THE penalty for illegal street parking is to rise by 50 per cent, roads minister Danny Kennedy has confirmed.
Yesterday, it was announced that motorists in the Province will have to pay £90 instead of £60 if they incur parking penalties after new charges come into force from June.
Mr Kennedy said the new rate – of which recipients are eligible for a 50 per cent discount if they pay within 14 days of issue – would cut down on illegal parking.
The minister also announced that 25 free car parks across the Province would also be introducing charges from the same date, with a top rate of 40p an hour applied.
However, critics slammed the new charges and issued a warning over the negative impact they would have for town centres.
Mr Kennedy outlined his proposals to the committee for Regional Development at Stormont yesterday.
Speaking about the increases to penalty charge notices, he said: “As well as being a safety issue for drivers and pedestrians, illegal parking still plagues our towns and cities leading to driver frustration, congested roads and fewer parking spaces for shoppers.
“Drivers have a responsibility to make sure they are familiar with the Highway Code and understand parking restrictions. We want drivers to park legally and consider other road users.”
Last year, Mr Kennedy decided not to introduce on-street parking charges in 30 towns and cities in response to concerns from high street traders.
But he said £30 million funding was required to enable his department to deliver frontline services such as road repairs and street light maintenance.
The minister insisted that free off-street or on-street parking was still available in parts of every town in the Province.
The Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA) expressed concern at yesterday’s announcement.
Pointing to already “over zealous” parking attendants, chief executive Glyn Roberts said: “In our discussions with Mr Kennedy we outlined our concerns about the penalty being increased to £90 as it could well deter consumers from shopping in town centres.
“NIIRTA will be meeting with Mr Kennedy to discuss this issue further and for the need for a more effective car park strategy to ensure that our town and city centres can be more user friendly to shoppers using their cars.”
SDLP regional development spokesman Joe Byrne slammed the new parking charges as “nonsensical”. “This move will simply encourage people to spend money out of town where there are free parking facilities,” he said.
Meanwhile, Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson said he was not opposed to the increases in principle but felt the minister did not make an “effective” argument for the proposals.
He said the committee could lay a motion in the Assembly to oppose the plans.
The 25 free car parks proposed to become charged are in Whiteabbey, Belfast, Bangor, Portadown, Armagh, Banbridge, Lurgan, Ballycastle, Ballymena, Coleraine, Larne, Limavady, Londonderry, Ballyclare, Magherafelt, Omagh and Strabane.