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Northern Ireland Orders in Council


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PART IV

PARKING PLACES

Power of Department to provide parking places
     10.  - (1) Where it appears to the Department to be necessary to do so, the Department may provide suitable parking places for vehicles in accordance with the provisions of this Article and Article 11.

    (2) The Department may utilise any land which may be appropriated for the provision of parking places.

    (3) The Department may take all such steps as may be necessary to adapt for use as a parking place any land, not being part of a road, which the Department may utilise under paragraph (2) or acquire under Article 110(2)(b)(iii) of the Roads (Northern Ireland) Order 1993.

    (4) The Department may, subject to paragraphs (5) and (6), by order authorise the use as a parking place of any part of a road.

    (5) An order under paragraph (4) shall not authorise the use of any part of a road - 

    (a) so as unreasonably to prevent - 

      (i) access to any premises adjoining the road; or

      (ii) the use of the road by any person entitled to its use; or

    (b) so as to be a nuisance.

    (6) An order under paragraph (4) shall not be made in respect of any part of a road not maintainable by the Department without the consent of the person responsible for the maintenance of the road.

    (7) Schedule 4 (which makes further provision relating to orders under this Article and Articles 13 and 15) shall have effect.

    (8) For the purposes of this Part an underground parking place shall not be deemed to be part of a road by reason only of its being situated under a road.

    (9) The powers of the Department to provide parking places under this Part include power to provide, on roads or elsewhere, cycle stands or racks.

Additional powers in respect of off-street parking places
    
11.  - (1) The powers of the Department under Article 10 to provide off-street parking places for vehicles shall include power - 

    (2) Where the Department provides a parking place in a building, it may - 

    (3) The Department may enter into arrangements with any person under which, in consideration of the payment by him to the Department of a lump sum, or series of lump sums, he is authorised to collect and retain the charges made in respect of the parking of vehicles in an off-street parking place provided by the Department.

    (4) The Department may let for use as a parking place any off-street parking place provided by it and, where the parking place is provided in a building, let it for such use separately from the rest of the building or let the whole or any part of the building with the parking place.

    (5) The Department may - 

    (6) The Department may let or hire out on such terms as it thinks fit such buildings, facilities or apparatus as are mentioned in paragraph (1)(b).

    (7) The Department may erect barriers at any off-street parking place for the purpose of preventing or restricting the access of unauthorised vehicles to that parking place.

Provision of access to premises through off-street parking places
    
12.  - (1) Where it appears to the Department that an off-street parking place may be used to provide a means of access from a road to any premises, the Department may adapt for use as, or for providing, such a means of access - 

    (2) The Department may - 

    (3) Subject to the provisions of any agreement made under sub-paragraph (a) of paragraph (2) and to any rights granted under sub-paragraph (b) of that paragraph, the Department may by order under Article 13 make provision as to the use of any parking place as a means of access and in particular as to - 

    (4) Subject to the provisions of any agreement made under sub-paragraph (a) of paragraph (2) and to any rights granted under sub-paragraph (b) of that paragraph, the Department may stop up any means of access provided under this Article.

    (5) In this Article references to a parking place include references to the means of access to the parking place and references to the use of a means of access include references to such use by pedestrians.

Provisions as to use of parking places
    
13  - (1) The Department may by order make provision as to - 

    (2) An order under paragraph (1) may make provision as to the charges to be paid in connection with the use of an off-street parking place, including provision requiring those charges, or any part of them, to be paid by means of the hire or purchase in advance, or the use, of parking devices in accordance with the order.

    (3) The amount of any charge for a vehicle left in an off-street parking place shall be such amount as the Department may by an order under paragraph (1) determine, and any such amount may be fixed - 

    (4) An order under paragraph (1) may make provision for - 

    (5) An order under paragraph (1) may make provision as to - 

    (6) An order under paragraph (1) may make provision - 

    (7) In this Article and in Article 14 "parking device" means either a card, disc, token, meter, permit, stamp or other similar device, whether used in a vehicle or not, which, being used either by itself, or in conjunction with any such apparatus as is referred to in paragraph (6)(d) - 

or any other device of such description as may be prescribed for the purposes of this Article and Article 14.

    (8) Regulations under paragraph (7) which revoke or amend previous regulations under that paragraph may make such saving and transitional provision as appears to the Department to be necessary or expedient.

    (9) An order under paragraph (1) may restrict the use (either at all times or at times specified in the order) of a specified parking place authorised under Article 10(4) - 

    (10) The Department may issue permits for the purposes of paragraph (9) and, in the case of any particular parking place and any particular vehicle or class of vehicle, issue a permit for that vehicle or class of vehicle to be left in the parking place while the permit remains in force, either at all times or at times specified in the permit.

    (11) The Department may make such charge in connection with the issue of permits under paragraph (10), of such amount and payable in such manner, as the Department may determine.

    (12) An order under paragraph (1) may make provision - 

    (13) An order under paragraph (1) may make provision as to - 

    (14) An order under paragraph (1) may make provision authorising the use of part of an off-street parking place - 

in accordance with a licence issued by the Department.

    (15) For the purposes of paragraph (14) the Department may issue licences for such consideration and on such terms and conditions as the Department thinks fit and an order under paragraph (1) may make provision regulating the issue, revocation and surrender of such licences.

    (16) An order under paragraph (1) may make provision for the suspension of the use of a parking place or any part of it on such occasions or in such circumstances as may be specified in the order.

    (17) A copy of any order under paragraph (1) relating to an off-street parking place shall be exhibited on or near that parking place.

    (18) Schedule 4 makes further provision relating to orders under this Article.

Offences and proceedings in connection with parking places provided under Article 10 or 11
    
14.  - (1) In the event of any contravention of a provision of an order under Article 13, the person responsible is guilty of an offence.

    (2) A person who, with intent to defraud - 

is guilty of an offence.

    (3) An order under Article 13(1) may include provision - 

    (4) In this Article - 

    (5) A person authorised by the Department in that behalf or a constable may secure the observance of orders under Article 13 and, where he has reasonable cause to believe that the driver of a vehicle has contravened a provision of an order under that Article, may require the driver to stop the vehicle and provide his name and address.

    (6) A person (other than a constable) exercising powers conferred under paragraph (5) shall, on request, produce some document showing that he is authorised by the Department to exercise those powers.

    (7) For the purposes of paragraph (5), section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland) 1968 (assault on, and obstruction of, constables, etc.) shall have effect in relation to a person authorised as mentioned in that paragraph as if he were a constable.

    (8) Where the driver of a vehicle is alleged to be guilty of an offence under paragraph (1) in relation to an off-street parking place - 

    (9) If a person fails to comply with paragraph (8), he is guilty of an offence unless he shows to the satisfaction of the court that he did not know and could not with reasonable diligence have ascertained who was the driver of the vehicle.

Designation of parking places on roads for which charges may be made
    
15.  - (1) The Department may by order - 

    (2) In determining what parking places are to be designated under paragraph (1), the Department shall consider both the interests of traffic and those of the owners and occupiers of adjoining property.

    (3) In particular the Department shall have regard to - 

    (4) An order under paragraph (1) may designate a parking place for use (either at all times or at times specified in the order) - 

    (5) The Department may issue permits for the purposes of paragraph (4) and, in the case of any particular parking place and any particular vehicle or class of vehicle, issue a permit for that vehicle or class of vehicle to be left in the parking place while the permit remains in force, either at all times or at times specified in the permit.

    (6) The Department may make such charge in connection with the issue or use of permits under paragraph (S), of such amount and payable in such manner, as the Department may determine.

    (7) Schedule 4 makes further provision relating to orders under this Article.

Charges for parking in designated parking places
    
16.  - (1) Subject to paragraph (4), the amount of the charge for a vehicle left in a parking place designated by order under Article 15 shall be such amount as the Department may by order under that Article determine, and any such amount may be fixed - 

    (2) Provision may be made by order under Article 15 for - 

    (3) Provision may be made by order under Article 15 for - 

    (4) In this Article "credit card" and "debit card" have the same meanings as in Article 14.

Regulation of designated parking places
    
17.  - (1) An order under Article 15 may provide for regulating or restricting the use of a designated parking place, or otherwise for or in connection with the operation of such a parking place, and in particular, but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, may - 

    (2) An order under Article 15 may make provision as to - 

Supplementary provisions relating to designation orders
    
18.  - (1) Where under an order under Article 15 vehicles may not be left at all times in a designated parking place - 

    (2) An order under Article 15 may vary or revoke - 

and any such order as is mentioned in sub-paragraph (a) or (b) may provide that the order shall not have effect as respects any time as respects which provision is made by an order under Article 15 for the leaving of vehicles in that part of the road.

    (3) A constable may suspend the use of a designated parking place for not more than seven days in order to prevent or mitigate congestion or obstruction of traffic, or danger to or from traffic, in consequence of extraordinary circumstances.

Offences relating to parking places on roads where charges may be made
    
19.  - (1) If the driver of a vehicle - 

    (2) In relation to an offence under paragraph (1)(b) the reference to the driver of a vehicle shall be construed as a reference to the person driving the vehicle at the time it was left in the parking place.

    (3) If any person, whether the driver of a vehicle or not, contravenes any provision of an order under Article 15 otherwise than as mentioned in paragraph (1), he is guilty of an offence.

    (4) A person who, with intent to defraud, interferes with a parking meter or operates or attempts to operate a parking meter by the c insertion of objects other than current coins or bank notes of the appropriate denomination or the appropriate credit or debit cards is guilty of an offence.

    (5) Where, in any proceedings for an offence under this Article of failing to pay any charge, it is proved that the amount which has r become due, or any part of that amount, has not been duly paid, the court shall order the payment of the sum not paid and any such order may be enforced in like manner as an order for the payment of a sum adjudged to be paid on a conviction.

    (6) Any sum ordered under paragraph (5) to be paid shall, for the purposes of any enactment providing for imprisonment in default of payment of a sum adjudged to be paid on a conviction, be aggregated with the amount of the fine, if any, ordered to be paid in respect of the offence.

    (7) Where, in any proceedings for an offence under this Article of failing to pay an excess charge, it is not proved that the excess charge had become due, but it is proved that an initial charge has not been paid, the defendant may be convicted of an offence under this Article of failing to pay an initial charge.

    (8) Without prejudice to the right of any other person to institute proceedings the Department may institute proceedings for an offence under this Article.

    (9) Any apparatus (within the meaning of Article 26) and any notice or traffic sign erected by the Department for the purposes of a designated parking place shall, unless the contrary is proved, be deemed to have been lawfully so erected.

Acceptance of payment as bar to proceedings under Article 19
    
20. Where in the case of any vehicle - 

acceptance by the Department of payment of the amount of that charge shall be a bar to proceedings for an offence under Article 19(1)(b) of failing duly to pay the charge.

Parking devices for designated parking places
    
21.  - (1) Any power of the Department under Article 15(1) to impose charges for vehicles left in a designated parking place shall include power to require those charges, or any part of them, to be paid by means of the hire or purchase in advance, or the use, of parking devices in accordance with any relevant provision of an order under that Article.

    (2) The provision which may be made by virtue of Article 16(3) includes provision - 

    (3) For the purposes of paragraph (2) - 

    (4) In this Article and Article 22 (offences in connection with parking devices) "parking device" means either a card, disc, token, meter, permit, stamp or other similar device, whether used in a vehicle or not, which, being used either by itself or in conjunction with any such apparatus as is referred to in paragraph (2)(d), indicates or causes to be indicated the payment of a charge, and - 

or any other device of such description as may be prescribed for the purposes of this Article and Article 22.

    (5) Regulations under paragraph (4) which revoke or amend previous regulations under that paragraph may make such saving and transitional provision as appears to the Department to be necessary or expedient.

Offences in connection with parking devices
    
22. A person who, with intent to defraud - 

is guilty of an offence.

Mishandling of parking devices, etc.
    
23.  - (1) A person who, with intent to deceive - 

is guilty of an offence.

    (2) In this Article "parking device" has the same meaning as in Article 13 or, as the case may be, Article 21.

Public service vehicle plying for hire in parking place
    
24. While a vehicle is within a designated parking place or a parking place provided under Article 10 or 11, the driver or conductor of the vehicle, and any person employed in connection with the vehicle, shall not ply for hire or accept passengers for hire, and any person acting in contravention of this Article is guilty of an offence.

Parking attendants
    
25.  - (1) The Department may appoint such persons as may be necessary for the superintendence of parking places.

    (2) Persons appointed under paragraph (1) shall be known as parking attendants.

Acquisition and inspection, etc., of apparatus
    
26.  - (1) The Department may acquire, whether by purchase or hiring, such apparatus as appears to the Department to be required for the purposes of its functions under this Part.

    (2) The Department may erect, maintain and operate any such apparatus - 

    (3) The Department shall make periodical inspections and tests of apparatus provided by it and in use and shall deal with any found to be out of order.

    (4) In this Article "apparatus" includes a parking meter and any device.

Protection of Department from liability
    
27. The exercise by the Department of its functions under this Part shall not render the Department subject to any liability in respect of the loss of or damage to any vehicle in a parking place or the fittings or contents of any such vehicle, unless such loss or damage is directly attributable to a negligent act of the Department or its servant or agent.

 
© Crown copyright 1997
Prepared 30 June 1997

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