People caught will get £70 fines
The car will be out on patrol from tomorrow (Wednesday, April 1)(Image: Leicester City Council)
A new CCTV car has been brought in to fine people caught parking dangerously on Leicester’s streets.
Leicester City Council has spent £57,000 to buy the camera car, which is expected to pay for itself with all the extra fines it imposes on drivers parking in bus lanes, bus stops, outside schools and in other places they should not park.
The council said the car will be hitting the streets of Leicester on Wednesday, April 1 and will be capable of issuing £70 instant fines to car owners who are breaking the law, while it will also be able to hand out warning notices in instances where newly-introduced parking restrictions are in place.
The council said the move had been prompted by “regular complaints about dangerous, inconsiderate and illegal parking” on the city’s streets.
Geoff Whittle, assistant city mayor for environment and transport at the city council, said the extra fines being given out should hopefully teach drivers not to park dangerously and reduce the problem on Leicester’s roads.
He said: “Councils have a duty to tackle dangerous parking and are given powers to enforce parking restrictions by CCTV in areas where there are ongoing problems.
“As part of this, we are introducing a new CCTV-equipped car to penalise and help address illegal parking in areas where there are persistent issues but no fixed camera enforcement.
“We know that camera enforcement can be a very effective deterrent.
“We want to get the message across that parking without consideration for others – especially in areas where there are lots of children and busy traffic – will not be tolerated.”
Earlier this year, a new camera was installed on Evington Road to tackle the persistent problem of people parking in a bus stop on the busy city street. The camera, installed by Leicester City Council, started issuing fines on Monday, January 19.
It was the second such camera to be installed on the stretch of that road.