Van drivers could soon be allowed to park on double yellow lines following a new campaign from motoring groups.
Experts at Lease Van are calling for tradespeople to legally be able to park on double yellow lines throughout the day when on site or attending a maintenance job.
The campaign comes after the news that 3.5 million parking fines were issued to tradespeople last year – costing them a massive £177 million.
Currently, tradespeople are only allowed to stop on double yellow lines if making a commercial delivery or drop off.
Even then there are time restrictions in place – which is typically 40 minutes for HGVs and 20 minutes for LGVs, and the driver must be constantly unloading/loading whilst parked up.
Although some local authorities offer tradespeople certain parking permits to use spaces and avoid receiving a fine – these are often hard to manage, confusing, and don’t cover the right location.
Now, the experts want tradespeople to be legally able to park on double yellow lines and in restricted parking bays for as long as is necessary whilst completing a job.
As it stands van and lorry drivers may feel rushed to complete a job or leave the site as they’re risking receiving an expensive parking fine.
Tradespeople may also need to unload and reload heavy equipment, materials and tools which takes longer than the current time restrictions – this could potentially mean workers are putting themselves in danger by rushing.
If tradespeople and LGV and HGV drivers are able to park without restrictions or the worry of receiving a fine and further penalties, the workplace would subsequently become a safer environment.
Unrestricted parking reduces the risk of tradespeople rushing to unload and load goods, and stops the need for heavy equipment to be carried for a longer distance than necessary.
Tim Alcock from Lease Van said: “Allowing tradespeople and van drivers to park in restricted areas or on double yellow lines whilst attending a job will not only make the workplace a safer environment but will help towards speeding up the completion of a job.
“Currently tradespeople may be forced to park far away from their site, and spend time looking for a suitable parking space, which only decreases the amount of time they can spend working.
“They may also feel pressured and rush to unload or reload heavy materials and equipment to ensure they stay within the time restrictions.
“After the news that 3.5 million parking tickets were issued to tradespeople last year, we want to encourage the government and local authorities to rethink the parking restrictions for those working essential maintenance jobs for households and businesses across the country.
“Removing parking restrictions for tradespeople, where safe to do so, will ensure workers do not need to worry about receiving hefty fines and penalties for trying to do their job in a safe manner and to a high standard.”
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