London councils net close to £8.5m in pavement parking fines
Pavement parking is against the law in London
In the 12 months leading up to November 2023, 32 London councils generated £8,442,086 from Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) issued to drivers who were parked on the pavement.
Almost 170,000 PCNs issued
A Freedom of Information (FoI) request by Autocar found that of the 167,066 PCNs issued across London only 111,495 have been paid, leaving nearly a third outstanding.
In London, you can be fined anywhere from £50 to £150 for parking on the pavement.
Newham hit with the most fines
The borough of Newham issued 21,000 PCNs over the course of 12 months, 45% of which have yet to be paid. Despite that, Newham council still earned £936,391 in parking fines.
The law also bans drivers from parking on footways, footpaths, in front of dropped kerbs and raised carriageways, which could account for the high number of fines issued over the last 12 months.
In London, it’s the law that the money gathered from parking fines is put back into the mayor’s transport strategy. This was introduced in 2018 as a way to help improve public transport and the jobs and homes of London residents.
Therefore, the money will be invested in off-street parking, public transport services and highway maintenance.
Why do people get fined for parking on the pavement?
Parking contravention code 62 (rule 244 in the Highway Code) prohibits vehicles from being parked with one or more wheels on the pavement.
Earlier this year, Scotland introduced a new law banning pavement parking which saw drivers fined £100 if they were found to be disregarding the new rule.
Autocar editor Mark Tisshaw said: “Scotland is following London’s lead by clamping down on pavement parking, which can have serious consequences for pedestrians – especially those with reduced mobility.”
If you’d like to know more, check out our blog on the new pavement parking rules.
