1,600 DISABLED BAY ABUSERS SNARED

Council rakes in £41,000 from motor menaces

Motorists have been fined more than 1,600 times for abusing disabled parking spaces in Sunderland over the past three years.

Between 2015/16 and 2017/18, hundreds of motorists wrongly parked in spaces designed to help disabled people access shops and venues.

A Freedom of Information Request submitted to Sunderland City Council has revealed 1,608 Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) were issued over the period.

The fines – which covered drivers parking in disabled bays for any reason – helped the council rake in £41,447 in payments.

Over the same period, 341 fines were given out for drivers parking off-street without displaying a disabled parking permit – bringing in an additional £6,063.

The standard PCN charge is £50 to £70 depending on the offence and can be issued by civil enforcement officers or through CCTV vehicles.

Offences range from parking at bus stops or double yellow lines to stopping in restricted areas such as school ‘keep clear’ markings.

Between 2015/16 and 2017/18, 51,519 PCNs were given with an income of around £1.4 million for the city council.

Cabinet member for Environment and Transport, Coun Amy Wilson, said the council’s parking strategy and services aim to improve road safety, reduce congestion and “promote economic activity”.

“Parking enforcement is part of this strategy and The Highway Code also sets down a series of obligations for motorists when it comes to parking,” she said.

“The council keeps its parking policies and enforcement under continual review.

“In recent years, the council has increased its enforcement resources, stepped up the enforcement of Blue Badge misuse and enforcement outside of weekday business hours.”

The cabinet member added surplus from PCNs are invested back into the service with work this year including:

Improved visitor and pedestrian access to St Mary’s car park, with the introduction of an automatic door system on the walkway and an upgrade of the lifts in the car park.

Upgrades at Sunniside and St Mary’s car parks to improve customer service with new entry and exit terminals, new pay stations, and new credit/debit card facilities.

Resurfacing and relining of Gorse Road car park and relining in other locations.