Between 1st April 2010 and 31st March 2011, 4,813,865 penalty charge notices were issued by the boroughs and Transport for London according to statistics released by London Councils, the body which represents all local authorities in the capital.
The total number of PCNs issued has fallen by from 6,176,752 in 2007/8 to 4,813,865 in 2010/11 – a decline of 22 percent.
The figures show that the number of successful appeals against PCNs have also fallen from 63 per cent in 2009/10 to 50 per cent in 2010/11 despite the overall number of appeals increasing from 56,985 to 60,213.
Chair of London Councils’ Transport and Environment Committee, Councillor Catherine West, said: “The number of penalty charge notices issued is down for the third year which shows civil enforcement is deterring people from parking illegally.
“The slow economic growth has resulted in less traffic on the roads, easing the pressure on parking spaces which has meant less illegal parking. These tough economic times may mean that drivers decide they cannot afford to risk incurring a penalty charge notice.
“Local authorities are contesting and winning significantly more of the appeals heard by the independent adjudicators at the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service.
“Anyone who feels they should not have received a penalty charge notice, has the right to appeal to the independent Parking and Traffic Appeals Service who have the final say in every disputed case.”
