The RCIPS often receives parking complaints from communities where vehicles are blocking the public roadway and making it unsafe for pedestrians and motorists to safely pass. When officers conduct enquiries, it is revealed, there is often higher occupancy at the corresponding tenanted properties, than parking allows for on the lot. This results in spillover of vehicles onto the roadside. 

In one instance, when officers went to make checks, a rental property had more derelict vehicles in designated parking spaces than actual working vehicles. Officers issued tickets to the tenants for obstructing the roadway. Soon after, the landlord made adjustments to allow for more vehicles on their property.

The RCIPS advises landlords that rental properties must allow enough parking for the number of tenants intending on occupying the property. Not only can illegally parking on a roadway result in a parking infringement, it also affects quality of life for residents who share the roadway, and becomes a major hazard when it obstructs larger emergency vehicles from responding to save life or property. 

“This issue goes beyond police enforcement – tickets only gets us so far”, says Inspector Ian Yearwood, Head of Community Policing. “Instead, the community must work with the police and other partners to find solutions to improve the situation for all residents, including; the removal of derelict cars to free up space on lots for working cars to park, making changes to lots to allow extra space for vehicles, restricting the number of vehicles at tenanted residences, and ensuring that when persons do need to park on the roadway it is only done where there is space for drivers to safely pass by, especially in the case of emergency services vehicles. We must work together to prevent the blockages occurring on our residential streets”. 

As part of the RCIPS holiday campaign, “Winter Guardian”, patrols will be targeting communities to assess parking complaints and will issue parking infringements to anyone blocking public roadways. The RCIPS encourages landlords and tenants to work together to remedy any parking overflow issues at rental properties to ensure our roadways are unobstructed.