sparks project nick lester director of transport, environment & planning london councils
TRANSCRIPT
What is SPARKS Project?
• Programme created by London’s Enforcement Task Force– London Councils– Transport for London– Metropolitan and City of London Police– DVLA– Department for Transport– British Parking Association
European Partners
• VNG (Netherlands)
• VVSG (Belgium)
• Local Councils Association (Malta)
• Aragon & Valencia Regions (Spain)
• Lazio Region (Italy)
• PSI GmbH (Germany)
Objective of SPARKS
To enable the civil enforcement of
traffic regulations
to be equally effective
against all vehicles
irrespective of nationality
Civil Enforcement?
• Local Authority traffic law enforcement on a civil basis includes:– Parking and stopping
regulation– One way streets– Box junctions– Weight and size limits– Other moving traffic
regulations– Congestion charging
Why Civil Enforcement?
• Enforcement of traffic regulations an essential tool of managing London’s road network since 1993
• Civil traffic enforcement in London now 8 times the volume of all police traffic enforcement in the UK
Why SPARKS and Civil Traffic Enforcement?
• Civil Enforcement very effective, with significant improvement in compliance
but
• Foreign registered vehicles now a significant problem, causing process to fail.
Foreign Registered Vehicles
• Foreign Registered Vehicles represent:– 2% of all traffic entering central London– 5% of all traffic penalties issued (350,000 penalties a
year in London)– Re-offending is twice as likely by FRV’s
A Growing Problem
• Increased tourism and trade within Europe• Increase in migration within EU• Increase in purchase of FRVs by UK
residents• Increase in illegal activities in connection
with FRVs• Increasing reliance on camera based
enforcement• 2012 Olympics a particular focus
FRV immunity
• All civil enforcement is owner liability
• FRVs are effectively immune because:– Limited access to foreign keeper databases
• DVLA has no powers to receive (or send) owner data
– No enforcement mechanism outside UK• Council Framework Decision on financial penalties
(COPEN 24) is criminal only• Civil & commercial remedies (e.g. European
Enforcement Order) not for administrative law
Not just a UK problem
• Netherlands, Belgium, Malta– Similar problems for parking enforcement
• Other European countries moving to civil parking and traffic enforcement– Traffic management not a police priority
• EETS and electronic toll collection• Congestion and road user charging (“Demand
Management” policies)
• Low emission zones (Utrecht, Copenhagen, Berlin)
Aims of SPARKS Project - 1
• Automated access to vehicle owner databases throughout Europe– Support the ‘hub and
spoke’ principle– Vehicle registries to act as
gatekeepers– Access by public
authorities only– National legislation
changes needed
Aims of SPARKS Project - 2
• Pan Europe enforcement mechanism– Based on European
Enforcement Order process (COPEN 24 ineffectual)
– EU action and national legislation needed
Your Support
Ensure that the needs of civil traffic
enforcement considered equally
with criminal traffic enforcement
in data exchange matters
More information or want to help?
Get the video !
Email:
Or see:
www.sparksproject.org
www.eurosparks.org