Road Traffic Act 1960

86 Amount of charges for parking on highways and method of payment

(1) The amount of the charge for a vehicle left in a parking place designated under the last foregoing section shall be calculated as follows.

(2) There shall be a prescribed standard period for each parking place and, subject as hereinafter provided, the amount of the charge for a vehicle left in the parking place for a 'time not exceeding the standard period (hereinafter referred to as the " initial charge ") shall be such amount (hereinafter referred to as the " standard amount") as may be prescribed, and the initial charge shall be payable on the leaving of the vehicle in the parking place:

Provided that—

(a) if it is so prescribed, the initial charge for a vehicle left for a time not exceeding one half of the standard period shall be one half of the standard amount, and

(b) where the foregoing paragraph has effect, and it is further so prescribed, then if before the end of the prescribed time a further payment of one half of the standard amount is made the two payments shall be treated as a single payment of an initial charge of the standard amount made on the leaving of the vehicle.

(3) If a vehicle is left in the parking place for longer than the period for which payment was made by the initial charge, the amount of the charge shall be the amount of the initial charge together with such additional amount (hereinafter referred to as the " excess charge") as may be prescribed, and the excess charge shall be payable in such manner and at such time as may be prescribed.

(4) If it is so provided in the designation order, there shall be apparatus of the prescribed description for indicating in the prescribed manner, as respects each space provided for the leaving of vehicles, whether the initial charge has been paid and whether the period for which payment was made by the initial charge has expired ; and—

(a) payment of the initial charge shall be made by the insertion of coins in the apparatus and the doing of any other thing prescribed for the purpose of operating the apparatus;

(b) subject to the following paragraph, if at any time while a vehicle is left in the parking place the apparatus relating to the space in which it is left gives the prescribed indication, it shall be presumed unless the contrary is proved that the initial charge has been duly paid and that the period for which payment was made by the initial charge has already expired;

(c) if it is proved that the time for which the vehicle has been left in the parking place is less than the standard period, or, where paragraph (a) of the proviso to subsection (2) of this section has effect, less than half the standard period, paragraph (b) of this subsection shall not have effect but it shall be presumed unless the contrary is proved that the initial charge has not been duly paid for the vehicle.

(5) Where no such apparatus is in use, the designation order may provide that the initial charge shall be payable on the vehicle's being taken away from the parking place, and where such provision is made subsection (3) of this section shall apply with the substitution, for the reference to the period for which payment was made by the initial charge, of a reference to the standard period.

(6) A designation order may prescribe that the following provisions shall have effect in relation to charges for vehicles left in the parking place designated by the order in substitution for the four last foregoing subsections, that is to say,—

(a) the amount of the charge for a vehicle left in the parking place at any period of the day prescribed by the order shall be such amount as may be so prescribed, irrespective of the time for which the vehicle is left;

(b) the charge shall be payable either on the leaving of the vehicle or on its being taken away, as may be prescribed;

(c) if it is so prescribed, the charge shall be payable by the insertion of coins in an apparatus provided for the purpose of such description as may be prescribed and the doing of any other thing prescribed for the purpose of operating the apparatus, and, unless the contrary is proved, the charge shall be taken to have been duly paid or not to have been duly paid as may be indicated by the apparatus in the prescribed manner.

(7) Any such apparatus as is mentioned in subsection. (4) or (6) of this section is hereinafter referred to as a parking meter.

(8) Where provision is made for the use of parking meters it shall be the duty of the local authority to take the prescribed steps for the periodical inspection of the meters and for dealing with any found to be out of order, and for securing the testing of the meters (both before they are brought into use and not less frequently thereafter than may be prescribed or on other prescribed occasions), and for recording in the prescribed manner the date on which and persons by whom a meter has been tested.