Parking tickets drop after fine increase

Nearly 700 fewer band A fixed penalty notices were handed out in the two months following the increase than during the same period last year.

About 2,230 band A notices were issued between 20 July and 20 September 2023, but only 1,530 were handed out during the same period in 2024, after the States amended the law and put up the fine from £40 to £65.

Most band A notices are issued for disc parking offences but also include other misdemeanours such as driving with irregular number plates or inadequate lights.

‘There has been no change to operational directives in this area following the amendment,’ said a police spokesman.

‘The vast majority of notices are issued by the four traffic wardens. Therefore, the total number of notices issued directly relates to the number of traffic wardens available for deployment.’

There has been no material change in the number of traffic wardens, although demands on police resources generally are known to have increased.

Between the same periods in 2023 and 2024, there was a smaller reduction in the number of band B fixed penalty notices issued, from 253 to 231, after the fine was increased from £70 to £95.

Band B offences include excessive noise from a vehicle, failing to produce a driving licence and poorly maintained tyres.

There was an increase in the number of band C notices issued – from five to 12 – for which the fine has been increased from £100 to £125, for offences which include failing to wear a seat belt, driving while holding a mobile phone and poorly maintained brakes.

There is still a £10 discount on all fixed penalty notices if the fine is paid within seven days.

Despite a sharp decline in the total number of fixed penalty notices issued in the two months after the fines were increased, the amount of money taken in by the States may have gone up.

‘Not all payments will have been made at the time, as some fixed penalty notices may be in the process of being disputed and may not result in a fine,’ said the police spokesman.

‘Data around the number of early payments is also not easily accessible, so it is not possible to say with specific accuracy.

‘The maximum additional revenue generated during this period is £44,425, but this does not account for early payments or successfully disputed fines, so the real terms amount will be smaller than this.’

The number of band A and band B fixed penalty notices also decreased between the same periods in 2022 and 2023. But the drop in band A offences was much smaller – from 2,490 in 2022 to 2,228 in 2023.

The police spokesman said the recent increases, the first since 2012, were broadly in line with inflation and justified to promote road safety and manage parking spaces fairly and discourage poor standards of behaviour.

‘Since they were introduced, fixed penalty notices have proved to be an effective and efficient system for the enforcement of the law, where lower-level matters can be diverted from the far more expensive and time-consuming criminal justice process,’ he said.

‘It provides offenders with an opportunity to pay a fixed sum to avoid a court appearance and a conviction record.’

Persistent offenders and cases with aggravating circumstances can still be reported for a court summons.