Vehicle Control Services are pleased to announce that it has been chosen to deliver Car Park Enforcement services to Transport for West Midlands.
Transport for West Midlands who operate 59 car parks across 38 Rail and Metro Park and Ride locations throughout the West Midlands Region with over 10000 parking spaces for train or tram Users, selected Vehicle Control Services as their preferred bidder to take on the overall management and control of all its Park and Ride locations.
The main focus of VCS will be to ensure responsible parking and prevent abuse at these hugely popular sites, with particular attention being given to address motorists parking inappropriately and unauthorised use of Disabled Blue Badge bays.
About
Transport for West Midlands who operate 59 car parks across 38 Rail and Metro Park and Ride locations throughout the West Midlands County providing over 10000 parking spaces to its customers who use the train or tram. All car parks are currently free of charge to use with the exception Sutton Coldfield where a small charge applies for non season ticket and concessionary pass holders.
This parking arrangement provided by Transport for West Midlands has proved to be hugely popular with many of the sites being heavily oversubscribed and also inappropriate use by those not travelling by public transport, which has resulted in some motorists parking inappropriately out of bays, on pavements, on double yellow lines, in hatched areas and in Disabled Blue Badge bays without a valid Blue Badge.
As a result Centro (now Transport for West Midlands) engaged Vehicle Control Services Ltd to implement a car park enforcement policy from 29th September 2014 in order to prevent the continued abuse of the car parks and prevent further issues from occurring resulting in restricted access for emergency services & inconvenience to other car park users.
In respect of the implementation of the car park management, all Transport for West Midlands car parks are under the management and control of Vehicle Control Services Ltd (VCS) and our Patrol Officers will patrol the car parks on a regular basis to ensure User compliance with the car park Terms & Conditions which are clearly displayed on signage at the entrance to the car parks and throughout.
Any vehicle which is found to be parked in contravention of the car park terms and conditions will be issued with a Parking Charge Notice in accordance with the advertised parking policy and may be subject to further action pursuant to Railway Byelaw 14 made under S.219 of the Transport Act 2000 (which shall include any amendment or re-enactment thereof).
Vehicle Control Services Ltd is a member of the International Parking Community (IPC) and adheres to the stringent enforcement protocol laid out in the IPC’s Code of Practice.
Parking Charge Notices (PCNs)
Where a vehicle is parked in contravention of the parking terms and conditions, Vehicle Control Services Ltd will take appropriate enforcement action through the issue of a Parking Charge Notice. PCNs must be paid according to their indicated value within 28 days of being issued. Vehicle Control Services offers a prompt payment discount, available if payment is received within 14 days. All charges and payment methods are detailed in full on the reverse of the PCN and can also be found on this website.
Appealing A PCN
If you believe that a PCN has been issued incorrectly or that you are not liable for the PCN then you have the right to appeal the Notice, by writing to Vehicle Control Services Ltd. All appeals should be directed to VCS and not to Transport for West Midlands as Transport for West Midlands have no responsibility for the administration of the parking enforcement service.
When making an appeal you must do so in writing as verbal challenges will not be accepted. Please direct your appeal to the:
By email:
CPO@vehiclecontrol.co.uk
By post:
Central Payments Office
PO Box 4777
Sheffield
S9 9DJ
Please Note:
When submitting your appeal IT IS IMPORTANT that you:
1) Include full details of the reason for your appeal/challenge along with any supporting
information/evidence.2) The PCN reference number (located in the top right hand corner).3) Your name and address.
Once an appeal is received the PCN will be automatically placed on HOLD until the appeal is reviewed and a decision is made. NO ADDITIONAL CHARGES will be incurred whilst an appeal is under review. We aim to notify you of our decision in writing within 14 days of receipt of your appeal but if we require longer than this we will let you know.
Appeals/Challenges must be received by the Central Payments Office within TWENTY ONE CALENDAR DAYS of the Notice Issue Date. Appeals/Challenges received after this time will not be considered unless in extreme circumstances and at the Company’s discretion.
Should you make an appeal and it is unsuccessful, you will have the option to appeal to the relevant Independent Appeals Service which is an independent adjudication body that deals with parking infringements on private land. If appropriate, relevant details of the process you would need to follow for the IAS will be notified to you at the time we notify you of our appeal decision. Full details of the appeals procedures are listed on the reverse of the PCN.
Independent Appeals Service
IPC (International Parking Community) is an independent appeals service available to all motorists following receipt of a rejection letter. The service is free of charge to motorists once an appeal has been reviewed and rejected by the operator. The IPC is an Approved Trade Association of the DVLA.
Wheel Clamping
Due to changes in legislation, Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, private car park operators no longer have the right to clamp or remove vehicles from private land unless they have lawful authority. The term ‘Lawful Authority’ allows select landowners with byelaws associated with the land i.e. Railways, Airports and Ports to continue to wheel clamp and remove vehicles.
Transport for West Midlands Park and Ride Enforcement
To view the official Transport for West Midlands information regarding Parking Enforcement, please use the following links: