Brighton named worst for parking fines

Brighton has topped a new list of the UK's worst places outside the capital for parking tickets.

13:24 02 May 2005

Seaside city Brighton has topped a new list of the UK's worst places outside the capital for parking tickets.

The research compiled by the RAC has been released in time for the May bank holiday and warns motorists to beware of Sussex town Brighton, which handed out the most parking tickets in 2003.

The survey places Birmingham as the second worst city, followed by Manchester and Liverpool.

The RAC said a total of 161,194 tickets were issued in Brighton and Hove in 2003 and a further 147,994 in Birmingham and the organisation has called for an end to incentives for wardens.

A total of 7.1 million penalty charge notices for illegal parking were issued in 2003, equivalent to one every five seconds, or more than 19,000 a day. 123,584 tickets were handed out in Manchester and 114,466 tickets were issued in Liverpool.

RAC spokesman Philip Hale said: "Parking tickets already raise nearly 1 billion a year. With these figures, it's all too easy for motorists to see themselves as a soft target."

Mr Hale added that parking enforcement should be "focused on safety and congestion, not revenue and he warned drivers: "Not all local authorities will suspend parking regulations over the bank holiday and anyone driving around visiting friends or relatives should check ticket machines and signs carefully to be sure they're parking legally."

Brighton council has defended its parking policy claiming it is vital for reducing traffic congestion. The city council estimates that traffic delays, caused partly by illegally and dangerously parked cars, cost south coast businesses 250 million a year.