LEICESTER City Council is due to resume parking enforcement activity from the start of August as the city prepares to emerge from lockdown.
Parking enforcement was largely suspended after the onset of lockdown in March, due to a huge drop in the numbers of vehicles on the city’s roads, and many people being forced to work from home.
Instead, officers focused on only dealing with parked cars that were causing a danger to other road users, causing obstructions or other safety issues.
With many non-essential businesses now permitted by Government to open once more, traffic flow in the city is increasing and full parking enforcement will now begin once again from Saturday, August 1, including on single and double yellow lines, on-street parking and residents’ parking schemes.
In residents-only parking areas, civil enforcement officers will initially be issuing warning notices until August 10 to residents who have not yet renewed their permits, as well as trying to contact residents with out of date permits and advising them to get new ones.
During lockdown, traffic flow in the city fell to less than half of normal levels. Latest figures show levels are running at around 80 percent of normal and is expected to increase further if the extended lockdown restrictions imposed by the Government upon Leicester are eased later this week.
Under the current lockdown restrictions, people are being advised not to travel solely for non-essential shopping.
Director of City Highways at Leicester City Council, Martin Fletcher, said: “We suspended much of our parking enforcement action during lockdown as there were simply far fewer vehicles on the roads, and far fewer offences being committed.
“We had fewer staff working but still took action against drivers who had parked their vehicles dangerously or carelessly.
“Now with traffic flow increasing once more, we are preparing to start enforcement of parking regulations, to ensure that the city’s streets stay safe for all road users.”
Full details of all Leicester City Council-run service changes are available at: https://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council/coronavirus/
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