Written question asked by Lord Lucas (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Earl Attlee (Conservative) on Tuesday, 7 June 2011.

Parking and Traffic Offences

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether provisions in the Traffic Management Act 2004 or its regulations create any exemption from parking restrictions that are exercisable by civil enforcement officers when engaged in parking enforcement operations; and, if not, what action they will take to ensure that this is brought to the attention of civil enforcement authorities.

Answer: Exemptions from parking restrictions are usually given in the relevant Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) made by the local authority using enabling powers contained in the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. These powers allow local authorities wide flexibility in determining the nature of parking restrictions, and any exemption from them are matters that need to be decided and implemented at the local level. The only exemptions normally given are for the emergency services (police, fire brigade and ambulance), statutory undertakers who cannot reasonably use other roads for a particular function and postal deliveries—but it is open to an authority to consider others.

Secondary information