More calls have been made to regulate private car parking firms in Parliament - with recent complaints in Darlington branded just the “tip of the iceberg”.
The Feethams Leisure Car Park, underneath the DL1 complex, has been marred by complaints in recent years over its strict five minute rule after hoards drivers were slapped with fines.
Some customers blamed issues with the payment facilities and connection while trying to use the app at the site, which is owned by Excel Parking.
But earlier this year, private car parking owners across the country were told it should stop penalising drivers for taking too long to pay by the British Parking Association (BPA).
Several months on, Darlington MP Lola McEvoy, who has been leading calls for more regulation, stood up in Westminster Hall on Tuesday (May 6) to discuss the issues and the need for an independent Ombudsman for appeals.
Ms McEvoy, who said she had been contacted by 140 people about fines since being elected, branded the situation as a “truly unacceptable experience for ordinary people”.
She said: “While many simply pay the fine for a lot of people in Darlington, an unexpected bill of £170 really affects their budget
“I'm convinced that we absolutely must regulate private parking companies and that action on this is long overdue.”
‘We need proper regulation’
Ms McEvoy also specifically addressed the DL1 parking woes, describing how a man using a wheelchair struggled to pay for his parking within the strict time limit.
She recalled: “It had taken him longer than five minutes to get to the machine, so he'd missed the window to pay without a fine.
“He was rightly shocked and angry about the unfairness of this rule.
“The fact that I witnessed him getting caught out in real time convinced me there and then that this was happening so frequently that something had to be done.
“Ten months later, the five minute rule has been stopped.
“But we need to go further to protect people. We need proper reporting, proper regulation and an independent Ombudsman for appeals, and we need it quickly.”
As previously reported, the new regulations, which came into force on February 17, meant drivers using the car parks will have a safeguard if they experience delays in making payment.
It came several months after Excel Parking agreed on a range of measures to combat the high number of fines after meeting with Ms McEvoy.
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The changes promised included clear signage, a £70 cap on overdue payment fees, greater consideration for drivers with accessibility issues, and additional steps to ensure letters had been delivered to people before any enforcement action begins.
The car park has since installed contactless payment options for customers.
Last month, Hannah Robinson, who was fined £11,000 for regularly parking at the site, triumphed against Excel Parking in court, with the original fines dismissed and the company ordered to pay £10,240.10 in costs to charity.
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