More than 100 extra parking tickets issued every month in York – and these are the worst-hit streets

The number of parking tickets issued in York has risen to its highest level for 12 years, new figures reveal.

Traffic wardens working for City of York Council issued 21,260 tickets in 2018/19, the highest figure since 2006/07.

The number was 1,272 higher than in 2017/18, equivalent to a 6.4% increase or an extra 106 a month.

York’s new transport boss says the rise is probably partly because more residents are tipping off the council about offenders.

The number of tickets issued in York peaked at nearly 29,000 in 2004/5, and the city council was frequently criticised at the time for its hardline approach. The annual tally steadily fell in subsequent years to a low of 14,010 six years ago, but has since risen again.

Better staffing

Councils are not allowed to set targets for the number of tickets to be issued.

Cllr Andy D’Agorne, deputy council leader and executive member for transport, said:

• The most likely causes of this increase include better staffing levels of our patrol officers enabling us to respond better to illegal parking.

  In addition to this, as residents and visitors become increasingly aware of our parking hotline, more calls reporting illegal parking are received.

  Furthermore, the number of resident parking zones has increased, creating more restricted parking areas within the city.
  

YorkMix used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain the new figures after the council’s annual parking report showed that income from fines had increased from £596,000 in 2017/18 to £705,000 last year – an 18% increase.

The new data shows that fines have increased in car parks and on the city’s streets.

The top ten

The ten most-ticketed streets last year were

1. Piccadilly (585 tickets)
2. Toft Green (462)
3. Duncombe Place (459)
4. Micklegate (331)
5. Butcher Terrace ResPark zone (272)
6. Marygate (255)
7. North Street (253)
8. Walmgate (212)
9. Lead Mill Lane (189)
10. and Deangate (187).

Overall, the council took in £7.2 million from its various parking-related income streams last year – £488,000 more than it anticipated.

That windfall was enough to ensure the council’s ‘economy and place’ department met its budget in 2018/19, rather than narrowly exceeding it.