Concerns about private parking charges have reached unprecedented levels, a study has revealed.
Citizens Advice Scotland has reported a spike in the number of motorists seeking help with penalty notices.
There has been a 50% increase in parking cases, from 2,452 in 2012-13, to 3,653 in 2013-14, and more than 15,000 people have used the service’s website to access information on parking tickets on private land.
According to figures released by Citizens Advice Scotland, three-quarters of all queries to its helpline related to just 15 firms, while almost a third of fines exceeded £100.
Chief executive Margaret Lynch has called for a complete overhaul of the system.
She said: “We want to make sure that the private car parking industry, retailers and the Scottish Government and drivers all take heed of what our report today says. To the parking companies, we say clean up your industry and offer a fair deal to your customers.
“To the Scottish Government, we say introduce regulations so that Scottish drivers have the same protections as those in England and Wales.
“And to drivers themselves, we say make sure you know your rights and that you stand up for them.”
Unlike fixed penalty notices issued by Police Scotland or traffic wardens, refusing to pay private tickets is not a criminal offence.
Of the 1.8 million tickets issued in the UK each year, around 600,000 go unpaid.
Earlier this month, however, UK Parking Control launched a legal crackdown against motorists in Tayside, and is pursuing them through small claims courts in what is understood to be a test case for future proceedings.
“I want to be very clear that we are not telling people not to pay parking tickets,” Ms Lynch added.
“We have no problem with charges which are levied fairly, with clear terms and conditions, appropriate signage and robust appeal mechanisms.
“Parking on publicly-owned land generally follows these patterns, so we are not talking here about charges by traffic wardens or the police.
“What we are talking about is those private parking companies who don’t use proper signage, charge inflated fees and then fail to respond properly to people who appeal.”
Citizens Advice Scotland has launched a campaign to help people fight back against unscrupulous car parking operators.
Dubbed It’s Not Fine, it aims to highlight bad practice and urges
consumers to reveal their experiences of unfair treatment by private car parking companies. A survey is available at www.surveymonkey.com/s/itsnotfine.
This follows on from an investigation by The Courier that revealed the extent of problems caused by private parking charges.
A source from Citizens Advice Scotland described these efforts as “very impressive”.
They added: “We want to run a broad-based campaign here, involving the CAB and other consumer groups, with newspapers like The Courier and, of course, mobilising thousands of people who have had these experiences. This is about people power we want to raise awareness of the issue and really force change.”