Penalty Charge Notice Data

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Introduction

This data presents the number of PCNs issued in Northern Ireland for vehicles found to be parked in contravention of on-street and off-street parking restrictions and also the number issued for vehicles detected driving in contravention of bus lanes and bus-only streets (moving traffic offences). Traffic Attendants employed on behalf of the Department patrol the road network including Park & Ride charged car parks in Belfast. On 1st April 2024 local councils areas have introduced a new enforcement service provider for their off-street car parks. ** Data queries regarding enforcement in Council managed off-street car parks should be raised with the local councils.

There are two categories of PCN: those issued for vehicles found to be parked in contravention of parking restrictions and those issued for vehicles detected driving in contravention of bus lanes. The data* have been supplied by Department for Infrastructure’s (the Department) Parking Enforcement Unit (PEU). Traffic Attendants (TAs) are deployed on programmed patrols which are designed to focus enforcement in areas of most need by helping traffic to flow more freely, helping buses keep to their timetables, allowing pedestrians to feel safer crossing the road, and keeping parking spaces reserved for loading/unloading, taxis, Blue Badge holders etc free for their intended purpose. Enforcement patrols are specifically developed for each area and are reviewed every six months to ensure they remain proportionate and address the needs of the area. Areas that do not receive a programmed patrol are not ignored. The Department’s parking enforcement approach is flexible and, resource permitting, can be adjusted accordingly. Therefore some locations or towns had no PCN's issued during a particular time period. This could be due either to no contraventions having been identified or the location was not part of the programmed patrol schedule.

Legislation

The Traffic Management (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 (TMO) introduced a decriminalised parking enforcement system to Northern Ireland. The TMO gives the Department the power to use Traffic Attendants (TAs) to enforce parking contraventions by issuing PCNs and was further amended in 2015 to enable the enforcement of moving traffic offences (MTOs) in bus lanes. It also grants the powers needed to allow the Department to deal with representations and appeals and to clamp and remove vehicles.

On 1st April 2015, The Off-street Parking (Functions of District Councils) Act (NI) 2015 transferred the relevant powers of the Traffic Management Order 2005 to Councils to enable enforcement of all parking contraventions in Council controlled car parks.

On 22nd June 2015, the Department commenced issuing PCNs for vehicles driving (moving traffic offences) in contravention of bus lanes or other bus priority traffic regulations in the Greater Belfast area using camera enforcement.

Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs)

PCNs, more commonly known as parking tickets, are issued for vehicles found to be in contravention of parking restrictions or bus lane restrictions as follows:

On-Street Parking

The Department is responsible for the enforcement of parking restrictions on–street (such as yellow lines, limited waiting and pay and display parking spaces; see full list in Appendix B). On the ground enforcement by TAs is provided by the Department’s contractor, NSL Services Limited (NSL).

Off-Street Park & Ride

The Department operates and enforces 3 park and ride off-street car parks namely Northside, Eastside and Great George’s Street in Belfast.

Bus Lanes and Bus-Only Streets Moving Traffic Offences

Enforcement of moving traffic offences in bus lanes and bus-only streets is carried out by fixed CCTV cameras and a mobile CCTV camera vehicle which record unauthorised vehicles illegally driving in bus lanes.

Issue of PCNs

The majority of PCNs are issued by TAs and placed on the front window of the vehicle or handed to the driver. Where possible, TAs record digital still photographs of vehicles to support the issue of each parking ticket. However, a parking ticket is not considered to be invalid if no photographs have been taken.

Where CCTV enforcement is used for bus lane contraventions, PCN letters are issued by post. The CCTV footage and still photographs from the footage are stored electronically and are available to be viewed online before paying a PCN.

Objectives

The aim of parking and bus lane enforcement is to reduce the number of vehicles illegally parked on our roads or driving in bus lanes or other bus priority measures. This in turn reduces traffic congestion and helps traffic to flow more freely, assists delivery vehicles, allows buses to keep to their timetable and improves bus journey times, improves road safety and provides accessibility for all road users, including Blue Badge holders.

The enforcement of on-street limited waiting and pay and display spaces, Park and Ride charged car parks and Council operated car parks also encourages a turnover of parking spaces, giving shoppers and visitors more opportunities to find suitable parking.

Limitations

All recipients of a PCN have the right to challenge it, for example, by the production of a valid Blue Badge that wasn’t originally displayed. Due to the ongoing nature of and potential length of time it takes to successfully challenge a PCN, the data can only reflect the original number of PCNs issued (except those listed at ‘Exclusions’ section) and not any subsequent cancellations on appeal. Furthermore, the data will not be revised to take account of any successful challenges.

Covid-19

On-street parking enforcement, parking charges and the issuing of Penalty Charge Notices were suspended between 24 March and 29 June 2020 due to the Covid-19 Pandemic

For further information on parking and parking enforcement, please refer to the NIDirect website at:

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/information-and-services/travel-transport-and-roads/parking-and-parking-enforcement

Data on PCNs was previously published as Official Statistics. More information can be found here:

https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/articles/penalty-charge-notice-statistics