| The number of parking tickets issued in Dundee has almost doubled since the city council assumed power of parking enforcement on April 1 from police controlled traffic wardens.
Figures reveal that 3167 tickets were issued by the council parking attendants in the three months up until June 30, generating £32,970 in revenue.
In comparison, the police issued 1709 fixed penalty notices for the same three-month period in 2003 for offences such as illegal parking and driving without a seatbelt on. Although these notices were issued, they were not necessarily paid.
In addition, there were also 545 excess charge notices handed out by police for the same period in 2003. These are issued when a driver has overstayed the time paid for in a parking bay.
The increase in revenues obtained from issuing tickets mirrors similar schemes operating in Glasgow and Edinburgh, where there were a total of £13 million in fines, the result of half a million parking tickets. Motorists in these cities have accused the councils of profiteering.
Prior to the handover in Dundee, there were only four wardens under police control to cover the whole of the city and, inevitably, their limited resources were concentrated on the city centre.
There are currently 13 parking attendants employed by the city council, which has ensured more regular coverage of other areas, including Broughty Ferry.
Penalties for on-street parking offences is £60, reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days, while a fine of £30 is issued for car park offences, which is reduced to £15 if paid within 14 days.
The proceeds of the penalty charges are kept by the council, and the money used to finance enforcement and adjudication systems, as well as other traffic management projects. The cost of the warden scheme is £240,000, although this will be offset by the sums collected from the penalty notices. |
