Background and Policy Objectives
4.Under the Road Traffic Regulation (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 (NI 2) ("the 1997 Order"), on-street parking contraventions are criminal offences and are enforced by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), mainly through the Traffic Warden Service. This Order enables the introduction of a decriminalised parking enforcement (DPE) system under which the Department, through its Roads Service, will assume responsibility for enforcement of certain road traffic contraventions. The primary objectives in introducing DPE are to reduce traffic congestion impacts and improve highway and pedestrian safety by reducing incidences of illegally parked vehicles. In the longer-term, the introduction of civil enforcement of certain moving traffic offences is expected to contribute further to improvements in traffic management and road safety.