Press Release:Parking mad! Residents fighting to park outside their own homes

 18 September 2017
Parking mad! Residents fighting to park outside their own homes


29% of residents experience problems parking outside their home;


15% of people who've experienced parking difficulties in their street have fallen out with their neighbours over the issue;


Only 36% of people living in an area with parking permits think the system reduces parking issues.


Almost a third (29%) of residents now have trouble finding a parking space outside their home and it is driving many Brits parking mad, according to a new survey*.
Commissioned by GoCompare Car Insurance, the study reveals that nearly half (49%) of those who have problems parking, think the situation on their road has got a lot worse in the last 10 years with 19% saying that most days they have difficulty finding a parking space near their home. Some (15%) admit to falling out with their neighbours over parking arrangements.
The study suggests that increasing car ownership is exacerbating residential parking problems. Over the last 20 years the number of licensed vehicles in Great Britain has increased by 42%. Ironically, over a quarter (26%) of residents who experience issues parking outside their home themselves live in households with more than one car.
The research also found that residents' parking permits were not always the solution to parking woes. Of those living in streets where parking is regulated by permits, only 36% think the system helps to reduce parking problems while 12% say parking permits have made the situation worse. 18% didn't feel enough is done to enforce parking restrictions in their street.
Over half (54%) of the people surveyed said that in looking for a new home, a driveway or dedicated parking space would be a must-have' feature.
Commenting on the research, Matt Oliver, spokesman for GoCompare Car Insurance, said, "Many residential areas, particularly old terraced streets, predate the existence of cars so were not designed to accommodate parking. Especially when you consider that car ownership has increased considerably** over the past 20 years.
Matt Oliver continued, "Some of the residents taking part in our study clearly feel plagued by parking problems at home. But, unless you have a driveway or designated parking space, you have no legal right to park outside your home. So long as they are complying with any restrictions, such as parking permits, yellow lines or zigzags, and are not causing an obstruction, anyone is entitled to park in a residential area."
According to The Highway Code, areas where drivers must not park include:


On a pedestrian crossing, including the area marked by the zig-zag lines;


Opposite a traffic island or (if this would cause an obstruction) another parked vehicle;


In marked taxi bays or at or near a bus/tram stop;


On red lines;


In spaces reserved for Blue Badge holders, residents or motorbikes, unless you are entitled to do so;


Near a school entrance;


Anywhere that would prevent access for emergency services;


Opposite or within 10 metres of a junction;


Over a dropped kerb;


In front of the entrance to a property;


In a cycle lane.


For more information on parking rules and regulations, visit: http://www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/guide-to-parking-laws
-ends-
 
For further information please contact:

  Anders Nilsson or Martyn John at GoCompare on 01633 654 054 / 01633 654 725
Gordon, Jason or Liz at MAW Communications on 01603 505 845
Keep up-to-date with GoCompare on Twitter; @GoCompare
Notes to editors:
*On 27 March 2017, Bilendi conducted an online survey among 2001 randomly selected British adults who are Maximiles UK panelists. The margin of error-which measures sampling variability-is +/- 2.2%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and regional data to ensure samples representative of the entire adult population of United Kingdom. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
**Source: Department for Transport: Vehicle Licensing Statistics Annual 2016 (published on 13 April 2017). Over the last 20 years the number of licensed vehicles in Great Britain has increased by 42% (74% increase in the number of vans, 69% increase in motorcycles and 39% increase in the number of cars).
GoCompare is a comparison website that enables people to compare the costs and features of a wide variety of insurance policies, financial products and energy tariffs.
 
GoCompare does not charge people to use its services, and it does not accept advertising or sponsored listings, so all product comparisons are unbiased. Gocompare.com makes its money through fees paid by the providers of products that appear on its various comparison services when a customer buys through the site.
GoCompare does not sell its customers' data.
 
When it launched in 2006, it was the first comparison site to focus on displaying policy details rather than just listing prices, with the aim of helping people to make better-informed decisions when buying their insurance. GoCompare has remained dedicated to helping people choose the most appropriate products rather than just the cheapest, and has teamed up with Defaqto, the independent financial researcher, to integrate additional policy information into a number of its insurance comparison services. This allows people to compare up to an extra 30 features of cover.
 
GoCompare is the only comparison website to be invited to join the British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
 
For more information visit www.gocompare.com and www.gocomparegroup.com
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