Parking FAQs

Please note, if you do not make the payment for a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN), we will register the Penalty Charge as a debt, and pass the debt onto our debt collection agents.

If you have received a letter from an Enforcement Agent please contact them direct as it is now too late for us to intervene. Alternatively, you can contact the Traffic Enforcement Centre on 0300 123 1059 to make a Witness Statement.

View all parking restrictions for Gloucestershire County Council including Resident Parking Zones, Limited Waiting bays and double yellow lines: www.gloucestershiretraffweb.co.uk

Residents of properties within the zone would be eligible to purchase up to 2 residents permits and they may allocate them to whichever vehicles they choose. Tenants not paying council tax might like to consult with their landlord/landlady about the permit allocation for the property.

Resident permits are issued per council tax reference number – see our parking permits page.

Resident permits and visitor permits are digital permits, rather than paper permits. Visitor permits last for 1 day, except at weekends when they cover both Saturday and Sunday.

The days and times that parking restrictions are in force are stated on the time plate sign in the vicinity, where applicable.

To report a vehicle that is incorrectly parked please complete our Parking Enforcement Requests form. Request Enforcement

Please include the following:

1. exact location
2. type of parking restriction (if known)
3. day and times that it happens

Please contact us with requests for enforcement in residents parking permit areas and on-street parking zones. This is not a call out service. Requests will be used to plan future patrols.

Examples:

• parking on double yellow lines
• parking on a single yellow line when restrictions are in place
• parking over a dropped tactile kerb or any dropped kerb on a pedestrian footpath

The police should be contacted on 101 for:

• parking on the pavement
• obstruction

We employ a service provider who carries out enforcement and administration on our behalf, but we are still fully responsible for managing on-street parking in Gloucestershire.

You will need to contact GCC Highways on 08000 514514 or email highways@gloucestershire.gov.uk

Click here for more information about the Blue Badge parking scheme.

Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) are not allocated targets or incentivised in any way to issue Penalty Charge Notices PCNs. If a vehicle is noted as parking in contravention of the restrictions then the CEO will issue a PCN. All income is paid to the County Council and is used for highways and transportation schemes.

If you have used our digital cashless parking system to pay for parking at an incorrect location or you have overpaid, we are, unfortunately, unable to offer a refund. If you have paid for parking at the wrong location please call MiPermit on 0333 123 5900 and ask them to make a correction to your parking stay. Alternatively, if you have overpaid and you can provide details of the time, location and amount paid, the Council may be able to consider offering a free parking stay.

You can load or unload on a yellow line as long as there are no kerb blips or markings for as long as necessary, however, there is a general expectation that loading or unloading will not take longer than 20 minutes. The activity needs to be continuous and ongoing and the vehicle is not left alone (or parked) for long periods of time. Loading or unloading is not permitted where a loading ban exists.

Requests should be made through your County Councillor as the implementation of a scheme or new restriction would require consultation in the area before a change to the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) that is currently in place. The modification of a TRO is a legal process, part of which includes consultation with various stakeholders, including the general public, and normally takes a minimum of 6 months. You may find the contact details of the relevant County Councillor here.

If there are no restrictions, such a yellow line, GCC have no powers to carry out enforcement action. If you consider the vehicle is causing an obstruction to road users the Police may be able to take action. The Police may be best contacted on their 101 number if this is the case.

Outside of London, there is no restriction to parking on footway or verge. A Penalty Charge notice (PCN) can be issued if there are parking restrictions at the location as the verge or footway is part of the highway. If there are no enforceable restrictions in place on the Highway (such as yellow lines), we have no powers to issue a PCN without these restrictions in place (please see vehicle causing an obstruction question above).

You should always checks the lines and signs where you park. There are many different types of parking restrictions in the County, the most common are shown in our How to Park - Quick Guide.

No, parking remains the responsibility of the County Council. Restrictions are put in place by the Council and enforcement is carried out in the Councils name. Enforcement staff and some admin roles are provided by a private company working under contract for the Council. They do not get paid for issuing penalty charge notices but their payment is based on the number of hours patrolled across the County.

Car Parks and Park & Ride

Gloucestershire's car parks are managed by district councils. Links to information on car parks and Park & Ride are may be found here.

On-Street Parking

The County Council does not give advice on where to park on the highway, and drivers are asked to park legally and with consideration to other road users. There are many different types of on-street parking restrictions. The most common are shown in our How to Park - Quick Guide. The general rules for waiting and parking, including rules on parking at night and decriminalised parking enforcement, maybe found in the Highway Code.

The County Council does not loan or hire cones. If there is a parking restriction where you would like to park you can apply for a waiver (permit to park) or a suspension of the parking restriction.

For some works a street works licence maybe needed.

Parking Permit charges are designed to cover the cost of additional enforcement and management of the permit scheme only.

It may be possible to issue a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) if the object is displaying a vehicle registration mark. Please report this to parking@gloucestershire.gov.uk, otherwise contact 08000 514514 and ask to speak to the Local Highways Manager.

You can still pay or appeal your PCN. Please phone 0345 3199631 or send an email to parking@gloucestershire.gov.uk quoting your vehicle registration mark and the parking location so we may search for your PCN number.

Please see Pay & display tariffs - Cheltenham, Cirencester and Gloucester

Please fully read the letter that you have received as it is now too late to appeal the Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).

Your options are:

• Pay the PCN - the Order for Recovery will provide you with details of how to pay.
• Make a witness statement by contacting the Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC) on 0300 123 1059.

In law there is no ‘right to stop or park’ on the public highway as the use of the highway is to pass and repass without let or hindrance. The Highways Authority can explicitly permit on-road parking , for example by introducing parking bays, or simply allow parking by not imposing restrictions such as single or double yellow lines. On-road parking is available to all vehicles (or types of vehicles) and no individual has a right to park in a specific place, for example on the road outside their own property. The Highways Authority has the right to take possession of the highway at any time, including areas commonly used for on-road parking. In these instances there is no obligation in law for the Highways Authority to provide alternative parking.

In law there is no ‘right to stop or park’ on the public highway as the use of the highway is to pass and repass without let or hindrance. On-road parking is available to all vehicles (or types of vehicles) and no individual has a right to park in a specific place, for example on the road outside their own property. The Highways Authority has the right to take possession of the highway at any time, including areas commonly used for on-road parking. In these instances there is no obligation in law for the Highways Authority to provide alternative parking.

Please see our Data Protection Information.

If you would like more information about how we use your data, please read our Privacy Policy: www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/privacynotices.

To report speeding vehicles, make requests traffic calming or to report a concern relating to pedestrian safety please visit the Road Safety Community Hub web pages.

To report issues with road signs and to request that road markings be refreshed, report road condition issues please visit the Highways Gloucestershire Report It web page.