parking Enforcement in Wrexham County Borough Peter Lowe RTA Associates Ltd. 31 st January 2008

The Impact of DPE in Wrexham CBC u Background to decriminalised parking enforcement u Functions retained in-house u Enforcement/ Notice Processing u Experience from elsewhere

Local Authority Parking Enforcement u Road Traffic Act 1991 u Traffic Management Act u Police handover of responsibility for non-endorsable offences u Special Parking Area u On and off-street integration u County Court for debt collection u Independent adjudication system u Ring fenced account for on and off-street u Clamping and removals

The Benefits u The Council decides the enforcement required and applied u New traffic schemes can be introduced and enforced u Better traffic management u Improved environmental conditions u Provides encouragement to use car parks u A single enforcement regime u Self financing – no public long term costs u A simpler perception for the public u Police resources freed up

Government Transport Policy u Restrain growth in traffic volumes u Increase costs of use of vehicles above inflation u Increase cost of accessing the urban centre by car u Discourage commuting by car u Bus Lanes, moving contraventions

National Progress on Decriminalised Parking u All of London has decriminalised (33) u 197+ authorities outside of London have taken on the powers u 4 in north wales. u The Adjudication Service is up and working u Many other authorities are planning to take on the powers

The steps to Highway Authority Enforcement u Agreement with the Police u DfT Application & formal consultation u Financial assessment and provision u Review of the traffic regulation orders u Information Technology strategy u Public Relations strategy u Staffing and accommodation review u Training and procedures

Financial modelling u Comprehensive models of all aspects of DPE u County wide u TRO based

Financial Details u 6,600 PCNs per year, at 67% paid rate. u Annual surplus predicted.

Conclusions on DPE u Decriminalisation is a traffic management opportunity u Better enforcement of parked vehicles u Traffic regulations will have a greater significance u It helps to provide a better environment u It prepares the way for continued growth in traffic demand u It provides vital support to Wrexham transportation strategies u It can be self-financing u IT IS NOT AS SEEN ON TV