Parking vouchers were introduced in Brighton in February 1991 to replace parking meters that had become increasingly costly to maintain and repair. This was the third area in the United Kingdom to introduce pre-paid parking vouchers. The legal provisions, under which the innovatory parking control device is operated, require that East Sssex County Council, the Traffic Authority, received Special Approval from the Secretary of State for Transport before the vouchers could be introduced in the town. A study of the new scheme was undertaken by TRL to determine the effect the vouchers had on motorists' parking behaviour and activity. Questionnaire and parking activity surveys were undertaken both before and after the vouchers were introduced as well as an analysis of enforcement data provided by Sussex Police. Results obtained from the study indicated that parking vouchers are understood by the majority of motorists but that the system is abused because of the relatively low level of enforcement. The study also highlighted a number of issues that need to be considered when developing parking voucher schemes in other areas. (A)
Abstract