Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) and Bus Lane Enforcement, transfers the responsibilities for on-street parking from the police to the local highway authority, which in this case is Cambridgeshire County Council. This allows on-street offences to be treated as civil matters enforced by local authority civil enforcement officers rather than by the police.
To take up these powers, Cambridgeshire County Council as the Highway Authority is required to make an application to the Secretary of State via Department for Transport (DfT) to decriminalise parking enforcement.
There are three districts that want to pursue applications for CPE and Bus Lane Enforcement at this time, South Cambridgeshire District Council, Fenland District Council and Huntingdonshire District Council, and the County Council are supporting these authorities with the required assessments and application.
Work is underway across the three districts to ensure that all signs and lines are accurate, enforceable and comply with current traffic regulations.
South Cambridgeshire Update
The scheme is now live across South Cambridgeshire, following confirmation from Government. To give people notice and a chance to find a more suitable parking place, information has now begun to be placed on vehicles that are parked in some areas where parking is in the greatest demand, such as commuting and shopping areas.
A Warning Notice will be issued to people who continue to park where there are restrictions throughout January – this looks like a parking ticket but there is no fine attached.
Penalty Charge Notices will be issued from 1 February which will mean a fine of between £50 and £70, depending on the severity of the offence.