Major update on parking after thousands complain of 'incredibly vague' rules

The Department for Transport (DfT) hasreleased an important update on parking after a petitionwas signed by thousands of people. Campaigners have called for clearer and more 'in-depth' parking signsacross the UK and claimed that 'incredibly vague' details at parking stations could lead to an array of problems.

The petition, entitled 'Increase regulation of parking signage,' asked the Government to consider potentially overlooked problems linked to parking signs across the country. For example, this may include 'an incorrect pay station in between the sign and the correct one'.

While the DfTacknowledged that it is the responsibility of local authorities to best place parking signs, it believes current regulations are 'adequate' and doesn't plan to make any changes for now. It also stressed that 'appeals are possible' for anyone who feels they have potentially been misled by parking information.

In a response published on August 11, the Government department said: "Local authorities manage parking signs and machines and appeals are possible. The Government sees no need to change current sign regulations.

"Traffic signs for use on roads in England are already regulated through the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016. This includes those indicating parking bays and directions to payment machines.

"Local authorities (LAs) are responsible for provision of on-street parking, including placement of payment machines and associated signing. It is for them to ensure that there is no ambiguity as to which payment machine relates to the parking bays in question."

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If you believe you've received an unfair penalty in circumstances like these, the DfT advises appealing to the local authority initially before ultimately turning to an independent adjudicator.

The DfT's response continued: "The adjudicator may take into account the condition and placement of signs and the relevant guidance when considering appeals.

"The Government believes that LAs are best placed to understand adequate sign placement for individual sites as they have detailed knowledge of their roads and the needs of residents and businesses. The Government’s view is that the current Regulations covering parking restriction signs are adequate and has no current plans to make any changes."

The online parliamentary petition currently has more than 14,000 signatures. If it reaches 100,000 before January 7, 2026, it will be considered for a debate in Parliament.

The full campaign, created by Zoe Bread, reads as follows: "I call on the Government to increase regulations relating to parking signs to require councils to ensure they are made clearer and have clauses about what to do if there is, for example, an incorrect pay station in between the sign & the correct one.

"We believe that the current rules, which we feel are incredibly vague, mean councils can say their sign meets the guidelines, even if there are factors that may make the sign misleading.

"We believe that if the rules were more in-depth and accounted for possible problems, councils would be forced to take responsibility for their misleading signage."

You can also view the petition in full here.

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