CASH-hungry councils dish out millions of pounds worth of parking fines every year.
But some cities are far worse than others.
On one London road alone, a whopping £2.26million worth of penalty charge notices were handed out over a two-year period.
Mare Street in Hackney takes the crown for the most-fined in Britain, slapping drivers with a staggering 32,347 to July 2022 – or 44 per day.
This was closely followed by Clapham Park Road in Lambeth, where 29,079 PCNs raked in £2.03m, and the 28,762 handed out on Millennium Way in Greenwich, totalling £2.01m.
But outside of the capital, wardens went in hard on motorists in Belfast, Bradford, Leicester, Stoke, Edinburgh and Brighton & Hove.
Lisburn Road in Northern Ireland’s capital saw 2,508 parking fines in the same period, while Kirkgate in Bradford racked up 3,894.
In Brighton & Hove, those behind the wheel on Madeira Drive were the worst offenders, with 3,402 PCNs.
A total of 4,456 were issued on Quadrant Road in Stoke.
And drivers in Leicester were caught out most frequently on London Road, with 4,865 yellow slips.
But nothing came close to George Street in Edinburgh, where a mighty 11,851 punishments were given.
The most-fined streets in Manchester and Liverpool were Deansgate and Duke Street, but figures for the number of fines were unavailable.
The data was compiled by AppyParking+ using an average PCN cost of £70.
Britain’s most-fined streets for parking by city
Belfast – Lisburn Road (2,508)
Bradford – Kirkgate (3,894)
Brighton & Hove – Madeira Drive (3,402)
Cardiff – Windsor Place (1,830)
Coventry – Trinity Street (1,551)
Derby – Babington Lane (1,770)
Edinburgh – George Street (11,851)
Leicester – London Road (4,865)
Liverpool – Duke Street (figures not given)
London – Mare Street in Hackney (32,347)
Manchester – Deansgate (figures not given)
Newcastle – Shakespeare Street (2,685)
Southampton – Queen’s Way (figures not given)
Stoke – Quadrant Road (4,456)
CEO and co-found Dan Hubert said: “Parking has become an increasingly stressful and complicated process for drivers – not knowing where is best for them to park, how long they can stay for, and also being charged significant fees for the privilege to park.
“This has become a significant problem for drivers in London, with certain areas racking up millions of pounds in fines each year, all at the expense of residents and visitors to the capital.
“We are all looking for ways to save vital pennies amid the ongoing cost of living crisis, and parking is one area where millions are getting wasted due to a lack of clarity and understanding of restrictions.
“It is also an issue of wasting time and fuel whilst searching for somewhere they know they can legally park – meaning more emissions and more pollution of our streets all because we don’t know where is right to park.
“We wanted to highlight this problem, and create a positive conversation about how we can make parking a less stressful experience for all.”
How to contest a parking ticket
Wait: Don’t pay your parking ticket immediately if you want to appeal the charge – but make sure you know how long you have to challenge the ticket (usually this won’t be more than 28 days).
Make an initial appeal: Contact the ticket issuer by phone, post or email and explain why you are refusing to pay. Include supporting evidence like photos, or evidence of a valid ticket.
Formal letter: Write a further formal appeal letter if your ticket issuer has a complaints procedure in place. Some ticket issuers belong to independent appeal schemes which provide a free and impartial service.
Are they accredited?: If your ticket is issued by a private company, they must be part of an accredited trade association for it to be enforceable. Check with the British Parking Association to see if they have legal right to issue a ticket.
Can I refuse?: If your appeal is rejected, you will need to pay your parking ticket. You could be hit with further costs if you don’t.