Tradespeople have been issued with an estimated 3.5 million parking fines costing them approximately £177 million in the past year, according to new research from Direct Line.
Tradespeople often need to access or unload heavy tools, equipment and materials required for a job onsite but finding a place to legally park or unload close by is not always possible, especially in urban areas where numerous parking and unloading restrictions apply. More than half (55%) of tradespeople say they face a weekly struggle to park at or close to the site (54%) where they are working.
Daily parking charges, particularly in city centres, are so expensive that a third of tradespeople (34%) say that it can be cheaper to risk a parking ticket than to pay for parking. Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), or parking fines, can be anywhere between £50 and £70 each outside London, and up to £160 in the capital, but are normally halved if paid within 14 days. However, parking illegally can be quite a gamble as two-thirds (61%) of tradespeople have been clamped or towed whilst on the job.
Many local authorities offer tradespeople discretionary parking permits so that they can avoid unnecessary parking charges, but just 13% of tradespeople find getting trade parking permits through a council a quick and simple process. The options available and application processes vary greatly by council. Some offer annual permits, while others offer a discretionary number of single day permits for specific locations or a set number of hours. The many options can be confusing, particularly for those working across a wide area, needing permits from multiple councils. Where parking restrictions apply, tradespeople will usually expect the client to provide parking permits (39%), pay for their parking (25%), or factor it into their pricing (17%).
Alison Traboulsi, Product Manager at Direct Line Business Insurance, says, “Parking is a regular battle for many tradespeople. Navigating a multitude of different parking controls and council permits can be complicated, so it is not surprising that many tradespeople are hit with parking fines, clamping, or being towed. Some will say it’s part and parcel of the trade but with an estimated 3.5 million fines issued in the past year, these parking battles are costing tradespeople across the country millions of pounds.”
To help tradespeople deal with the challenges that come with the job, including appealing parking fines, Direct Line Business Insurance policies come with Legal Essentials, a service provided by DAS Legal Expenses Insurance, which provides unlimited access to a team of legal advisors, who are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year round in England and Wales. For uncommon and certain country-specific areas of law, you’ll be referred to specialist advisors available Monday to Friday from 9am-5pm.”