Westminster Council’s decision to educate rather than rain down fines on operators delivering during the Games, has avoided the issuing of £526,000 worth of penalties.
During the Olympics, Westminster Council extended a pilot scheme that saw marshals educating rather than punishing operators delivering to London’s Leicester Square, after the introduction of new restrictions early this year.
A Westminster Council spokesman says of the team of 40 marshals who were deployed during the night through to early morning: "Our marshals were given customer service training beforehand, and in many cases got to know the drivers delivering within their area, and therefore develop a good working relationship."
As a result of this light-touch enforcement policy, which was adopted by daytime parking enforcement contractor NSL, just 460 penalty charge notices (PCNs) were issued from 29 July to 12 August for offences on and around the Olympic Route Network (ORN) within the borough.
Westminster Council says that had tickets been issued immediately each time a vehicle was discovered contravening restrictions 4,457 fines would have been issued during the period, with a value of £526,000. Westminster Council normally issues an average of 41,000 PCNs a month across the borough.
The marshal scheme will remain in place for the upcoming Paralympics, with a decision on its long-term future to be made shortly.
- Transport for London (TfL) up to 8 August had issued 2,400 PCNs to drivers for ORN contraventions. However, in the first six days after the restrictions were introduced on 25 July, TfL issued only warnings rather than fines. In comparison, the transport authority issues on average 3,000 Congestion Zone fines each day within the capital.
