Drivers are being warned not to park on dropped kerbs – and not to double park.
At the beginning of February 2012 Canterbury City Council started issuing Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) to vehicles parking partly or completely in front of a dropped kerb.
A PCN will cost a driver £70.
The Highway Code states that vehicles must not be parked where the kerb has been lowered. The Traffic Management Act 2004 gave councils powers to issue PCNs to those ignoring the rules.
The rules apply to everyone, including blue badge holders.
In many places, especially at road junctions, the kerbs are lowered to create a ramp so that pedestrians, the disabled and people using wheelchairs, prams or pushchairs can cross the road without having to negotiate an awkward step.
However, if a car is parked in front of the dropped kerbs then the benefit is lost and everybody has to cross the road somewhere else.
The PCNs apply to dropped kerbs provided for pedestrians but not to dropped kerbs in front of private drives. These are excluded because many residents prefer to keep the option to park across their own drives. This is acceptable where there are no parking restrictions, providing it does not cause an obstruction to passing traffic or pedestrians.
The council is warning drivers to think twice about double parking too – which can also result in a ticket.
For more information visit the Canterbury City Council website.
