sheffield cpe annual report 2009-10 - final

8/8/2019 Sheffield CPE Annual Report 2009-10 - Final

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CivilPark

ing

Enforceme

nt

April2

009-M

arch2010

ANNUAL

REPORT


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2

Contents

Item Page

Introduction by Councillor Ian Auckland 3

Overview & Policy Objectives 5

Parking Provision in Sheffield 6

Our Services 8

Challenges, Representations & Appeals 11

Changes During 2009-10 12

Future Developments / Initiatives 13

Policy and Performance Appraisals 14

Service Delivery Targets 20

Statistics 22

Financial Information 30

Glossary of Terms 32

Parking Services Staff Structure 34


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3

Introduction

by COUNCILLOR IAN AUCKLAND,Cabinet Member, Sustainable Transport and Streetscene

Thank you for taking the time to read this

Annual Report. This is the second annual

report which we have published, in

accordance with the requirements of the

Traffic Management Act 2004. We welcome

the opportunity to inform you how Sheffield

City Council delivers its parking and bus

lane enforcement and associated services

and to place the service in context with our

other road network management duties and

policies.

My key concern is to ensure that the road

network operates at maximum effectiveness,

balances conflicting demands, is fair to law

abiding and observant road users, and is

considerate of any individual circumstances

put forward in mitigation of offences.

We understand that different groups across

the city will have different parking needs.Our aim is to balance these needs, to make

sure that the system is fair for all. Whilst

parking restrictions are rarely popular with

motorists, without them there would be

significantly higher levels of congestion and

even gridlock. In Sheffield, many of our

streets and properties were built well before

the level of vehicle ownership reached

todays levels.

Residents, businesses, commuters, peoplewith disabilities, shoppers, students and

visitors are just some of the groups who

have differing needs for parking and travel.

Traffic and parking management are the

ways that the council makes sure that

available parking areas can be shared in a

fair and transparent way. They are not

revenue raising tools, no targets are set,

and any surplus income is invested in traffic

management improvements.

The implementation of the Traffic

Management Act 2004 (Part 6) on 31 March

2008, gave local authorities an opportunity

to review their parking enforcement

operations. Sheffield City Council welcomed

this opportunity.

The main priority of the DfT guidance was to

ensure that the enforcement of parking

restrictions is transparent, consistent andfair. Sheffield City Council has worked hard

to make sure that its enforcement meets

these three criteria and that it is

proportionate to the circumstances.

The Council tries to be aware that

sometimes there are genuine extenuating

circumstances which result in the issue of a

Penalty Charge Notice (PCN), and the driver

may have done their best to comply with the

restrictions, or have another good cause toput forward.

We recognise that we have an express duty

to consider compelling circumstances and

to exercise discretion in an appropriate way.

In January 2010, the Councils Cabinet

approved a revised Parking and Bus Lane

Enforcement Policy which recognises our

obIigation to take into account compelling

circumstances when dealing with

representations from motorists. In mydealings with Parking Services, over the

past two years, I have seen clear evidence

that when considering challenges and

representations from the motoring public,

they do allow for circumstances where

drivers have not complied with regulations,

due to events outside their control. Our Civil

Enforcement Officers are also briefed to

take account of guidance which may be

found in adjudicator rulings.


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4

The vast majority of motorists park legally

and sensibly. Some drivers who receive

PCNs may not have intended to park

illegally and on occasions they may have

misunderstood the nature of the restrictions.

However, motorists do have a responsibility

to take note of restriction signs and to

comply with them. A few seconds taken tocheck the signs and lines before leaving the

vehicle will, in most cases, avoid the issue of

a PCN.

Equally we have a responsibility to make

sure that any restrictions are clearly

signposted, and to consider where lessons

could be drawn from the number of

offences committed.

May I add a plea to all road users to be

aware of the meaning of the various signs,

lines and road markings by checking with

the latest version of the Highway Code.

This is available from bookshops but it is

also possible to download details of Signs

Giving Orders and Information Signs &

Road Markings from the Direct Gov website

using the link below.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTrans

port/Highwaycode/Signsandmarkings/index

.htm

Unfortunately, in every town and city, there is

often a small hardcore of motorists who pay

no attention to restrictions and who park

illegally because it is convenient for them,

and they do not consider the inconvenience

to others. This is unacceptable because

irresponsible parking can quickly cause

traffic congestion and pollution. It

significantly increases the number ofaccidents and it is unfair on the majority of

motorists who take care to park correctly

and legally. Motorists who act in this way

can expect any PCNs

issued to their vehicles

to be fully enforced.

The following documents

provide helpful

information relating to

parking and how theenforcement and

appeals processes work.

The British Parking Association in

partnership with the Consumers

Association magazine Which? has

published a Guide To Parking.

P.A.T.R.O.L. (Parking And

Traffic Regulations Outside

London) has published a

guide to the enforcement ofPenalty Charge Notices and

the associated appeals

procedures.

The Council has a prepared

a Parking Enforcement

Policy document which

gives guidance on how

challenges and

representations will be

dealt with.

All the above publications are

available from the Councils

Parking Services office, or via

the respective organisations

website. Contact details and website

addresses are shown below. These

publications and the appeal process have

been made available specifically to make

the procedures relating to parking

enforcement clear to the motorist.

I hope that you will find this information

helpful and that it demonstrates the

determination of Sheffield City Council to

enforce parking restrictions in a fair,

transparent and consistent manner which is

also proportionate, whilst using discretion

where it is appropriate.

Website details

www.sheffield.gov.uk/parking

www.britishparking.co.uk

http://www.patrol-uk.info/downloads/

Process_Map.pdf

Sheffield City Council, ParkingServices, postal address:

P.O. Box 3830,

Sheffield

S1 9AQ


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5

Overview andPolicy Objectives

A limited number of hard copies of this

document will be available in the First Point

offices across the city, as well as being sent

to our stakeholders. However, the Parking

Annual Report has principally been

designed as an online document, in the

interests of the environment and to provide

convenient links to other resources and

information.

Our parking facilities are used every day by

thousands of people coming to Sheffield to

shop, study, work, or visit the city. Parking

controls in Sheffield are essential to keep

traffic moving safely and to provide access

for residents and visitors. Balancing the

needs of residents, visitors, disabled people

and business is key to the continued

economic growth and success of the city.

The availability of car parking is one of themain factors in determining whether people

choose to travel by car. To reduce peak hour

congestion, the amount of long-stay car

parking needs to be controlled.

Our current parking policies (delivered as a

highway and planning authority) are aimed

at reducing the amount of longer stay

parking both within and around the city

centre, with complementary park and ride

sites linking into the city centre along keyQuality Bus Corridors being proposed

wherever possible.

Pricing policy is also specifically geared to

short-stay parking, meeting the needs of

visitors rather than commuters. Maximum

length of stay restrictions are generally

structured to promote short-term parking

and high turnover of spaces in the city

centre, but a degree of long-term parking is

permitted in the outer areas and in somecar parks to meet the needs of different

motorists, such as commuters.

The Council follows strict guidelines and

procedures laid down by the Government

when removing abandoned vehicles. All

vehicles that the Council considers to be

abandoned are removed to a compound. If

the vehicle carries a GB number plate the

Council sends a written Notice to the owner

(using details obtained from the Driver and

Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) database)

informing them that their vehicle has been

removed and is being held in our custody. If

the owner wishes to reclaim the vehicle they

need to do so within 7 days of the date on

the Notice or the vehicle is disposed of. To

reclaim their vehicle, owners must satisfy the

Council of ownership and pay costs for its

removal and storage.

The Council cannot consider vehicles to be

abandoned solely on the grounds of themnot displaying a valid tax disc. Issues

relating to untaxed vehicles are dealt with

by DVLA.


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6

Managing Supply And Demand

Parking space both on and off street is

limited. The growth of vehicle ownership

over the last 10 years in particular has

resulted in increased demand for parking.

This means that we have to manage the

competing demands of all drivers who live

or work in the city and those who visit. This

may involve allocating parking spaces forspecific groups of people, such as disabled

drivers and residents or short term parking,

where the need arises.

Parking provision is regularly reviewed and

the views of residents, businesses and

other stakeholders are taken into account.

These views together with the Councils

parking and environmental policies are

considered when decisions are made

regarding parking restrictions.

We may consider making changes to:-

Controlled hours of parking

Maximum-stay periods

Type of use for individual parking bays

Charges tariffs

Criteria for permit parking zones

Environmental Considerations

In line with our commitment to protecting the

environment, we are actively working to

reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Vehicles

in emission categories A and B are offered

free Residents Parking Permits and we also

operate a Green Parking Scheme which

gives free parking in the city centre for LPG

and hybrid vehicles. Further details can befound on the Councils website or obtained

from Parking Services.

We have also introduced a number of Car

Club bays. Car Clubs provide quick and

easy access to short term hire and offer an

alternative to owning a vehicle. The aim is to

reduce individual car use, traffic congestion

and pollution. For more information about

using Car Club vehicles please visit

www.citycarclub.co.uk

Bus Lane enforcement is contributing to

sustainable transport objectives by

improving reliability and reducing journey

times. This makes bus and tram travel a

more attractive travel choice and contributes

to reducing the citys carbon footprint.

Parking Provision in Sheffield


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City Centre

The Council operates only a minority of the

Off-Street car parks within the city centre,

with most of the car parks operated by

private sector companies such as NCP, Q-

Park, Euro and Britannia. There are a total of

over 7,500 off-street parking spaces in the

city centre, and approximately 1400 on-

street parking spaces.

Details of all the car parks in the city centre

are shown on the Councils website

www.sheffield.gov.uk/roadsandtransport/

parking

The table on page 8 shows a list of car

parks in the city centre, together with the

number of spaces and the operator details,

where this information is known.

The Council car parks are all Pay &

Display and are patrolled by Council CivilEnforcement Officers. There are other car

parks in the city which are operated by

private sector companies. Some of these

are pay & display whilst others operate on

pay on foot systems where payment is

made upon return to the car park.

Outside the City Centre

Outside the city centre, there are a number

of small car parks which are classed as

amenity car parks. In general, charges are

not made for parking in these car parks

unless they fall within one of the permit

parking zones in the peripheral areas

surrounding the city centre (see below).

Permit Parking Zones (PPZs) have beenimplemented in some areas which are just

outside the city centre in order to manage

the various demands from residents,

shoppers, businesses and commuters. A

range of different parking spaces are

provided in these areas in order to manage

demand. (Permit Holders, Pay & Display,

Loading Bays, Disabled Badge Bays).

PPZs are now in place in the following

areas: Broomhill, Sharrow Vale,Crookesmoor, Broomhall and The Groves,

Meadow Street Area, Highfield and

Hillsborough. Reviews of the Broomhill,

Broomhall and The Groves, Crookesmoor

and Sharrow Vale PPZs have recently been

undertaken. Minor changes have been

implemented in Broomhill and Crookesmoor

and changes to the Sharrow Vale Area are

due to be implemented in the coming year,

with the aim of providing different

restrictions to match the requirements of the

residents and businesses, in the various

areas within this existing zone.


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8

Our Services

Pay & DisplayParking

In the city centre, the

Council operates 21

car parks and

around 1400 on-

street pay & display

spaces. In addition

there are on-street

pay & display

spaces and shared

use spaces (permit

holders / pay &

display) in the Permit

Parking Zones

outside the city

centre. A team of 7

Technical Support

Officers maintainover 500 Pay &

Display machines

across the city.

There are a range of

private sector car

park operators in the

city and the details

are shown in the

table (as far as they

are known).

List of City Centre Car Parksand number of spaces

Car Park Long or Short-Stay

(if specified)

Operator Spaces

Brown Lane Short SCC 26

Carver St Short SCC 58

Carver Lane Short SCC 71Rockingham St Short SCC 82

Charter Row (Atkinsons) NCP 433

Rockingham St Short Britannia 85

John Lewis John Lewis 410

Holly St Euro 20

Charles St Q-Park 500

Silver St Short SCC 7

Bailey Lane Short SCC 24

Science Park Short SCC 39Fitzwilliam St Short SCC 99

Eldon St Short SCC 47

Brook Hill Long SCC 25

Broad Lane Long SCC 27

Rockingham Way MSCP Short SCC 251

Workhouse Lane Long SCC 65

Blonk St MSCP NCP 305

Hartshead Square MSCP NCP 505

Campo Lane MSCP NCP 150

Arundel Gate MSCP NCP 558

Furnival Gate MSCP NCP 327

Sidney St NCP 210

Wellington St NCP 438

Victoria Quays MSCP Independent 335

Matilda St MSCP Euro 90

Midland Station MSCP Q-Park 678

Castle Gate MSCP Q-Park 404Riverside (Millsands) MSCP Q-Park 526

Eyre Street MSCP APCOA 650


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9

Parking Permits

Residents Permits are available for those

people who live within the boundaries of

any of the Permit Parking Zones which

have been established around the city.

There are however some recent

developments which have section 106(Town and Country Planning Act)

agreements as part of their planning

permission, which do not allow residents

of these developments

to qualify for

parking permits.

In general, up

to two permits

per household

are available,

subject to

proof of

residence and

ownership of a

vehicle.

Business Permits are

available where a business

can demonstrate that a vehicle is

required for the operation of the

business. Business permits are not

intended to be used for commutingpurposes only.

Trade Permits in the form of single use

scratch cards are available in books of

25. Traders such as electricians,

plumbers etc may obtain these permits to

enable them to carry on their business

when working in properties situated

within the PPZs.

Carer permits are available for

professional carers or for relatives orfriends of people living in the area for

whom they are acting as a carer.

A Green Parking Permit Scheme has

been introduced for the owners of dual

fuelled vehicles or those powered solely

by electricity or gas. For an initial joining

fee of 10 and annual fee of 10, Green

Permit holders may park in the city centre

car parks and on-street parking spaces

without charge. However, maximum-staytimes do remain applicable.

Blue Badge Scheme

The Council receives around 10,000 blue

badge applications per year and there are

currently 24,000 badges in circulation. The

scheme enables people with mobility

difficulties to park in locations where other

drivers cannot, in order that they can getcloser to their ultimate destination. However,

badge holders need to study the

accompanying leaflet as there are certain

locations where the badge does not allow

them to park.

Parking Enforcement

Sheffield City Council took over

responsibility for parking enforcement

under the provisions of the Road TrafficAct 1991 (as amended) in April 2005.

The Council directly employs the Civil

Enforcement Officers who carry out the

operational enforcement, as well as the staff

who deal with the appeals procedure.

At the time of preparing this report there are

58 Civil Enforcement Officers, 7 Senior Civil

Enforcement Officers and an Operations

Manager.

There are 16 Administration and Processing

Assistants who deal with the permit

applications and all aspects of the

representations and appeals process.

Payment of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs)

can be made by post, by 24 hour

automated telephone system, via the

Councils website or in person at Howden

House on Union Street in the city centre.

Informal challenges or representationsagainst PCNs can be made in writing or by

e-mail or by completing an electronic form

on the Councils website.

The priorities for parking enforcement are

as follows:-

Bus Lanes and bus stops

Peak period waiting and loading (main

roads in and out of the city centre, main

bus routes)

Single / double yellow lines on strategic

routes


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School zig-zags (those with Traffic

Regulation Orders)

Pedestrianised areas waiting / loading

restrictions

Pedestrianised areas, taxi ranks / blue

badge bays

Pay & Display

Permits spaces

Road junctions, where restrictions are in

place

District shopping areas, where

restrictions are in place.

Bus Lane Enforcement

The Council took over responsibility for theenforcement of Bus Lanes in the summer of

2007. This began with the enforcement of

the Middlewood Road and Langsett Road

Bus Gates at Hillsborough. This was then

followed by the introduction of enforcement

of the Bus Gate at The Wicker. In June 2010,

enforcement of Glossop Road Bus Gate

commenced with warning notices for 2

months. Full enforcement, issuing PCNs

commenced in late August. Enforcement ofadditional Bus Lane / Bus Gate restrictions

is planned to be implemented in the future.

Enforcement is carried out by CCTV

cameras and Penalty Charge Notices

(PCNs) are issued by post.

Staffing Structure

The Parking Services staffing structure is

shown on page 37.

All Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) contain

details of how to pay and how to make an

appeal. City Council staff deal with

responding to correspondence at all stages

of the appeals process.

In addition there is information on our

website about the appeals process and also

information regarding the meaning of the

common signs and road markings used todenote parking restrictions.

We want our letters to give clear information

about the processes and our staff are

committed to adopting a fair, transparent

and consistent approach to challenges,

representations and appeals against PCNs.

It is clear that the Parking Services staff are

using appropriate discretion in relation to

compelling circumstances, in accordance

with the adopted Parking EnforcementPolicy, as the rate of cancellation is higher

than last year (see pages 22 to 24).

At times, we have suffered from

correspondence backlogs due to the

fluctuation in levels of correspondence

received. We are committed to resolving this

issue and we are currently in the process of

purchasing a new software system which

will improve our response times

considerably.

Challenges,Representations


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and Appeals

In brief, the stages in the appeals process

are as follows:-

1. Informal Challenge

The driver of the vehicle which has been

issued with a PCN may write to the

Councils Parking Services if he / she

considers that a PCN has been issued

incorrectly or there are compelling

circumstances why it should becancelled. The postal address and e-mail

address are both shown on the reverse of

the PCN. Shortly, the e-mail address will

be replaced by the website address as

we will be introducing a web form which

motorists will be able to complete. This

will be sent directly into our new software

system, which will enable us to respond

more quickly to challenges sent from the

website.Please note that our policy is to respond

to only one informal challenge per PCN,

due to the availability of further stages in

the appeals process.

2. Formal Representation

If payment is not received within 28 days

of the date that a PCN is issued, the

Council will make an enquiry of DVLA to

find out the details of the owner of the

vehicle. A Notice To Owner will then beissued requesting payment of the full

amount of the Penalty Charge Notice.

At this stage the vehicle owner has the

opportunity to make formal

representations to the Council giving

reasons why the PCN has been

incorrectly issued, reasons why the

owner is not liable or compelling reasons

why the PCN should be cancelled.

3. Appeal to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal

In the event that formal representations at

stage 2, above are rejected by the

Council, the owner of the vehicle (or hirer

if the vehicle was on hire when the PCN

was issued), may appeal to the Traffic

Penalty Tribunal. The form to make the

appeal is included with the Councils

rejection letter.

The decision by the Adjudicator at the

Traffic Penalty Tribunal is normally final

and unless there has been an error in the

interpretation of the law, there is no

further avenue for appeal. If an appeal is

allowed, the Adjudicator will inform the

owner and the Council in writing and the

PCN will be cancelled.

If the appeal is dismissed, the vehicle

owner will be informed that the fullPenalty Charge is payable.

The appellant can choose to have a

postal decision, a personal hearing at the

town or city of his / her choice, from the

locations listed on the appeal form, or a

telephone hearing.


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Permit Parking Zones

There have been a number of changes

within the Permit Parking Zones (PPZ)

during 2009-10. The Highfield Area PPZ was

implemented in March 2010 and a small

area of Hillsborough is being implemented

as this report goes to press. A wider area of

Hillsborough is still under consultation and

may progress later in the 2010-11 financialyear if it is generally supported by local

residents and businesses.

Ring-Go pay for parking bymobile phone

In January 2010, our new Ring-Go system

was introduced in the city centre. This

system provides a means of making

payment for parking fees by mobiletelephone. It works by the motorist

registering vehicle details and credit or

debit card details with the provider

company. This can be done by mobile

telephone at the time of paying the first

parking fee, or can be done on-line by

visiting the Ring-Go website.

www.myringgo.com Once registered, a

short telephone call is made to pay for a

parking session at the time of parking. The

traditional pay & display method of payment

is still available, but Ring-Go provides an

additional and more convenient method of

payment for some drivers.

The main benefits are:

No need to have exact coins available forpay & display machines

Helps to avoid parking penalties due to

lost or badly displayed tickets

Helps to avoid parking penalties due to

the expiry of a ticket

(a reminder text can be requested at the

time of the initial payment).

Enforcement Of Glossop Road BusGate

Enforcement of the Glossop Road Bus Gate

began in June 2010, with a two month

period of warning notices. Full enforcement

commenced on 23 August 2010. Early

indications are that the level of

contraventions is fairly low at around 20 per

day. Perhaps this is not surprising as the

restriction has been in place for a number of

years and it only applies for 21/2 hours perday, Monday to Friday.

Changes During 2009-10


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We are currently in the process of ordering

a new software system which will improve

our ability to deal with applications for

parking permits and process challenges,

formal representations and appeals to the

Traffic Penalty Tribunal in respect of Penalty

Charge Notices.

Online ServicesThe new system will enable us to provide an

on-line service for permit applications and

also motorists who have received a Penalty

Charge Notices for parking or bus lane

contraventions will be able to submit

informal challenges or formal

representations by completing an on-line

form. The details from the on-line form will

be sent directly into the new system,

removing the necessity to manually scandocuments.

Improved Response Times

The system will also include a

correspondence module which will improve

the consistency and customer friendly

nature of our responses and reduce the

time taken to process them. We expect that

once the new system is implemented, the

quality and speed of our service response

will show significant improvement.Implementation should be completed before

the end of the current calendar year (2010).

Future Development /Initiatives


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Road Safety

Much activity centres on improved

information and discussions with drivers

about driving safely, focusing on improved

education, training and publicity to highlight

what parts of our highway network are more

likely to suffer from accidents and why in

an attempt to better inform drivers how and

why accidents happen. The currentoutcome is that Sheffield has had one of its

lowest ever totals of killed and seriously

injured over the last year.

Traffic Flow

Sheffield leads on behalf of the South

Yorkshire Local Transport Plan (LTP)

Partnership in contributing towards the

governments national target for tacklingcongestion, and also leads on many

Network Management Plan aspects of the

Traffic Management Act.

The national congestion target is composed

of the ten largest urban areas in England.

To date, South Yorkshire is one of the

strongest performing LTP areas in delivering

improved person journey times across a

range of Key Routes (those main roads

which provide the main arteries to andbetween our four main urban centres),

despite a continued increase in background

traffic flows one of only a few areas where

flows were still increasing in 2008/09.

One further example of this is that tackling

congestion is one of the Councils Core

Priorities and has been adopted as a Local

Area Agreement target. A significantly

increased share of the Councils LTP funds

has been allocated towards congestionmanagement schemes over the last year,

together with delivery of a new central

Traffic Control Centre and Intelligent

Transport information system managed by

our Urban Traffic Control team.

Changing Travel Behaviour

Smarter Travel Choices are now an

established part of our Traffic Management

strategy (e.g. the Intelligent Transport

Systems described above), acknowledgingthe need to provide high quality information

to drivers about how routes are working,

and what alternative choices of travel are

available to people. Workplace Travel Plans

are now proving to be an effective way of

raising awareness about travel choices

specific to individual organisations, and the

Council, Universities, Hospitals and several

other large employers in Sheffield now all

have their own Travel Plans.Meeting our (mandatory) LTP targets, and

our agreed LAA targets for managing

congestion, for reducing public transport

journey times and hence increasing public

transport patronage are all reliant on a

change in overall travel behaviour, given

likely future levels of funding

Air Quality issues

Emissions from traffic form one of the major

components of air pollution and as one of

the impacts of congestion, need to be

seriously considered as part of any

sustainable access strategies particularly

when considering the impact of new

development. Air Quality has slightly

improved in Sheffield over the last year, but

much of the built-up urban area of Sheffield

and Rotherham is still on the threshold of

requiring an Air Quality Management Area

as defined by government standards. The

Policy andPerformance Appraisals


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15

M1 motorway passing between the two

centres further adds to this.

Because of this and new government

guidance for LTP3 regarding Climate

Change, the Council has recently launched

its Carbon Reduction strategy, within which

a significant reduction in the tonnage of

carbon produced by traffic is targetted.

This will require a radical change in ourcollective travel behaviour if our local and

national Air Quality targets and standards

are to be met.

Encouraging Low Emissionvehicles

As detailed above on page 9, a Green

Parking Scheme is in place in the city centre

in order to encourage the use of lowemission vehicles.

With effect from September 2009 the

Council introduced free residents / business

parking permits for vehicles in category A

and B vehicle excise duty bands. These

are vehicles with the lowest level of

emissions.

Consultations permit

applications serviceParking Services consulted applicants for

residents parking permits in order to assess

the level of customer satisfaction with the

application process. The results of the

consultation are shown below.


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Question Responses

1. Did you apply for a new

permit, make a renewal or make an

amendment to an existing permit?

New Permit Renewal Amendment

35.3% 60.0% 4.7%

2. What type of permit did you

apply for?Resident Visitor Business Carer Green

Parking

Scheme

64.5% 21.2% 10.4% 2.0% 2.0%

Very

Satisfied

Satisfied Neither

Satisfied nor

Dissatisfied

Dissatisfied Very

Dissatisfied

3. How satisfied were you with the

information advising how to apply?

36.9% 43.1% 7.5% 8.9% 3.6%

4. How satisfied were you that the

application form was clear and

easy to fill in?

42.8% 41.3% 8.5% 3.2% 4.1%

5. How satisfied were you with

the time it took to receive a permit?

41.3% 34.2% 7.2% 11.3% 6.1%

6. How satisfied were you with

the professionalism and knowledge

of staff to deal with your queries /

application?

37.2% 34.9% 18.2% 7.0% 2.6%

7. Overall, how satisfied were you

with the service you have received?

37.0% 40.7% 8.5% 9.7% 4.0%

8. How would you prefer to applyfor a permit?

Telephone Face To Face Website Post

17.7% 6.1% 49.7% 26.6%

Most popular suggestions for improvement

Process takes too long / delay in sending forms 10.1%

Should be able to do on-line applications and payment 7.5%

Providing copies of documents each time unnecessary / could have no change from previous 4.8%

16


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17

Response To The AboveSuggestions For Improvement

We are currently in the process of

implementing a new parking enforcement

and permit processing system. The new

system will enable us to offer an improved

service which will include a facility to apply

and make payment for permits on-line. This

will significantly improve convenience for our

customers and the time taken for permits to

be issued. We are also considering whether

up to 3 annual renewals could be

processed without the need to provide

documentation every time, when the details

have not changed from the previous

application.

Other Consultation

The enforcement of restrictions within the

PPZs is crucial to the successful operationof permit parking schemes.

The enforcement of each of the zones is

self-financing from parking permits, pay &

display ticket revenues and PCN income.

Penalty charge income within the zones is

continuing at a steady level at present, but

this may decrease over time as the permit

schemes become more established and

better known to the public.

A series of Permit Parking Scheme Reviewshave revealed that on average, around half

the respondents (residents and businesses)

believe that the level of enforcement isabout right. The table below shows the

results:

We are aware of specific issues associated

with overstaying in bays within local

shopping areas and appropriate

enforcement action is being taken.

In addition, our scheme reviews ask local

residents and businesses whether parkingin their area has improved. Again, on

average around half the respondents

believe the parking situation has improved

since the introduction of a Permit Parking

Scheme. The results by scheme are shown

below.

In Crookesmoor, 50% of respondents said

the parking situation has improved in the

Permit Parking Scheme area overall, 29%

disagreed, 21% were not sure.

Permit Zone % of respondents who

believe that the level

of enforcement is

about right

Broomhill 44%

Broomhall and the Groves 46%

Sharrow Vale 52%

Crookesmoor 57%

Responses to the question:

Has the parking situation on your road improved since the introduction of the parking permit zone?

Permit Zone Agree Disagree Dont know Not stated

Broomhill 54% 37% 8% 1%

Broomhall and the Groves 54% 29% 16% 1%

Sharrow Vale 45% 41% 10% 4%

Crookesmoor 55% 35% 10% 0%


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18

In-House Parking Enforcement

When the Council took over responsibility for

Decriminalised Parking Enforcement in

2005, it was decided that the existing in-

house Operational Enforcement Team

should be expanded. The existing team had

previously been responsible for theenforcement of On-Street and Off-Street pay

& display parking under the Road Traffic

Regulation Act 1984. There was therefore

existing experience in-house, although

training was required in respect of the

additional contraventions and legal

procedures in respect of the Road Traffic

Act 1991.

Experience since 2005, compared with

other authorities which have decided tocontract out their operational enforcement,

has been favourable. The Councils Parking

Services Manager has previous experience

of working with a contracted out

enforcement operation and in his opinion,

the quality of in-house Civil Enforcement

Officers (CEOs) is better and turnover of

staff is significantly lower. In fact since

2005, the only turnover of operational

enforcement staff has been due to health

issues or retirement. The experience

reported in respect of a contracted out

operation is that staff turnover has been in

the region of 50% per annum. There are

obvious cost implications for this level of

turnover and the quality of PCNs issued

also tends to suffer in these circumstances.

Quality of PCNs is an important factor, since

errors by CEOs such as incorrect location,

registration number, or contravention code

will inevitably result in cancellations.

Cancellations due to CEO errors represent

only 0.66% of all PCNs issued (i.e. less than

1 in 150 PCNs issued) and this indicates

that CEOs are performing extremely well in

terms of quality.

Reviews of Existing restrictions,TROs, signs and road markings

The quality and accuracy of the signs andlines which denote parking restrictions is

crucial to quality enforcement, particularly in

the city centre areas. A systematic review of

the signs and lines has been ongoing

throughout the last two years. Successive

small areas have been reviewed and

schedules of work have then been passed

to the in-house team responsible for line

marking and signs manufacture. Any issues

where the Traffic Regulation Order hasdiffered from the signs and lines on-street

have been referred to Traffic Regulations

staff to be resolved. Appropriate action has

then been taken to either mark and sign in

accordance with the TRO, or to amend the

TRO as appropriate. This work is ongoing

and will continue until all areas are up to the

required standard.

In 2008-9 a review of the various different

pay & display zones in the city centre, wasundertaken. This was due to the fact that

new developments in the city centre have

changed the areas of demand for parking.

The strategy is to have a maximum-stay of

one hour for on-street spaces in the busiest

areas of retail activity, in order to encourage

turnover. Slightly further out from the busiest

areas, there are two-hour maximum-stay

parking bays. Finally on the outer areas of

the city centre there are a small number of10 hour maximum-stay parking bays.

In addition to the above work, CEOs report

missing or defective signs and lines as part

of their routine duties. This information is

passed on to our in-house Maintenance &

Development Officer who then arranges the

replacement signs or lines in conjunction

with the Traffic Regulations team and the in-

house signs and lines service.

Training and quality of servicedelivery

All Civil Enforcement Officers have

completed NVQs in parking enforcement (or

are in the latter stages of doing so). There

have been changes to the method of NVQ

assessment in recent years and this has

meant that the CEOs are observed whilst

out on enforcement patrols. This method is

much more practical and CEOs are better

able to demonstrate their competence and


19/36

19

understanding of the role than when

assessment was done by providing a

portfolio of paper based evidence. The

CEOs are much more enthusiastic about

being able to demonstrate their skills,

knowledge and understanding out on the

street, rather than having to spend a great

deal of time collecting documentaryevidence and writing statements to prove

their competence.

Quality of service in respect of the appeals

process is also a very important aspect and

it is recognised that over the past two years,

the administration team have worked under

extreme pressure mainly due to the

volume of representations received in

respect of Bus Lane PCNs.

The administration and processing team are

a highly committed group of people, who

cope admirably with the pressures of

dealing with informal challenges,

representations and appeals. They received

additional training in preparation for the

implementation of the Traffic Management

Act 2004 (Part 6) in March 2008 and the

revised procedures are now well

established. The staff have shown a

willingness to learn all aspects of theprocedure and this means that there is

expertise across the entire team in relation

to all of the stages of the enforcement /

appeals process.

Initial training for administration and

processing staff was by attending a formal

training course which covered both the

operational enforcement procedures and

knowledge as well as the aspects of

dealing with challenges, representationsand appeals. Following this, on the job

training has supplemented the initial

learning.

Enforcement Issues / Problems

There is evidence from parking and bus

lane enforcement that a small but significant

number of motorists do not notice the signs

(and lines) which denote restrictions.When parking, there is always an

opportunity to do this on foot. However, with

regard to Bus Lane / Gate restrictions, it is

becoming clear that many motorists use the

convenience of Satellite Navigation

equipment and this frequently results in a

lack of attention to local signs. In addition it

is becoming evident that the satellite

navigation equipment companies do not

always update their software promptly withchanges to routes and restrictions.

The level of bus lane contraventions at

Hillsborough and The Wicker has reduced

significantly since revised signs and road

markings were introduced in the summer of

2009.

It is noticeable that public opinion

(expressed on discussion websites such as

Sheffield Forum) is divided with as many

people stating that in their opinion the signs

are absolutely clear, as those who state that

they are not clear.

The root of the problem with regard to the

Wicker Bus Gate seems to be that some

motorists have not recognised the signs

which direct them to use the new Inner

Relief Road (Cutlers Gate / Derek Dooley

Way), rather than the old routes through the

Wicker if travelling towards Burngreave or

Attercliffe and via Bridge Street and West

Bar if travelling towards the Hillsborough,

Broomhill, Walkley areas. Also, some

motorists seem to miss the signs towards

the new Inner Relief Road from the inbound

lanes of the Sheffield Parkway.

The Council has addressed these problems

by further improving the Bus Gate signs and

road markings at The Wicker and also by

altering junctions and improving signs at thelarge Park Square traffic island close to the

city centre.


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20

Service Delivery Targets

Enforcement

For most of the year 2009-10 challenges

and representations have been responded

to within 28 days. At the time of writing this

report, the effect of the summer holidays on

staffing levels has meant that the response

time has increased to around 42 days.

The forthcoming implementation of the newparking enforcement software system will

enable us to reduce the response times and

we hope to be able to improve performance

in this regard, so that in due course we can

consistently respond within 14 days.

Permit applications

The introduction of additional parking permit

zones has increased the number of

applications by a factor of over 300% over

the last 3 years. In general, we have

consistently achieved a turnround time of 5

working days or less with regard to permit

applications.

This summer (2010) there has been a very

early start to the applications season for

students. This appears to have been

caused by the fact that the landlords of the

many new student apartments are insisting

that the tenancies are taken from July rather

than September. This may means that the

usual September peak period of

applications may be more manageable.

However, it has resulted in a temporary

backlog of permit applications during Julyand August although this has now been

resolved.


21/36

All PCNs - Overall Recovery Rate

We are achieving an overall collection rate for all

PCNs of 78.77%.

Bearing in mind that 10.05% of PCNs werecancelled, the realistic maximum which could be

achieved would be 89.95%. It is accepted that a

percentage of DVLA records are out of date (i.e.

the vehicle owner details have not been updated)

and therefore this would reduce the possible

collection rate still further, to around 80%. The

achievement of a collection rate of 77.55% must

therefore be seen as an excellent result.

We anticipate that with reduced response times

with the implementation of our new system, thereis scope for further improvement in the future.

78.77%

10.05%

9.85%

1.33%

82.43%

12.01%

3.70%1.86%

21

77.5%

9.39%

11.91%

1.15% Parking PCNs - Recovery Rate

The collection rate for Parking PCNs is 77.55%

% Paid

% Cancelled

% Written off

% Still Pursuing

% Paid

% Cancelled

% Written off

% Still Pursuing

% Paid

% Cancelled

% Written off

% Still Pursuing

Bus Lane PCNs - Recovery Rate

The collection rate for Bus Lane PCNs is 82.43%

Collection Rates


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22

Statistics

Parking PCNs

Description Total PCNs

2009-10

On-Street Off-Street 2008-9

Number of Higher Level PCNs issued 39,626 38,799 827

Number of Lower Level PCNs issued 16,692 13,274 3,418

Total Number of PCNs issued 56,318

Unable To Separate Data

60,667

Number of PCNs paid 43,672 44,633

Number of PCNs paid at discounted rate 39,628 38,800

Number of PCNs against which formal or informal

representations were mad

15,811 20,855

Number of PCNs cancelled as a result of formal or

informal representation

4810 3,312

Number of PCNs cancelled for other reasons

(e.g. CEO error)

478 389

Number of PCNs written off for other reasons (e.g.keeper untraceable)

641 713

Description %

2009-10

On-Street Off-Street %

2008-9

Percentage of Higher Level PCNs issued 70.36% 74.51% 19.48% 68.88%

Percentage of Lower Level PCNs issued 29.64% 25.49% 80.52% 31.12%

Percentage of PCNs paid 77.55%

Unable To Separate Data

73.57%

Percentage of PCNs paid at discounted rate 70.36% 63.96%

Percentage of PCNs against which formal or

informal representations were made

28.07% 34.38%

Percentage of PCNs cancelled as a result of formal

or informal representation

8.54% 5.46%

Percentage of PCNs cancelled for other reasons

(e.g. Operator error)

0.85% 0.64%

Percentage of PCNs written off for other reasons

(e.g. keeper untraceable)

1.15% 1.18%


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23

PCNs Issued Month By Month - Higher/Lower Rate

6,000

5,000

4,000

3,000

2,000

1,000

0

Apr-09 May-09 Jun-09 Jul-09 Aug-09 Sep-09 Oct-09 Nov-09 Dec-09 Jan-10 Feb-10 Mar-10Month

NumberIssue

d

Lower Rate PCNs

Higher Rate PCNs

The above graph shows the number of Higher Rate and Lower Rate Parking PCNs

issued, each month throughout 2009-10.


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24

Parking PCNs cancelled - reasons for cancellation

Cancellation ReasonNo.

cancelledCancellation Reason

No.

cancelled

Permit holder 1,050 Valid Ring-go Session 21

Valid P & D Ticket 866 Admin error 18

General cancellation 676 No Contest Appeal 18

Disabled Badge /

Disabled Badge 1st Offence

531 HH Printer Failure 14

Loading/Delivery/collection 322 No valid TRO in place 13

PA error 294 Traffic Penalty Tribunal decision 13

PCN not printed by external print bureau 197 Stolen car 12

Permit application in progress 184 Bay Suspension in place 10

Gesture of goodwill 112 Duplicate PCN issued for same

contravention

9

Signing & lining incorrect 111 System error 7

Machine Fault 106 Dispensation 6

Medical Evidence provided 91 Postal PCN not served correctly 6

System error - too late to issue PCN 89 Gone for Change 5

Breakdown evidence provided 78 Statutory Undertakings (or similar)

carrying out works

4

On higher authority from management 76 Test Ticket for TMA / Psion 4

Compassionate Reason 60 Driver gone for change 3

PA input wrong location / v.r.m. 53 Incorrect vehicle make 3

Mitigating circumstances 44 Marked Police car 3

Driver returned-PCN

not served/issued correctly

41 Instructed by a police officer to park 2

Restricted Zone - First Offence 38 Amendments to PPZ TRO Not in place at

PCN date

1

Poor Signage 37 HH not served-case not progressed in

accordance with TMA

1

Unmarked Police Cars on business 34 Liquidation 1

Wrong Contravention Code 23 Lost Car Keys 1

Total Number of Cancellations 5,288


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25

PCNs Issued By Contravention

From 31 March 2008, there have been two levels of charge for parking contraventions. The

more serious contraventions are now charged at the higher level of 70 (35 if paid within 14

days of service). Less serious contraventions are charged at the lower level of 50 (25 if

paid within 14 days of service). The tables below show each of the contraventions and how

many have been issued during the period April 2009 to March 2010.

Higher Level Contraventions Issued

On Street

01 Parked in a restricted street during prescribed hours 12,530

02 Parked or loading/unloading in a restricted street where waiting and loading/unloading

restrictions are in force

7,049

12 Parked in a residents' or shared use parking space without clearly displaying either a permit or a

voucher or pay and display ticket issued for that place

2,853

16 Parked in a permit space without displaying a valid permit 9,162

21 Parked in a suspended bay/space or part of bay/space 1

23 Parked in a parking place or area not designated for that class of vehicle 681

25 Parked in a loading place during restricted hours without loading 1,911

40 Parked in a designated disabled person's parking place without clearly displaying a valid

disabled person's badge and parking disc.

1,446

45 Parked on a taxi rank 1,354

46 Stopped where prohibited (on a red route or clearway) 1,445

47 Stopped on a restricted bus stop/stand 364

49 Parked wholly or partly on a cycle track or lane 3

Total 38,799

Off-Street

81 Parked in a restricted area in a car park 4

85 Parked in a permit bay without clearly displaying a valid permit 730

87 Parked in a disabled person's parking space without clearly displaying a valid disabled person's

badge and parking disc.

24

99 Stopped on a pedestrian crossing and/or crossing area marked by zig-zags 69

Total 827


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26

On-Street

05 Parked after the expiry of paid for time. 5,033

06 Parked without clearly displaying a valid pay & display ticket 4,748

07 Parked with payment made to extend the stay beyond initial time 51

19 Parked in a parking place without clearly displaying the required permit or pay and display ticket 2,116

22 Reparked in the same parking place within the specified time of leaving zone 21

24 Not parked correctly within the markings of the bay or space 70

30 Parked for longer than permitted 1,235

Total 13,274

Off-Street

82 Parked after the expiry of time paid for. 1,332

83 Parked in a car park without clearly displaying a valid pay & display ticket 2,022

84 Parked with additional payment made to extend the stay beyond time first purchased 2

86 Parked beyond the bay markings 62

Total 3,418

Lower Level Contraventions Issued

Description Number

2009-10

Number

2008-9

Number of PCNs issued 18,882 24,544

Number of PCNs paid 15,564 17,169

Number of PCNs paid at discounted rate 14,266 13,888

Number of PCNs against which formal or informal representations were made 3,621 3,533

Number of PCNs cancelled as a result of formal or informal representation 2,245 256

Number of PCNs cancelled for other reasons (e.g. Operator error) 52 42

Number of PCNs written off for other reasons (e.g. keeper untraceable) 351 182

Description % 2009-10 % 2008-9

Percentage of PCNs paid 82.43% 69.95%

Percentage of PCNs paid at discounted rate 75.55% 56.58%

Percentage of PCNs against which formal or informal representations were made 19.18% 14.39%

Percentage of PCNs cancelled as a result of formal or informal representation 11.74% 1.04%

Percentage of PCNs cancelled for other reasons (e.g. Operator error) 0.27% 0.17%

Percentage of PCNs written off for other reasons (e.g. keeper untraceable) 1.83% 0.74%

Bus Lane PCNs


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27

Cancellation Reason No.

Cancelled

Cancellation Reason No.

Cancelled

Adjudicators decision on review of

signs/lines

277 Non compliant PCN - 28 day payment

period not stated

1

CCTV date not set correctly 2 On higher authority from management 8

CCTV Operator error 41 PCN not printed by external print bureau 1188

CCTV-Quality of evidence 4 permit holder 5

Compassionate Reason 8 Signing & lining incorrect 1

Council decision to cancel due to

adjudication decision

12 Signs at Hillsborough not changed 42

Duplicate PCN issued for same

contravention

4 Statutory Undertakings (or similar)

carrying out works

5

Exempt vehicles CCTV 331 stolen car 1General cancellation 29 System error 6

Gesture of goodwill 14 System error - too late to issue PCN 1

Hillsborough- between 11-3 no

enforcement

7 Traffic Penalty Tribunal decision 2

Incorrect method of service on Postal

PCN/not served correctly

3 Unmarked Police Cars on business 28

Medical Evidence provided 3 Wicker improvements to road markings

and layout

187

Mitigating circumstances 3 Other reasons for cancellation 82

No Contest Appeal 2 Total Number of Cancellations 2297

Bus Lane PCNs cancelled - reasons for cancellation


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28

Traffic Penalty Tribunal

The tables below show a comparison of all

eight core cities in respect of PCNs which

have been appealed to the Traffic Penalty

Tribunal. Only five of the core cities

currently carry out bus lane enforcement.

Parking PCNs

The statistics for parking PCNs show that

the percentage of cases referred to the

tribunal for Sheffield City Council is slightly

below the average of all eight core cities.

The percentage of cases not contested and

cases allowed by the Adjudicator areslightly above average, where as the

percentage of appeals refused by the

Adjudicator is slightly below the average.

SPA/PPA

Area

Appeals

Recd

PCNs

issued

Rate of

appeal per

PCN

Not

Contested by

council

Allowed by

Adjudicator

Total

allowed

incl. not

contested

by council

Refused by

Adjudicator

incl. out of

time and

withdrawn by

appellant

Awaiting

decision

All

Councils

14,269 4,245,998 0.34% 3,880

27%

4,188

29%

8,068

57%

5,804

41%

397

3%

Sheffield

April 09 -

Mar 10

162 56,312 0.29% 59

36%

39

24%

98

60%

61

38%

3

2%

Birmingham

Apr 09 -

Mar 10

831 135,554 0.61% 317

38%

143

17%

460

55%

360

43%

11

1%

Bristol

Apr 09 -Mar 10

200 60,278 0.33% 74

37%

46

23%

120

60%

76

38%

4

2%

Leeds

Apr 09 -

Mar 10

135 121,416 0.11% 26

19%

33

24%

59

44%

70

52%

6

4%

Liverpool

Apr 09 -

Mar 10

410 67,742 0.61% 71

17%

141

34%

212

52%

179

44%

19

5%

Manchester

Apr 09 -Mar 10

620 127,149 0.49% 154

25%

189

30%

343

55%

249

40%

28

5%

Newcastle

upon Tyne

Apr 09 -

Mar 10

123 68,641 0.18% 20

16%

25

20%

45

37%

76

62%

2

2%

Nottingham

Apr 09 -

Mar 10

195 65,196 0.30% 80

41%

28

14%

108

55%

83

43%

4

2%

Average of

Core Cities

314 80,747 0.33% 100

29%

81

23%

181

52%

144

45%

10

3%


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29

Bus Lane PCNs

The statistics for bus lane PCNs show that

the percentage of cases referred to the

tribunal for Sheffield City Council is slightly

above the average of all five core cities

which carry out bus lane enforcement. The

percentage of cases not contested isslightly below the average and the

percentage of cases allowed by the

Adjudicator is slightly above average, as is

the percentage of appeals refused by the

Adjudicator

SPA/PPA

Area

Appeals

Recd

PCNs

issued

Rate of

appeal per

PCN

Not

Contested by

council

Allowed by

Adjudicator

Total

allowed

incl. not

contested

by council

Refused by

Adjudicator

incl. out of

time and

withdrawn by

appellant

Awaiting

decision

All Areas

Apr 09 -

Mar 10

634 172,390 0.37% 237

37%

175

28%

412

65%

187

29%

35

6%

Sheffield

Apr 09 -

Mar 10

87 18,882 0.46% 43

49%

21

24%

64

74%

22

25%

1

1%

Bristol

Nov 09 -

Mar 10

8 4,216 0.19% 5

63%

3

38%

8

100%

0

0%

0

0%

Liverpool

Sept 09 -

Mar 10

5 28,642 0.02% 5

100%

0

0%

5

100%

0

0%

0

0%

Manchester

Apr 09Mar 10

166 37,161 0.45% 33

20%

40

24%

73

44%

89

54%

4

2%

Nottingham

Apr 09 -

Mar 10

52 10,716 0.49% 19

37%

13

25%

32

62%

20

38%

0

0%

Average of

Core Cities

63.6 19,923 0.32% 21

53.67%

15.4

22.15%

36.4

75.82%

26.2

23.47%

1

0.71%


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30

Financial Information

The income and expenditure for Parking Services for the financial year 2009-10 was as

shown below. The comparative figures for 2008-9 are also shown.

Description 2009-10 2008-9

Income

PCN Income 1,756,612 1,781,312

Fees & Charges (Pay & Display, residents parking permits etc) 4,192,705 4,403,776

Other Income 0 4,591

Re-charges 857,836 691,896

Total Income 6,807,153 6,881,575

Expenditure

Employee Costs 2,196,515 2,187,745

Premises Costs 1,161,364 1,203,421

Transport 100,328 85,704

Supplies & Services 516,071 563,847

Support Services 723,330 799,831

Total Expenditure 4,697,608 4,840,548

Net Surplus 2,109,545 2,041,027

The surplus generated from the City Councils parking activities contributes to the overall

provision of Transportation, Parking and Highway services in the city.


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31

The income and expenditure for Bus Lane Enforcement for the financial year 2009-10 was as

shown below. The comparative figures for 2008-9 are also shown.

Description 2009-10 2008-9

PCN Income 583,479 419,603

Total Income 583,479 419,603

Expenditure

Employee Costs (see note 1 below) 0 16,664

Premises Costs 0 0

Transport 0 0

Supplies & services 161,890 176,855

Support Services 309,996 144,000

Capital Financing Costs 111,593 199,084

Total Expenditure 583,479 536,603

Net Surplus / Net Cost (see note 2) 0 - 117,000

Notes to above financial information

1. Employees involved in Bus Lane enforcement are now based in separate service areas and

costs are therefore contained within Support Services costs.

2. The net cost in 2008-9 resulted from refunds of Bus Lane PCNs in connection with

Hillsborough Bus Lane enforcement.


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32

Glossary of Terms

Abbreviation Full Term Explanantion

Bus Gate An area of road where only Buses and certain other classes of

vehicle (as signed) may travel. Other vehicles must take an

alternative route which will be signed in advance of the Bus Gate.

Bus Lane A lane along a road where only buses and cer tain other classes of

vehicle may travel. Other vehicles must use the alternative lane,

usually running parallel to the bus lane.

Challenge A challenge is an objection made against a Penalty Charge Notice

(PCN) which has been affixed to a vehicle or handed to the driver

before the issue of a Notice to Owner.

CEO Civil Enforcement Officer CEOs are the people who carry out enforcement of the parking

restrictions on behalf of the local authority. In Sheffield they are

directly employed by the Council.

CPE Civil Parking

Enforcement

Parking enforcement carried out by local authorities under the Traffic

Management Act 2004 which is civil (rather than criminal) law

Contravention A contravention is failure by a motorist to comply with traffic or

parking regulations.

CPZ Controlled Parking Zone An area in which parking restrictions are in place, usually including

parking bays which have restricted use at certain times. A single

yellow line in the area covered by a CPZ means "no waiting" during

the period that the zone is in operation. Motorists need to check the

zone entry signs which show the hours of operation of the zone.

DPE Decriminalised Parking

Enforcement

The previous term for CPE when enforcement was carried out under

the Road Traffic Act 1991

DfT Depar tment for Transpor t The government depar tment which is responsible for transpor t

issues, including the issue of Statutory and Operational guidance in

relation to CPE

DVLA Drivers & Vehicle

Licensing Agency

The agency responsible for maintaining records relating to vehicles

and drivers in the UK.

LAA Local Area Agreement LAAs set out the priorities for a local area, agreed between central

government and a local area (the local authority and Local Strategic

Partnership) and other key partners at the local level.

LTP Local Transport Plan The plan which covers the Councils proposals for dealing with

transport issues

NVQ National Vocational

Qualification

A qualification related to a particular job role, which when passed,

usually demonstrates competence in carrying out that role.


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33

NTO Notice To Owner A Notice to Owner is a statutory notice served by the authority to the

person they believe is the owner of a vehicle which has been issued

with a Penalty Charge Notice. This notice is served for parking

contraventions where a penalty issued by a CEO remains unpaid after

28 days. Within 28 days of the Notice to Owner, the owner is

required to either make payment of the full penalty charge or make

representations against liability for the charge.

PATROL Parking and Traffic

Regulations Outside

London

The body responsible for the management of the Traffic Penalty

Tribunal

P&D Pay & Display The means of paying for parking, whereby a ticket is purchased froma nearby machine and is then displayed on the vehicle, as proof of

payment. The ticket shows the expiry time of the period for which

parking has been paid.

PCN Penalty Charge Notice The notice which is issued when a parking contravention has taken

place. A PCN can be affixed to the vehicle, handed to the driver, or in

certain circumstances issued by post to the registered keeper of the

vehicle.

PPZ Permit Parking Zone An area in which parking restrictions are in place, including parking

bays specifically for holders of parking permits. (Usually residents in

the relevant area, but often including other classes of permit holdersuch as visitors or businesses).

Registered Keeper This is the person or organisation recorded at the Driver and Vehicle

Licensing Agency (DVLA) as being the keeper of a vehicle. Under the

concept of owner liability, the registered keeper is presumed to be

the owner of the vehicle for the purposes of enforcement, appeal and

debt recovery action.

SCC Sheffield City Council The local government authority for Sheffield

Traffic Penalty Tribunal The independent tribunal which has been specifically set up to

decide appeals against parking and certain other traffic penalties,

when the appellant's representations to the local authority which

issued the penalty, have been rejected.

TRO Traffic Regulation Order The legal document which puts in place a parking or other traffic

restriction. The signs and lines or road markings which denote

restrictions must be supported by a TRO to enable enforcement of

the restriction.

Write Off A PCN is written-off when we are unable to pursue the penalty and

close the case without accepting payment. This may be when the

DVLA has no information about the registered keeper, or even afterour bailiff companies have attempted to collect the debt without

success.


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Parking Services Staff Structure

Parking

Services

Manager

Operations

Manager Maintenance,

Transport &

Security

Manager

Maintenance,&

Development

Officer

Technical

Support

Officers

(7 Posts)

Asst Manager

- System

Admin &

Processing

Asst Manager

- Finance,

Admin &

Processing

SeniorC.E.O.s

(6 full time,

1P.T.)

Civil

Enforcement

Officers

(54 F.T. Posts

4 P.T. Posts)

Process & Administration

Assistants (16 posts)

Communications

Asst


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This document can be supplied in alternative formats,

please contact 0114 273 5886

Sheffield City Council

Parking Services

Tel: 0114 273 5886

www.sheffield.gov.uk

sheffield cpe annual report 2009-10 - final

Documents