Thousands of parking tickets handed out in borough
DRIVERS in Ards and North Down receive more parking tickets than almost any other area in Northern Ireland, it has been revealed.
Local motorists received 6,035 parking tickets last year, racking up potential fees of between £271,575 and £814,825.
The recent statistics are the result of a freedom of information request submitted by the insurance evaluation firm, CompareNI.
As a district council area, Ards and North Down is outnumbered by Derry City and Strabane district council, which garnered 6,478 tickets, and Fermanagh and Omagh, which received the highest number of parking tickets at 6,695.
The fourth most billed area was Belfast at 5,748 fines. In fifth was Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon with 3,676, followed by Mid and East Antrim at 3,007 then Mid Ulster at 2,910.
Newry Mourne and Down received 2,295, while Lisburn and Castlereagh got 2,087.
The lowest on the list was Antrim and Newtownabbey, with drivers receiving just 488 last year. Information for Causeway Coast and Glens is unknown, as the data remains pending.
Surveying billed motorists, CompareNI found that 29% of those billed were unsure of parking rules, while 23% did not know that payment was required for the area. A quarter worry about how they are going to afford their fines.
Around 71% quizzed stated parking fees were too expensive; fines range from £45 to £90, depending on when it is paid, though fees can reach up to £135 depending on circumstances.
Fifty-one percent support a warning before a fine is issued, while 37% want to make them cheaper. Ten percent support giving people more time to pay their fines.
