Falkirk retail park owners put the brakes on 'issues' with parking cameras
The owners of Falkirk Central Retail Park say they have been working with the parking management company they appointed to resolve issues with the camera system at the location.
Reported problems included a resident being hit with two fines – despite parking his car in a street outside the retail park.
The man, who stays in Galloway Street, right next to Falkirk Central Retail Park, was fined by the system for supposedly parking too long. However, he did not even park on the retail park land on either occasion.
Earlier this month The Falkirk Herald received a number of reports about motorists receiving car parking fines at Falkirk Central Retail Park despite being well within the four hour window.
One annoyed motorist said: “The company that have parking cameras at the retail park are sending out £100 fines to hundreds of Falkirk residents for what is called ‘double dip parking fines’.
“This is where their cameras pick up the first entrance time of each vehicle, but miss the car leaving. The cameras then pick up the car leaving again later that day or even a few days later sometimes and a fine is issued for it being over the four hour limit.”
British Land contacted The Falkirk Herald this week and stated it was aware of the parking issues and had worked with the parking management provider to make some “adjustments”.
A spokesperson said: “British Land has been working with our parking management provider on the recent parking issues raised by visitors to Falkirk Central Retail Park.
“We identified an issue with the camera system, and adjustments have been made to resolve this. We can confirm that both parking charges issued to the Galloway Street resident have been cancelled.
“British Land will continue to work with our provider to ensure the system operates as intended and that any issues are addressed promptly. Any individuals who believe they have received a parking notice incorrectly are encouraged to follow the appeals process, where each case will be reviewed on its merits.”
Falkirk Central Retail Park brought in the changes to its car park management on Friday, March 27, with British Land claiming it would help improve traffic flow.
The four-hour maximum stay was reinstated across the retail park and managed using ANPR technology, which records vehicle entry and exit times.
At the time, a Falkirk Central Retail Park spokesperson said: "We’ve made this change to help improve traffic flow and make sure that shoppers have an enjoyable visit – whether doing the food shop or popping to the cinema.
"Four hours is much longer than the average stay for most of our shoppers, so the majority won't be affected at all. For those enjoying time at our leisure venues, it takes just a moment to register for extended stays on tablets in their entrances."