Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984

47 Offences relating to designated parking places. E+W+S

(1) A person who—

(a) being the driver of a vehicle, leaves the vehicle in a designated parking place otherwise than as authorised by or under an order relating to the parking place, or leaves the vehicle in a designated parking place for longer after the excess charge has been incurred than the time so authorised, or fails duly to pay any charge payable under section 45 of this Act, or contravenes or fails to comply with any provision of an order relating to the parking place as to the manner in which vehicles shall stand in, or be driven into or out of, the parking place, or

(b) whether being the driver of a vehicle or not, otherwise contravenes or fails to comply with any order relating to designated parking places,

shall, subject to section 48 of this Act, be guilty of an offence.

(2) In relation to an offence under paragraph (a) of subsection (1) above of leaving a vehicle for longer after the excess charge has been incurred than the time authorised by an order relating to the parking place, or failing duly to pay any charge payable under section 45 of this Act, the reference in that paragraph to the driver of a vehicle shall be construed as a reference to the person driving the vehicle at the time when it was left in the parking place.

(3) A person who, with intent to defraud, interferes with a parking meter, or operates or attempts to operate a parking meter by the insertion of objects other than current coins [F1 or bank notes of the appropriate denomination, or the appropriate credit or debit cards], shall be guilty of an offence.

(4) Where, in any proceedings in England or Wales for an offence under this section of failing to pay any charge, it is proved that the amount which has become due, or any part of that amount, has not been duly paid, the court shall order the payment of the sum not paid; and any sum ordered to be paid by virtue of this subsection shall be recoverable as a penalty.

(5) In any proceedings for an offence under this section it shall be assumed, unless the contrary is shown, that any apparatus provided for the purposes of a parking place and operated by the insertion of coins [F2 or bank notes or by means of credit or debit cards] is of a type and design approved by the Secretary of State.

(6) Where in any proceedings for an offence under this section of failing to pay an excess charge it is not proved that the excess charge had become due, but it is proved that an initial charge has not been paid, the defendant may be convicted of an offence under this section of failing to pay an initial charge.

(7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F3

Textual Amendments

F1 Words substituted by Parking Act 1989 (c. 16, SIF 107:1), s. 4, Sch. para. 3(a)

F2 Words inserted by Parking Act 1989 (c. 16, SIF 107:1), s. 4, Sch. para. 3(b)

F3 S. 47(7) repealed by Road Traffic (Consequential Provisions) Act 1988 (c. 54, SIF 107:1), ss. 3, 5, Sch. 1 Pt. I, Sch. 4 paras. 1–3

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 47(1) excluded (temp.) (prosp) by Road Traffic Act 1991 (c. 40, SIF 107:1), ss. 43, 84(1), Sch. 3 para. 1(4)(b); which exclusion is in force for England and Wales only on 1.10.1991 by S.I. 1991/2054, art. 3Sch.