In December the Freight Transport Association spoke out on a publication by the RAC Foundation which reported record profits made by English local authorities for parking fines.With a percentage of these costs being imposed on hauliers, particularly urban delivery companies, the FTA believes the reported surplus in 2012-13 of £594 million from parking charges which the report highlights, is totally unjustified. The Freight Transport Association’s own PCN Survey 2012 revealed a 50% leap in the number of Penalty Notices being issued in London, which it believes had a direct result in increasing costs to consumers. FTA Head of Urban Logistics Christopher Snelling, commented:
“This isn’t just about parking, it also comes from loading and unloading. Many of our members are incorrectly fined as authorities are too eager to judge that they are parked when in fact they are in the legitimate process of delivering cargo to local businesses. Many fines are also issued incorrectly when we had every right to be delivering in that location. These fines amount to a stealth tax on local businesses in these areas.”