Parking enforcement
Our Civil Enforcement Officers (formerly known as Parking Attendants) enforce most parking restrictions on the borough’s roads.
The restrictions we enforce include:
- yellow-lined waiting and loading restrictions including match day restrictions at Barnet (Underhill) Stadium
- parking bays – e.g. resident, business, disabled and doctor parking bays
- council-run public car parks
- the London-wide prohibition on parking on footways, verges, etc.
- a borough-wide overnight commercial vehicle waiting restriction
- mandatory school keep clear markings
- pedestrian crossing zigzags
- motorcycle parking areas
- loading places
- restricted bus stops.
- parking in a car park when it is closed
- re-parking in the same parking bay within an hour of leaving
- parking adjacent to a dropped kerb
- parking more than one metre from the edge of the carriageway if not in a designated parking space
- using a vehicle in a car park or on the street to sell or advertise the sale of goods.
The enforcement team can be contacted, between 9am and 5pm, using the details opposite. Outside these hours, please use, tel - 020 8359 2000. These calls will be answered by officers who will note the details and later contact a duty Civil Enforcement Officers.
We do not enforce:
- on private land - as this is a matter for the landowner
- on most housing estates
- on red routes, red route clearways, and parts of some side roads adjoining them – as these are controlled by Transport for London
- dangerous or obstructive parking – which is a matter for the police.
Bank holiday and public holiday enforcement
- On bank holidays, with the exception of Christmas Day (public holiday), all bus lanes and all on-street and off-street parking restrictions may be enforced unless street signs indicate otherwise.
- On Christmas Day, only double yellow lines and pedestrian crossings (zigzags) will be enforced.
Civil Enforcement Officers (formerly, Parking Attendants)
Our Civil Enforcement Officers carry digital cameras and use them to take images of vehicles that are parked in contravention. These images will be used as supplementary evidence gathered by the Civil Enforcements Officer within the appeals process.
- Civil Enforcement Officers are not contractors – they are directly employed by the council. We aim to deliver a good quality service in a fair manner, and to provide help and assistance, but we are there to enforce restrictions if people disregard them.
- Vehicles disregarding restrictions may be issued with a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).
- Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) charges changed across London on 1 July 2007, with drivers penalised according to the seriousness of the contravention. Within the London Borough of Barnet penalty charges are now:
- £100 for higher rate penalties
- £60 for lower rate penalties and,
- £120 for bus lane contraventions. There is a full list of lower and higher rate contraventions.
- There will still be a 50% discount for paying the charges before the expiry of 14 days from the date the penalty charge notice was issued.
- Civil Enforcement Officers issue penalties on the basis of what they see. If you feel that a penalty has been wrongly issued (for example you may have been unloading where permitted, but out of sight of the parking attendant at the time) you can make a representation to the council.
- In some parts of the borough we also enforce contraventions of bus lanes by camera. The vehicle does not have to be parked to be penalised, a penalty may also be issued to the owner if the vehicle is driven in the bus lane.
- We patrol controlled parking zones and some busy main routes on foot, and also have officers on motor scooters to cover the whole borough and to provide a quick response to enforcement requests.
- We do not link numbers of penalties issued with pay or any other incentives. There are no “targets” for the number of tickets a Civil Enforcement Officer must issue. We simply require that our Civil Enforcement Officers, when on duty, issues penalties to vehicles seen to be breaking the law.
- Uniforms are worn to ensure officers are easily recognised. The uniform includes an identification number, and the words "Civil Enforcement Officer" and "Barnet Council".
Why we enforce parking restrictions
We introduce various parking management measures such as parking places and waiting restrictions in order to:
- ease congestion caused by inconsiderate parking
- help with road safety
- assist disabled users of vehicles
- provide parking for specific users (such as residents, businesses, or blue badge holders)
- increase the turnover of parking to help visitors, clients of businesses, and shoppers to park
- provide facilities for loading and unloading.
Bus lane enforcement and CCTV cameras
Vehicles seen entering a bus lane during the restricted hours will be issued a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).
Enforcement is carried out by CCTV cameras during the following times, Monday to Saturday 7am-10am and 4pm-7pm. Please note this includes all bank holidays with the exception of Christmas Day (public holiday).
We consider it is appropriate to use CCTV for the enforcement of contraventions under the Traffic Management Act 2004 in relation to bus lanes as it is the only effective means of enforcement available. The absence of CCTV enforcement would result in drivers using bus lanes thus reducing the beneficial effect for public transport users during operational hours.
Drivers should be aware that our CCTV operational procedures are designed to reduce the possibility of drivers receiving a Penalty Charge Notice for very minor contraventions, whilst identifying those who blatantly flout restrictions.
Complaints
We are committed to delivering a good quality service and working with the community. All our Civil Enforcements Officers are properly trained in customer care and are there to help advise people as well as to enforce the restrictions.
We aspire to high standards but if you feel that a Civil Enforcements Officer has not met such standards and want to make a complaint regarding the service we provide please contact, Jon Shaw, Parking Operations Manager at PO Box 27284, London N11 1YB.
