TECHNICAL SERVICES

Civil Enforcement & Parking Services

Annual Report 2008- 2009

Table of Contents

Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... 4

1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 8
1.1 Background ............................................................................................................... 8
1.2 Scope ......................................................................................................................... 9
1.3 Parking and Environmental Enforcement Aims and Objectives ...................... 9
1.4 Off-Street Car Parks ............................................................................................... 9
2.0 Changes and Notable Achievements ............................................................... 10
2.1 Notable Achievements ......................................................................................... 10
2.2 Clamping and Removal ......................................................................................... 11
2.3 Maintenance of Lines and Signs .......................................................................... 11
2.4 Resident Parking Schemes ................................................................................... 11
2.5 Implementation of CCTV camera enforcement ............................................... 11
2.6 Restructuring of parking charges ....................................................................... 11
2.7 How these achievements link with the South East Dorset Local Transport
Plan (2006-2011). (LTP ..................................................................................................... 12
3.0 Emerging Technologies ................................................................................... 13
3.1 Hand Held Computers with integrated cameras ............................................. 13
3.2 Information on Council’s web site ..................................................................... 13
3.3 IT System Development ....................................................................................... 13
3.4 Web Payment and 24 hour Fully Automated Payment Facilities. ................ 13
3.5 RingGo Mobile Phone Payment Systems ............................................................ 13
4.0 Environmental & Highway Enforcement ........................................................ 14
4.1 Background ............................................................................................................. 14
4.2 Enforcement Activity ............................................................................................ 14
5.0 Statistical Analysis ........................................................................................... 15
5.1 Key Facts and Figures ........................................................................................... 15
5.1.1 Off-Street Parking Capabilities ................................................................... 15
5.2 Financial Performance for financial year 2008/9 ........................................... 17
5.3 Spending of Surplus Income ................................................................................ 18
6.0 Statistical Performance .................................................................................... 20
6.1 Off-Street PCNs ..................................................................................................... 20
6.2 On-Street PCNs ...................................................................................................... 20
7.0 Cancellation & Mitigation (Penalty Charge Notices) ...................................... 20
7.1 Background to Informal Challenge ..................................................................... 20
7.2 Cancellation & Mitigation Policy ........................................................................ 20
7.3 Written Off ............................................................................................................. 20
7.4 Recovery of Penalty Income ................................................................................ 21
7.5 Challenges and Representation Received ......................................................... 21
7.6 Appeals to National Parking Adjudication Service .......................................... 21
8.0 Future Plans ..................................................................................................... 22
8.1 Implementation of CCTV...................................................................................... 22
8.2 Off-Street Parking ................................................................................................. 22
8.3 On – Street pay and display Parking .................................................................. 22
8.4 On – Street resident parking ............................................................................... 22
8.5 Blue Badge Scheme (DfT Blue Badge Reform Strategy) ................................. 22
8.6 Consultation with public and other groups ...................................................... 23
8.7 Environmental Enforcement................................................................................ 23
Appendix A Parking Contravention Code Analysis .......................................................... 24

2
Appendix B Most common reasons for cancellation and analysis of the number of PCN
cancelled at each stage ............................................................................................................. 25
Appendix C PCN Recovery Analysis .................................................................................. 26
Appendix D Correspondence & Parking Appeals 2008/9 .................................................... 27
Appendix E Comparison PCNs Issued On and Off Street by Zone and Category of Car
Park .......................................................................................................................... 28
Appendix F PCN Issue Trend .............................................................................................. 30
Appendix G Enforcement & Parking Services Management Plan ....................................... 31

3
Executive Summary

Overview
This is the second Annual Report produced by Bournemouth Borough Council in
accordance with the guidance to Local Authorities contained within Chapter 4 to
the Department for Transport’s, Civil Enforcement Operational Guidance,
published in March 2008.
Bournemouth Borough Council’s parking enforcement organisation is directed to
tackling illegal parking to minimise congestion, contribute to road safety and
manage kerb space. It is also recognised that this activity also contributes to
improving air quality. The Council’s Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) are also used
in direct support of the school crossing patrol service and generally have a focus on
road safety at school gates. Other priority locations are bus stops, disabled parking
bays and taxi ranks. With the recent introduction of Automatic Number Plate
Recognition (ANPR) camera equipment to the tool box of enforcement assets, it is
anticipated that the enforcement of bus lanes and other moving traffic
contraventions will follow in the near future.
In addition to the enforcement role, the Council operates approximately 48 off-
street car park sites offering just over 9000 public parking spaces at key locations
across the Borough. The vast majority of the sites are surface ‘Pay & Display’ car
park sites with Richmond Gardens Multi Story provide 935 spaces on a ‘Pay on Foot
basis. All offer a range of payment methods for enhanced customer convenience
and security.
Over the past 12 months the Council has deployed a small cadre (4 x personnel) to
tackle the low level public order issues. The focus for this group is the
enforcement of litter, dog fouling, graffiti and fly posting offences. In addition the
cadre also deals with highway enforcement issues and licensing of skips and
scaffolding on highway space. This report provides a brief historical context to the
delivery of parking enforcement in Bournemouth and accordingly historical data is
used where appropriate to provide both perspective and comparison.

Methodology
Parking and Enforcement Services are delivered by an in-house team of 43 front
line staff with a further 12 personnel engaged in back office support functions. The
operation is further supported by two key contractors, one for cash collection
counting and banking, the other for ‘out of hours’ car park and town centre
security functions. The Council’s front line officers are uniformed personnel with
the formal title of Civil Enforcement Officer (CEO) formally Parking Attendants.
The name change is intended to reflect the increasing range of powers available to
CEOs under the Traffic Management Act 2004 (TMA) and assist with improving the
public perception of both the job and the individuals engaged in delivering this
vital service.

The Council’s CEOs are charged to patrol the highway corridors of the Borough
enforcing traffic and parking regulations in a fair and equitable manner, without
fear of favour to any group or individual. All officers engaged in this endeavour are
well trained, equipped and supported in their duties. This approach aims to ensure
we have a considered and consistent approach to the task.
Over the past 12 months the step change from enforcement under the Road Traffic
Act 1991 to the Traffic Management Act 2004 has been achieved with the minimum

4
of disruption to service delivery. Also the introduction of Automatic Number Plate
Recognition (ANPR) camera enforcement in June 2009 has required the acquisition
of additional skills and knowledge to ensure the appropriate, efficient and
effective application of this equipment. The manner in which staff at all levels
approached this challenge is to be commended. Clearly ANPR camera enforcement
will now be an option available to the Council as a methodology which may be
applied to achieve compliance in support of the Council’s traffic and
transportation priorities.

Parking Enforcement in Bournemouth

Over the past 12 months the impact of the recession and increased road fuel prices
has seen a reduction on the number of car journeys across the United Kingdom.
The Highways Agency figures suggest a 13% reduction in car journeys and clearly
Bournemouth is not immune to this trend. This phenomenon has contributed to the
improvement we have seen and continue to see in compliance with parking
regulations across the borough. Clearly with fewer cars on the highway corridors
the pressure for kerb space is less and subsequently the inclination/need for any
driver to park in contravention is also less.
Regrettably this does not mean we do not continue to have enforcement ‘hot
spots’ and it is intended that closer working with community action groups, the
police and PCSOs will provide a source of intelligence on problem locations that
will enable us to focus our resources to achieve compliance.

Total April Total April Total April

06 to March 07 to March 08 to March
Periods 07 08 09
On Street
PCN issued 21882 19264 17505
Closed Part or Full Payment Received 16625 14964 13289
% Paid 76% 78% 76%
Off Street
PCN issued 10839 9536 9484
Closed Part or Full Payment Received 7786 7015 6819
% Paid 72% 74% 72%
Total PCN Issued 32721 28800 26989

5
At the Forefront of Enforcement

While the priorities for enforcement as detailed in the previous report remain
substantially unchanged it was regrettably necessary to reduce the focus on Blue
Badge enforcement to ensure we delivered the appropriate level of assets in
support of the Council’s priority for school gate and bus stop enforcement. Not
least the need to embrace the new technology associated with ANPR camera
enforcement and deliver the SEA Ltd/Imperial camera enforcement technology
project on time and within budget. The introduction of this equipment clearly
indicates there is significant/systematic abuse of our bus stop locations by non
entitled vehicles.

The driver behavioural issue at school gates was such that while we had officers at
the site, compliance with the parking restrictions would be achieved. The problem
however was and is, that we do not have enough CEOs to be at every school gate in
the Borough frequently enough to promote compliance. The introduction of the
mobile ANPR equipment significantly increases the chances of detection for those
who seek to abuse the parking restrictions outside schools. With the publicity
surrounding this issue and the high profile of this overt enforcement asset, the
expectation is that with frequent but random patrols around our school gates we
will at long last achieve compliance and ultimately provide a safer school gate
environment for all.

Off-Street Car Parks

The economic downturn has resulted in a significant reduction in the Council’s
anticipated income profile from off-street parking in the fiscal year 2008/9. With
fewer car journeys the need for off-street parking is correspondingly reduced.
While in actual terms we still managed to increase our car park income, we did not
see anything like the growth of previous years and subsequently against our budget
we have a significant deficit. See financial performance date on page17.
As in economic terms we now appear to be in uncharted waters, the Council is
currently reviewing its parking charges approximately every 8 to 10 weeks. In
addition, we are holding regular meetings with the Bournemouth Chamber of Trade
and Commerce to review activity and initiatives to attract business to the Borough.
This has resulted in a number of changes not least assistance for commuters,
shoppers and the introduction of a retail voucher parking scheme in Boscombe with
other schemes to follow in Westbourne and hopefully the Town Centre.
The reduction in employment has impacted significantly on the number of parking
permits sold to commuters. We have also seen a large number of our corporate
customers dispense with the provision of parking permits for their employees and
this has resulted in a 43% reduction in the income from permit parking. In an effort
to improve matters and make permit parking more affordable for individual
employees we have introduced the RingGo monthly permit. This permit is keenly
priced and offers the flexibility to purchase on a monthly basis, which against an
uncertain job market may assist those who must use a car for travel to work. We
are also using local Radio (Drive Time) Heart FM as part of our marketing strategy
to promote the RingGo permit.
We have also been looking at other options for generating income from car parks.
The use of pillar protectors with commercial advertising is one option currently
being explored and it is hoped this will bring benefits for all participants. Beyond
this, we are presently considering an approach to facilitate a car wash operation at
one of our Boscombe/Southbourne car parks, which also holds the potential to
generate a useful income stream for the Council.

6
Income & Expenditure
For the fiscal year 2008/9 the Councils parking operation generated a gross income
of £4.1 million against operating expenditure of £2.5 million, generating a net
surplus to Council coffers of £1.5 million. The budget set for this period was £2.4
million consequently we end the year £0.9 million down against budget.

Environmental & Highway Enforcement

Having now completed a full 12 months of environmental enforcement the team
have issued a total of 167 Fixed Penalty Notices for environmental offences of
which 72% percent were litter related, this activity generated a total income for
the Council of £2580.00

Future Plans
The moving traffic contraventions available to Council’s under Part 6 of the TMA
and anticipated coming into force in 2009 will not now be available until 2011 at
the earliest. This will not however prevent the Council from using and expanding
its ANPR technology for the enforcement of bus lanes and in other location where
the use of CEOs is impractical or otherwise inappropriate.
Despite the economic downturn and anticipated funding cuts for Local Authorities
the demands for enforcement in support of a safer and cleaner environment
continues to increase, as does the need to provide effective highway network
management. Clearly the need to maintain effective parking and traffic
enforcement is one of the key measures to be employed in delivering the Council’s
parking and traffic management aspirations. Equally as important is the control of
off-street parking as a tool in influencing highway usage and to support the local
economy by providing a mix of off-street parking to facilitate, commuters,
leisure/events and shoppers parking.

7
1.0 Introduction
This is Bournemouth Borough Council Enforcement and Parking Centre’s second
annual report produced in accordance with the Department for Transport
Operational Guidance to Local Authorities and the requirement of Chapter 18 of
the Traffic Management Act 2004.

The introduction of Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 on the 31st March
2008 automatically designated all existing Local Authorities who enforced parking
under the Road Traffic Act 1991 (Decriminalised Parking Enforcement) as Civil
Enforcement Areas (CEAs). The Traffic Management Act introduced two levels of
contravention depending on the seriousness of the contravention. For example
parking on a double yellow line attracts a higher level penalty charge than
overstaying on a pay and display meter.

A considerable amount of work was carried out prior to 31st March 2008 to ensure
that there was a smooth transfer from enforcement under Road Traffic Act 1991 to
Traffic Management Act 2004. This involved working with our software providers
ICES, and the Council’s IT department to ensure that Penalty Charge Notices could
be issued and progressed in accordance with Traffic Management Act. We needed
to ensure that the software system operated correctly, stationery was amended
and that the Civil Enforcement Officer’s uniforms were altered to comply with The
Act. The outcome was a successful step change to enforcement under Traffic
Management Act 2004.

The department has continued to work closely with suppliers and make use of
emerging technologies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its operation.
This is most evident in the decision to use CCTV to carry out enforcement of bus
stops and school entrances.

The department has increased the role it plays in enforcement of environmental

crime under The Environmental Protection Act 1990 and has liaised extensively
with the Council’s Legal Department to prosecute where Fixed Penalty Notices
have not been paid.

1.1 Background
The Council’s Enforcement and Parking Services Department is responsible for the
delivery of parking enforcement in direct support of the traffic management
responsibilities and Local Transport Plan priorities. The department now delivers
the bulk of the Council’s enforcement of environmental offences, such as littering
and dog fouling under The Environmental Protection Act 1990. The department
also manages the Council’s stock of parking places in both on and off street
locations.

8
1.2 Scope
This report sets out to report how parking policies, enforcement methodologies,
and the use of emerging technologies have contributed in meeting not only parking
enforcement objectives but also the wider objectives laid out in The South East
Dorset Local Transport Plan (2006/2011). Where appropriate and for comparison
purposes data from earlier years has been provided.

1.3 Parking and Environmental Enforcement Aims and Objectives

Parking Enforcement is undertaken 7 days a week between the hours of 0830 and
2100 hours daily, extending to 2200 hours during the summer with occasional
additional hours worked outside these hours to address specific issues. The primary
aim of parking enforcement is traffic management and within that overarching aim
the service seeks to focus on the following objectives.
• To reduce traffic congestion resulting from illegally parked vehicles.
• To contribute towards road safety.
• Through reducing congestion, to contribute towards improvements in air
quality.
• To assist the timely operation of public transport.
• To facilitate access and response times for emergency service vehicles.
• To manage kerb space and access to parking places in support of commuter,
shopping and leisure parking.
• To provide emergency warden relief to the school crossing patrol service

The period of this report has seen the first complete financial year of
environmental enforcement with a focus on littering, dog fouling, graffiti and fly
posting. Working in partnership with Dorset Police and other agencies of the
Council the aim is to promote compliance with environmental and highway issues
and where appropriate to prosecute offenders

1.4 Off-Street Car Parks

The Council’s car parks are predominantly surface car parks offering pay and
display parking. The Council also has two multi storey sites at the Bournemouth
International Centre and Richmond Gardens; the latter operating ‘Pay on Foot’
barrier system parking. The sites offer a range of payment options (depending on
location) including cash, credit card, permit and the increasingly popular mobile
telephone payment option, which brings both flexibility and convenience.

Car parks are inspected regularly and annual reports and programmes of work are
developed and funded through a combination of Revenue and Capital expenditure
depending on the type and cost of works. An Asset Management Plan for all car
parks was produced so that a comprehensive approach can be taken on the
management and maintenance of the asset in line with long term town centre
redevelopment proposals and The Local Transport Plan.

Unlike Private Car Park Operators, who market and manage their car parks solely
as a commodity, this department has to work with what can sometimes be seen as
conflicting objectives when it comes to setting tariffs, marketing its car parks, and
maintaining standards of structure, surface and equipment. An example is that
9
the tariffs adopted by the Council seek to support traffic management by
influencing highway use in specific locations and have due regard to the Local
Transport Plan. Another example is that uncertainty concerning whether a site is
going to be redeveloped or not may affect the level of maintenance carried out on
that site.

A number of Council car parks have been identified as potential development sites
within the Town Centre redevelopment proposals. The economic downturn will
impact on the refurbishment of the town centre car parks including Richmond
Gardens Multi Storey Car Park and Madeira Road car park. The challenge for the
future will therefore be to maintain and wherever possible improve the level of
parking with fewer but more strategically placed sites.

The Council supports the local economic community through regular meetings
approximately every 10-12 weeks with The Chamber of Trade and Commerce.
Demand for off street parking is effected by many things including the weather,
out of town shopping facilities and what is on offer in the town centre. We have
taken the opportunity, given the economic downturn, to reconsider how our car
park tariffs are structured and have introduced inexpensive long term parking at
Lansdowne Road, Cotlands Road and Madeira Road sites. Discussions have also
involved how to increase the footfall in the Old Christchurch Road area with the
possible introduction of £1.00 after 6pm on late night shopping nights in Richmond
Gardens Multi Storey Car Park.

2.0 Changes and Notable Achievements

On 31st March 2008 the department ceased issuing Penalty Charge Notices under
Road Traffic Act 1991 and began enforcement under The Traffic Management Act
2004. The financial year 2008/9 also saw an expansion of environment
enforcement under The Environmental Protection Act 1990. All enforcement
activities are carried out in-house and all staff are based in a single location. This
benefits service delivery and standards of customer service. The ease of
communication between operational and back office staff facilitates timely and
quality decision making on parking enforcement matters.

2.1 Notable Achievements

The department has continued to build on developing best practice in all we do.
We continue to look to new and emerging technologies and liaise with software
providers to develop and enhance the systems we use. We have continued to
receive visits from and visit other authorities and these relationships enable us to
continually review how we operate. The figures included in this report continue to
demonstrate that in terms of delivery of enforcement, consideration of parking
appeals, processing of PCN and debt recovery our performance is excellent. The
lack of maintenance of signs and lines continues to present difficulties, however
the introduction of improved procedures for recording and monitoring requests for
repairs and training personnel to carry out small repairs in house has meant that
the standard of signs and lines within the borough is improving. At time of writing
this report a root and branch review of the Traffic Regulation Orders has been
completed and associated maintenance work is in progress to bring all the signs
and lines up to date.

10
2.2 Clamping and Removal
The Council continues to clamp and remove vehicles which have 3 or more
outstanding penalty charge notices. In the year 2008/9 the Council clamped 17
cars. This year has also seen closer liaison with our bailiff company so that if we
clamp a vehicle and that same vehicle has outstanding warrants we will inform our
bailiffs so that if they are in the area they can also clamp the vehicle and obtain
payment for outstanding warrants.

2.3 Maintenance of Lines and Signs

A revised system of recording and monitoring requests for repairs has been
introduced. Liaison with Traffic Section and the Signs Maintenance Team has
improved. Any reports concerning missing signs are now on average replaced within
3 to 4 weeks with priority signs for example disabled bay signs outside a disabled
person’s property within 1 week. Defects in lines can take longer depending on the
length of missing line. Short lengths are repaired by a trained member of the
department within 1 day however a contractor repaints larger areas and
consequently in some instances this can take over a month. Where a priority repair
is required this is carried out within 2 weeks

2.4 Resident Parking Schemes

Resident parking schemes continue to expand within the borough due to the
extension of pay and display meters on street. This has presented challenges to
setting up the administrative functions associated with the schemes as often the
conditions are pertinent to the individual locality. The further development of the
ICES Permit Module has made this task easier due to flexible configuration
facilities. It is now also possible for customers to apply for permits on line and it is
anticipated that in the next 6 – 12 months to also facilitate payment on line.

2.5 Implementation of CCTV camera enforcement

This year has seen the development of CCTV camera car technologies and
associated back office software to enable the enforcement of stationary parking
contraventions at bus stops and school entrances. It is proposed to extend this
enforcement to pedestrian crossings. The Council carried out an extensive
publicity campaign which generated positive comments from members of the
public. It is important to note that the camera car will only be used to enforce
traffic regulations where the ordinary enforcement of Civil Enforcement Officers
on foot has proved ineffective. The system did not go live until June of this year
and therefore the department will report in greater detail on its success in next
years annual report. Initial reports from the bus companies would seem to indicate
a reduction on the number of vehicles parking in bus stops and this in turn will
improve journey times for buses and also enable passengers to get on and off
safely as buses are not impeded by parked cars on bus stops.

2.6 Restructuring of parking charges

The Council in response to consultations with traders, Councillors, and community

groups and in line with the Local Transport Plan has restructured parking charges
in car parks away from the town centre to facilitate inexpensive commuter
parking. These sites are Lansdowne Road and Cotlands Road. Lansdowne Road
ticket sales have jumped from 2739 in 2007/8 to 11279 in 2008/9. In Cotlands Road
ticket sales have increased from 43436 in 2007/8 to 66835 in 2008/9, an increase
of 53%. The recession has seen a number of vacant plots being turned over to car
11
parks and operated by private operators offering competitively priced long term
parking. The Council will therefore continue to face difficult decisions regarding
the structure of its parking charges based on the need to generate income, meet
LTP objectives, and maintain viability of the town as a shopping and visitor
destination.

2.7 How these achievements link with the South East Dorset Local Transport
Plan (2006-2011). (LTP)

1 An Asset Management Plan 2009 has been created.

2 Paragraph 3.2 of LTP identifies that the Traffic Management Act has an
important role in reducing the potential impact of traffic related issues
associated with the LTP. It imposes a duty on Local Authorities to manage
their networks in order to secure the expeditious movement of traffic. The
introduction of CCTV enforcement aims to improve this by reducing the
number of vehicles parking on bus stops and as a result enabling buses to
pull in to stops rather than park in the road.
3 The current Transport Strategy includes the requirement to contribute the
restraint of car park usage through car parking polices, greater control of
on-street and off-street parking and better enforcement of car parking
(Paragraph 3.40 of LTP). This report demonstrates success in these areas in
the following ways:
a) By restructuring of car park tariffs to provide inexpensive commuter
parking in locations away from the town centre thus helping to reduce
town centre traffic congestion .These car parks are situated close to the
main arterial route of the A338 Wessex Way.
b) Year on Year the number of Penalty Charge Notices has reduced and this
is as a direct result of effective enforcement and increased compliance
of restrictions. It is however realised that the recession this year and
increase in fuel prices has lead to a reduction in car journeys.
c) Introduction of on street charges has resulted in a quicker turnover of
parking spaces. This provides increased availability of short term parking
spaces. It has removed commuter parking from on street town centre
locations into car parks.
d) Mobile phone payment facilities in car parks so that fewer motorist park
without purchasing or renewing a ticket.
e) Permits for regular users are limited by number available to certain car
parks. The recession has seen a significant reduction in permits
purchased by companies and individuals. There is still a need to manage
commuter parking and therefore we have introduced Monthly Parking
Permits using the RingGo mobile phone system so that hopefully regular
users will continue to use the car parks defined for commuter/long term
parking.
4 Reducing congestion is a primary objective of the LTP and identifies the
need to achieve this by strengthening parking enforcement. A particular
area identified is around schools. The CCTV camera car is being used to
enforce school entrance keep clear areas and thus improve the safety or
pedestrians especially school children. Publicity has been undertaken to
highlight dangers of inconsiderate and dangerous parking outside schools.

12
3.0 Emerging Technologies

3.1 Hand Held Computers with integrated cameras

The next evolution in this area is expected to be the facility to monitor vehicles
using RingGo as a Hand Held Computer function. This will reduce the need for
mobile phone monitoring.

3.2 Information on Council’s web site

The parking pages on the Council’s web site have been updated and improved.
Each car park now has the post code identified to assist the motorist to locate the
car park using satellite navigation equipment. The permit pages have been
updated with the facility to apply for a permit on line. Links have been provided to
the RingGo site so that car park users can read more about the facilities this
payment method offers with the aim to increase usage.

3.3 IT System Development

The Council has continued to make best use of emerging technologies in particular
the use of a CCTV camera car to enforce school entrances, bus stops and
eventually approaches to pedestrian crossings.

3.4 Web Payment and 24 hour Fully Automated Payment Facilities.

This payment method continues to prove popular with consistently up to 45% of
payments each month being taken electronically. This equates in some months to
almost 2000 payments being taken using this method. This service provides clients
with 24 hour payment facilities and the consistent take up of this facility means
that there has been a cost saving of one full time employee who would otherwise
have been required to process payments.

3.5 RingGo Mobile Phone Payment Systems

Payment using the RingGo mobile phone method continues to be popular and there
continues to be a steady growth as motorists become more familiar with the option
as it becomes increasingly available throughout the Country. In 2008/9 there was a
52% increase in transactions via this method.

The RingGo mobile phone payment system has been extended to include the ability
in certain car parks to obtain a monthly permit using the RingGo mobile phone
payment system. There has been a significant drop in ordinary quarterly, half
yearly and annual permit applications and renewals. There are many reasons for
this such as more part time workers, large companies no longer purchasing permits
for their employees and people not sure whether they will have a job due to the
economic downturn. The option to purchase a monthly permit via RingGo means
that there is less administration required in our office, more payment options for
the motorist, and we are able to offer a discount on the normal daily parking
charge. It has also offered customer service benefits as the motorist can start the
permit on any day of the month.

13
4.0 Environmental & Highway Enforcement
4.1 Background
The department’s group of 4 Environmental Civil Enforcement Officers have
continued to enforce offences under Environmental Protection Act 1990. Their
particular focus has been on litter, dog fouling, graffiti and fly posting in an effort
to clean up our streets. This team also enforce the Highways Act 1980 legislation.

4.2 Enforcement Activity

During 2008/9 16 Fixed Penalty Notices were taken to court and the offenders
received a conviction.

The Environmental C.E.O’s deal with offenders of a number of criminal law

legislations, some of which can be dealt with by way of a Fixed Penalty Notice,
whilst others by legal proceedings.
These include:-
Highways Act 1980
Town & Country Planning Act 1990
Clean Neighbourhood and Environment Act 2005
Environmental Protection Act 1990
Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996

Multi Agency Environmental liaison

The Environmental Enforcement Department is represented on numerous

Community Action Groups including those from Winton, Pokesdown, Kinson,
Westbourne, Redhill and Queens Park. Multi Agency Groups such as Safer &
Stronger Community and Police Liaison meetings are also attended, where a range
of Environmental issues are discussed and acted upon. Joint patrols with Dorset
Police and Environmental Enforcement Officers are becoming more frequent.
These patrols have been set up to combat dog fouling and litter problems at such
locations as Hengistbury Head and Boscombe Precinct. Officers are also involved in
Neighbourhood Inspections within the Borough, identifying various offences such as
obstruction of the highway and the illegal parking of vehicles on grass verges etc.

Officers are now equipped with both vehicle and body worn video cameras, these
are used for additional evidence gathering, recording not only images of an
offender but all speech, images captured are admissible in a court of law.

The Environmental Enforcement Officers also deal with the issuing and
enforcement of licences for the placing of items on the highway such as builder’s
skips, scaffolding, hoardings and fencing and materials. Regular inspections are
made to ensure that all conditions relating to the licence are complied with.

14
5.0 Statistical Analysis
5.1 Key Facts and Figures

5.1.1 Off-Street Parking Capabilities

The current number of spaces in car parks operated by the Council is 9012.
CAR PARK No of Motor CAR PARK No of Motor
spaces. Cycle spaces Cycle
(Disabled Space (Disabled space
spaces) or Spaces) or
area area

9/11 ST STEPHEN’S ROAD 74

ALUM CHINE 92(6) Yes MADEIRA ROAD WEST 126(3) Yes
ALUMHURST ROAD 98(2) Yes MILBURN ROAD 175(3)
BATH ROAD NORTH 116(2) Yes OVERSTRAND 313(5) Yes
BATH ROAD SOUTH 163(7) Yes PALMERSTON ROAD 94(2) Yes
BEACON ROAD 44 Yes PAVILION 185(8) Yes
BERRY COURT 155 POUND LANE 74
BIC 650(17) QUEENS ROAD 70
BRAIDLEY ROAD 63(4) RICHMOND GARDENS 935(10)
CENTRAL 315(3) RICHMOND HILL 112
COTLANDS ROAD 420 RIVERLANDS/WICK LANE 60(2)
CRANMER ROAD 190(7) Yes SEABOURNE ROAD 25(1)
DURLEY CHINE 131(7) SOLENT BEACH 581
DURLEY ROAD 119(3) SOUTHBOURNE XROADS 78(2) Yes
EDEN GLEN 66(1) Yes TERRACE MOUNT 261(3) Yes
GLEN FERN 64(2) Yes TOWN HALL ANNEXE 114(3)
HAWKWOOD RD NO 1 33(2) TOWN HALL EXTENSION 79(2) Yes
HAWKWOOD RD NO 2 40(2) TOWN HALL FORECOURT 36(2)
HAWKWOOD ROAD Main 389(14) Yes WARREN EDGE 192(10) Yes
HENGISTBURY HEAD 704(13) Yes WEST HILL 127(3)
KINGS PARK 700 WINTER GARDENS 250(13) Yes
LANDSEER ROAD 53(2) Yes WOODSIDE ROAD 85(4)
LANSDOWNE ROAD 40(2)
LESLIE ROAD 53(3) Yes
LEYTON MOUNT 217 Yes

15
 The number of permits issued in 2008/9

Off Street
Permit On Street
Type Permits Permits
Abbey Life Cotlands Road permit 100
Ad Hoc Off Street 83
AFC Bournemouth 50
Berry Court Permit 24
BIC Monday to Friday Permit 1
Business - Winton 5
Central Permit 92
Clock Permit 2009 285
Complimentary 20
Co-opted Member Permit 12
Cotlands Road Permit 63
Councillors 3
Disabled Residents 6
Durley Road Permit 4
Durley Road School 69
General Permit 1
Hawkwood Road Permit 9
Heads of Department 38
Holiday Let - Undercliff Road 18
Holiday Let - Wotton Gardens 5
Kings Park Permit 60
Lansdowne Road Permit 62
Leyton Mount Permit 61
Madeira Road South Permit 31
Madeira Road West Permit 232
Milburn Road Permit 29
Palmerston Road Permit 4
Residents - Exeter Park Road 4
Residents - Undercliff Road 39
Residents - Verulam Place 31
Residents - Winton 35
Residents - Wotton Gardens 26
Richmond Gardens Permit 173
Richmond Hill Permit 151
Social Services Boscombe 14
Social Services Cotlands Road 40
Social Services Durley Road 54
Social Services Madeira Rd West 1
Social Services Richmond Hill 18
Social Services West Hill 13
Terrace Gardens Permit 15
Terrace Mount Permit 1
Visitors - Winton 28
West Hill Permit 32
Winter Gardens Permit 13
Woodside Road Permit 17
Worship 150

Total 2,031 191

16
5.2 Financial Performance for financial year 2008/9
The table below gives a breakdown of income, expenditure and surplus.
Produced in Accordance with Section 18 Chapter 18 of Traffic Management Act
2004 as it relates to the financial provisions contained within Chapter 55 of Road
Traffic Regulation Act 1984 as amended) for financial year ended 31st March 2009.

ON STREET
Income
Parking Fees On Street
Dispensation and Waivers £3,852.00
Meter income On Street £456,239.00
Resident permits £12,566.00
PCN Fees
Environmental Enforcement £5,720.00
PCN Income off Street £255,303.00
PCN Income On Street £516,914.00
TOTAL INCOME £1,250,594.00

Expenditure on Street
Employees £1,100,688.00
Premises £70,096.00
Transport £24,495.00
Supplies and Services £153,391.00
Third party payment £31,788.00
Support Services £67,267.00
TOTAL EXPENDITURE £1,447,725.00
ON STREET DEFICIT -£197,131.00

OFF STREET CAR PARKING

Income
Staff Permits £7,322.00
Contract standing income £53,109.00
Permits £434,005.00
Rented Space £118,848.00
Clamping Charges £481.00
Pay and Display £4,291,702.00
Apcoa Fees £115,000.00
Parkway House Rent £103,034.00
Bottle Bank Rental £4,420.00
Misc £4,399.00
sub total £5,132,320.00

Expenditure Off Street

Employees £409,566.00
Premises £1,093,893.00
Transport £69,581.00
supplies and Services £307,036.00
Third party payment £2,969.00
Support Services £196,045.00
Depreciation/Impairment £139,022.00
Total Expenditure £2,218,112.00
Off Street Surplus £2,914,208.00
On Street Deficit £197,131.00

Net surplus £2,717,077.00

17
5.3 Spending of Surplus Income
The expenditure of income derived from parking places is made strictly in accordance with
the provisions of Section 88 to Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 and Section 55
(4) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
The legislation sets out provision for accounting for deficits or surpluses in the account at
the end of the financial year. Any deficit is to be made good out of the authority’s general
fund, whilst a surplus can either be carried forward in the account to the next financial
year, or it can be appropriated to a specific project for one of the following areas.

• The making good of the general fund of any amount charged to it for the
making good of a deficit in the account in the 4 years preceding the
financial year in question.
• Meeting all or any part of the cost of provision or maintenance of off
street car parks
• Facilitating the provision of public passenger transport
• Highway improvements within the Borough

The table at 5.2 provides details of the Council’s parking account over the last twelve
months.

Until 31st March 2008 Penalty Charge Notices were issues under the Road Traffic Act 1991,
however during last financial year, they have been issued under the Traffic Management
Act 2004. The Traffic Management Act 2004 introduced two levels of Penalty Charge
rather than the previous one.

Under the 1991 Act Penalty Charge Notices were £60 reduced to £30 if paid within 14
days. The 2004 Act provides for differential Penalty Charges as follows:
Higher Level Penalty Charge Lower Level Penalty Charge
£70.00 £50.00
£30.00 if paid within 14 days £25.00 if paid within 14 days

The Council, although recognising that the two levels recognise the different severities of
the contraventions, there was likely as a result of this to be a reduction in Penalty Charge
Notice income.

The total number of Penalty Charge Notices issued in 2008/9 compared to 2007/8 reduced
by over 6%. This corresponded to a reduction in Penalty Charge Notice income of over
£118,000 despite the Council continuing to recover around 70% of all Penalty Charge
Notices issued.

The reduction in income has further been effected by a reduction in car journeys as a
result of the recession, increased fuel prices and due to effective enforcement an increase
in compliance of the on-street waiting restrictions.

Income from off street parking charges and expenditures on purchase, maintenance and
repair of off-street sites is not subject to section 55 of the 1984 act (although some of
those expenditures can be funded from an end of year surplus in the Section 55 account).
The Council’s performance with regard to the off–street parking over the last twelve
months is shown in table 5.2.

The amount of income reduced in 2008/9 due to lower visitor numbers partly caused by a
bad summer and recessionary factors as mentioned above. However the introduction of
the concessionary bus schemes has seen older visitors and residents use the bus rather
than the car.

18
Any actual year end car parking surplus has a budgeted surplus which forms part of the
Council overall budget and medium term financial plan approved by the Council during
February each year.

This budget and financial plan shows how the Council plans to spend the resourced it has
available to it to deliver services to the public including car parks.

Resources available to the Council come in the main from Government Revenue Support
Grant, Council Tax and fees and charges. Any surplus income will contribute to:-
a) Maintaining Council tax at as low a rate as possible
b) Helping to deliver other services. For example Social Car or Education
c) Minimise cuts required to balance the budget.

Whist any expenditure of parking account income is made strictly in accordance with the
provisions of Section 88 of Traffic Management Act 2004 and section 55 to Chapter 27 of
the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 it is not possible, due to the way expenditure is
recorded, to specify where money from the parking account has been spent within the
General Account. It is hoped that next year it will be possible to report specifically on for
example how much money supported Concessionary Travel.

19
6.0 Statistical Performance

Appendix A provides a full breakdown of the number of PCN issued against each
contravention code.
NOTE –
1. Traffic Management Act introduced two levels of Penalty Charge depending on the severity
of the contravention.

6.1 Off-Street PCNs

Year Off-Street Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs

2008/9 9,484
2007/8 9,536
2006/7 10,893

6.2 On-Street PCNs

Year On Street Parking

2008/9 17,505
2007/8 19,264
2006/7 21,882

7.0 Cancellation & Mitigation (Penalty Charge Notices)

7.1 Background to Informal Challenge
Correspondence prior to Notice to Owner is an informal challenge, at Notice to
Owner stage it is termed a formal representation and if the motorist takes the case
to adjudication it then becomes an Appeal.

7.2 Cancellation & Mitigation Policy

Parking Services has always had cancellation and mitigation policies against which
challenges/representation or appeals were considered. However as part of the
transfer to enforcement under the Traffic Management Act these policies have
been combined into a single document entitled Guidance Policies for the
Enforcement and Cancellation of PCN. This document has been published on the
Council’s web site. www.bournemouth.gov.uk .

Appendix b shows an analysis of the number of PCN cancelled at each stage and
the most frequent reasons for a Penalty to be cancelled.

7.3 Written Off

Due to the transient nature of some of the population e/g/ students or seasonal
workers there will inevitably be a proportion of PCN that are unrecoverable and as
a consequence written off. A warrant is issued to our bailiff companies to authorise
recovery action. A number of these will be returned as written off as unable to
trace, or no effects, or will expire before money can be fully recovered.

20
7.4 Recovery of Penalty Income
In the last 3 financial years Parking services has recovered over 70% of all Penalty
Charge Notices issued, (See appendix c). The number of PCN issued has fallen by
6% during 2008/9 compared with 2007/8. The greater proportion of PCN are fully
paid prior to the Notice to Owner being issued , around 58% with a further 10%
being fully paid at Notice to Owner stage and prior to a warrant being issued to
bailiffs.

7.5 Challenges and Representation Received

Where a motorist writes to us prior to the issue of the Notice to Owner the
correspondence is called an Informal Challenge. A representation is a formal
challenge to the issue of the Penalty Charge notice as defined under the Traffic
Management Act 2004. It is only once the motorist has received a rejection to a
representation that an appeal may be made to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal.
During 2008/9 a total of 4718 informal challenges and 900 formal Representation
were received.

7.6 Appeals to National Parking Adjudication Service

During 2008/9 at total of 77 appeals notifications were received from the
Adjudication Service. Of these the Council chose not to contest 16 appeals. This
can be due to new information being provided by the appellant such as details of
the new keeper or other supporting evidence such as loading evidence. The Council
will also fully reconsider the case and if after review we decide to exercise
discretion we may decide to not contest the case. A total of 26 were allowed at
appeal and 34 refused. Further information on challenges, representation and
appeals is to be found at (appendix d) of this document.

21
8.0 Future Plans

8.1 Implementation of CCTV

The department will carry out enforcement of Bus Stops, School Entrances and
approaches to Pedestrian Crossing with the aim of reducing traffic congestion and
improving road safety. This will later be extended to fixed cameras to enforce bus
lanes. This method of enforcement will only be used where it is has been
established that the traditional enforcement method has proved ineffective and
will be preceded by an advertising campaign to increase driver awareness.
Success of the scheme will be measured by a reduction in Penalty Charge Notices
issued as the scheme progress in particular outside schools. It will be also
measured through feedback from bus drivers that access to bus stops has improved
and through analysis of journey times.

8.2 Off-Street Parking

To better utilize surface car parking assets by allowing selective development
incorporating decked solutions to preserve overall space numbers. Increased
advertising in the media and in car parks to highlight the use of RingGo will
increase the uptake of this payment method and see a continued reduction in the
number of Penalty Charge Notices issued for expired parking or not displaying a
valid ticket. Take up of the new RingGo monthly permit will also be monitored and
compared against the traditional longer term permits. We will also provide
facilities to pay for traditional permits on line thereby creating efficiency savings.

8.3 On – Street pay and display Parking

On street pay and display parking will be introduced in further locations where
previously limited time parking was available. This is seen as a way to better
manage the kerb space as it offers in most cases an improved turn over in parking
spaces, thus improving access to short term parking. Where long term on street
pay and display parking is available the facility to pay using mobile phone will be
provided and again this will be monitored to see if fewer penalty charge notices
are issued.

8.4 On – Street resident parking

It is envisaged that due to the increased requirement to manage parking on street
further on street resident parking zones will be introduced. We will work closely
with the Traffic Section at an early stage to ensure the smooth introduction of the
schemes to the satisfaction of the residents in the zone.

8.5 Blue Badge Scheme (DfT Blue Badge Reform Strategy)

The move away from badges being approved by medical professionals will assist in
badges only being issued where there is a legitimate need. Closer liaison with the
issuing authorities’ will, it is hoped, identify fraudulent badge use quicker and this
is also assisted by the increased powers available to CEO to inspect badges. The
power available to Civil Enforcement Officers to inspect badges made under the
Traffic Management Act is proving a valuable tool in the fight to reduce Blue Badge
Fraud.

22
8.6 Consultation with public and other groups
We propose to increase consultation with the public and other groups. This will
include a survey of car park permit holders, attendance at community group
meetings, and chamber of trade meetings.

8.7 Environmental Enforcement

The Council will continue to enforce Environmental Crime and through multi
agency working and attendance at Community Group meetings raise public
awareness of the issues surrounding environmental crime with the aim of improving
the environment for residents and visitors alike.

23
Appendix
Appendix A Parking Contravention Code Analysis
YEAR 2006/7 2007/8 2008/9
On Street 21,882 19,264 17,505
01Restricted parking 8,385 8,374 7,345
02Waiting Loading/Unload 1,065 1,107 813
04Penalty Time 0 0 0
05Expiry Pay & Display Bay 1,056 865 809
06Failing to Display 3,281 2,301 1,937
07Meter Feeding 1 17
12 No Residents Permit 4 323
15Res Parking Non Display 513 235 0
16Permit Bay Non Display 26 9 0
19 Invalid permit ticket 11
20Loading Gap Parking 0 1 0
21Suspended Bay Parking 0 0 0
22Returning within 1 hour 16 25 22
23Non Designated Parking 203 92 85
24Incorrect Parking 245 32 0
25On Street Loading Bays 682 502 581
30Exceeding Time 3,890 3,537 3,767
40Parked in Disabled Bay 1,952 1,673 1,325
42Police Parking Space 0 6 3
45Taxi Rank 344 306 212
47Bus Stands 217 191 181
48School Parking 4 0 0
55Overnight Waiting Ban 0 2 0
56Commercial Vehicle Rest 0 0 0
57Coach Ban 0 2 0
61HGV Parked on Footway 0 0 0
63Parked Engine Running 2 0 0
9 Pedestrian Crossings 74

Off Street 10,839 9,536 9,484

80 Parking Maxi permitted 344 282 298
81Restricted Area Parking 7 5 0
82Time Expired Parking 3,274 2,887 2,714
83No Display Valid Ticket 5,731 4,940 5,205
85Permit Bay Fail to Display 186 176 173
86Out of Bay 1,014 963 840
87Disabled Parking Bay 248 235 214
89Exceed Max Height/Weigh 1 4 1
91Parking Non Designated 24 26 0
92Causing Obstruction 0 1 0
93Parking Closed Car Park 1 1 0
95Not designated purpose 9 16 39

All Contraventions 32,721 28,800 26,989

24
Appendix B Most common reasons for cancellation and analysis of the number
of PCN cancelled at each stage
Most frequently used reasons for cancellation 2008/9
Cancelled - Supporting Docs at DVLA 29
Cancelled - Representations Allowed 30
Cancelled by Operations Manager 39
Cancelled - Vehicle Broken Down 40
Cancelled - PA Error - VRM Details Wrong 44
Cancelled - PA Error - Vehicle Details 49
Cancelled - PD Machine Faulty 53
Cancelled - Inadequate Lines 72
Cancelled - Loading Unloading Evidence 76
Cancelled - Inadequate Signing 77
Cancelled - Vehicle Drove Away 91
Cancelled - Spoiled Before Issue 93
Cancelled - Owner Cannot Be Traced 110
Cancelled - Valid RingGo 121
Cancelled - PA Error - Other 159
Cancelled - General Reason 435
Disabled - Blue Badge Holder 511
Cancelled - Foreign Vehicle 517
Cancelled - Valid Permit PD Ticket 926
2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/9

Cancelled before NTO issued 4,170 3,743 3839

Percent Cancelled before NTO issued 12.74% 13.00% 14.22%

Cancelled after NTO issued 341 247 353

Percent Cancelled after NTO issued 1.04% 0.86% 1.30%

Cancelled after Charge Cert issued 256 165 284

Percent Cancelled after Charge Cert issued 0.78% 0.57% 1.05%

Cancelled after Debt Reg issued 102 64 139

Percent Cancelled after Debt Reg issued 0.31% 0.22% 0.51%

Cancelled after Warrant issued 2,309 233 2833

Percent Cancelled after Warrant issued 7.06% 0.81% 10.5%

Not cancelled 25,543 24,348 19541
No of PCN issued 32,721 28,800 26989

25
Appendix C PCN Recovery Analysis

Total April Total April Total April

06 to March 07 to March 08 to March
Periods 07 08 09
On Street
PCN issued 21882 19264 17505
Closed Part or Full Payment Received 16625 14964 13289
% Paid 76% 78% 76%
Off Street
PCN issued 10839 9536 9484
Closed Part or Full Payment Received 7786 7015 6819
% Paid 72% 74% 72%
Total PCN Issued 32721 28800 26989

26
Appendix D Correspondence & Parking Appeals 2008/9

Correspondence Totals
Incoming 20595(45%)
Outgoing 25596(55%)
Total All Correspondence 46191(100%)

Informal Challenge Totals

Challenge Accepted 2312(53.5%)
Challenge Rejected 2012(46.5)
Total Considered 4324(100%)

Formal Representations Totals

Notice to Owner Accepted 299(%)
Notice of Rejection 510(%)
Total Considered 809(100%)

Traffic Penalties Tribunal Totals

Appeals Allowed 21 (20%)
Appeals Not Contested by Council 12 (11%)
Appeals Refused 73 (69%)
Awaiting Decision 0
Total Appeals (source 2007/8 TPT annual Report) 106 (100%)

27
 Appendix E Comparison PCNs Issued On and Off Street by Zone and Category of Car Park

PCN Issued On Street By Zone

169
272 232
Central
330
West Cliff
345
523 Boscombe West
635
Westbourne

709
Boscombe East

7,191 Winton
963
East Cliff

Queens Park
1010
Talbot Woods

West Southbourne
1,088
Littledown

Moordown
1,304
Southbourne
2,722
other areas (Strouden Park,Redhill Park,Ensbury Park,
Kinson, Wallisdown and Muscliff)

28
 PCN issued off street by car park category

228

1,621
1,707

LORRY CAR and COACH PARKS

Primary Long Stay
Primary Shoppers Short And Long Stay
Sea Front - Long Stay
1,423 Secondary Long Stay
Secondary Short Stay
2,500

2,017

29
Appendix F PCN Issue Trend

Number of Penalty Charge Notices

Issued

25000
Number of Penalty
Charge Notices

20000 2005/6
15000 2006/7
10000 2007/8
5000 2008/9
0
On Street Off Street
Location

30
 Appendix G Enforcement & Parking Services Management Plan

ENFORCEMENT AND PARKING

SERVICES MANAGER

OFFICE MANAGER
OPERATIONS
MANAGER

Parking Enforcement Team Leader Penalty

Supervisors X 6 Processing X 1
Civil Enforcement Penalty Processing
Officers X 31 Officers X 7

Car Park Maintenance Team Leader

Engineers X 2 Administration & Permits
X1
Administrative Officers X
2
Environmental &
Highway Enforcement
Supervisor X 1
Civil Enforcement
Officer X 3

31