A city centre car park remains Newcastle’s worst parking fine hotspot, new figures have revealed.
Just under 2,500 parking penalty charge notices (PCNs) were issued at the Dean Street multi-storey car park (MSCP) in 12 months, more than anywhere else in Newcastle. Other popular multi-storeys at Grainger Town, Eldon Square, the Quayside, St James’ Park, and Eldon Garden also feature among the top 10 locations for parking tickets in the city in the 2021/22 financial year, according to Newcastle City Council data.
The figures, obtained through a freedom of information request, confirm that there were 61,168 PCNs issued across Newcastle in the year – totalling £1.7m worth of toll payments to the local authority.
Read More: Government urged to back levelling up bid that will save Shields Ferry from being shut down in 2025
The number of fines has reduced when compared to equivalent figures from 2018/19, when more than 82,000 penalties were handed out. Civic centre transport chiefs said the reduction might be explained by new pay on exit systems in car parks that prevent people from overstaying once their ticket has expired, while the 2021/22 year also covers time when some Covid restrictions were still in place.
As was the case in 2019, Dean Street MSCP tops the list of the city’s top 10 parking fine hotspots. The list is:
- Dean Street MSCP - 2,496 PCNs issued, totalling £52,641.15
- Grainger Town MSCP - 2,354, £59,730.81
- Eldon Square MSCP- 1,710, £29,800.92
- Quayside MSCP - 1,232, £32,486
- Stadium MSCP - 1,123, £24,509
- Richardson Road - 1,106, £25,546.50
- Eldon Garden MSCP - 1,074, £22,018
- Clayton Street - 944, £29,068.17
- Claremont Road car park - 892, £20,860
- Rutherford Street - 748, £18,818.50
Notably absent from the list is Grey Street, after many of the parking bays on the beautiful Georgian thoroughfare were removed to create new spaces for cyclists, pedestrians, and pavement cafes.
Shakespeare Street, another former parking fine hotspot, has also disappeared from the top 10 list. There had previously been a major spike in PCNs there when controversial new enforcement measures came into place, with motorists complaining that street signs explaining the restrictions were unclear.
Coun Jane Byrne, Newcastle City Council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “The vast majority of people who park in the city follow the rules and pay for their parking. We issue tickets to people who aren’t paying their fair share or who are causing an obstruction for other road users.
“We’re delighted that our new payment systems mean fewer people accidentally overstay, which is one of the reasons we are issuing fewer tickets in our multi-storey car parks. This has the added benefit that drivers only pay for the exact amount of time they stay in the car park, instead of paying hourly charges.”
The council added that the income it receives from parking fines is used to fund parking provision in the city, with any profits being invested back into the highways network.
Read More:
- Victory for beloved Gosforth coffee vendor as park bosses U-turn on 'murky' plan to turf him out
- 'You can’t walk away from a crisis' – North East leaders demand urgent cost of living action from Truss and Sunak
- Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak both promise to dual A1 in Northumberland if they are Prime Minister
- 'I don't understand it': North East Tory's confusion over Rishi Sunak's levelling up promise
- Two Gosforth schools to expand amid warning of 'rapidly growing' pressure for places in Newcastle
