Whilst it appears that the parking fees have fallen and risen in a pattern, the trend only seems to be increasing, meaning that parking fees and fines are becoming worryingly high. Not only this, but it has been revealed that London is the most expensive city in the world to park your car – with motorists paying an average of £42 per day. As a city, parking charges beat other major cities such as New York, Sydney and Tokyo, with some central London car parks charging up to £75 per day. It’s also a problem for motorists entering London, as not only do they have to comply with the £10 congestion charge, but also have to abide with the most expensive parking fees/fines in the world. It’s even extremely pricey for those who simply want to travel around London without their own vehicle, as it’s been reported by the BBC that London also has the highest taxi and public transport fares.

I asked an elderly couple (who wished to be anonymous) living in south London about their opinions on the rise of fees and fines in the area, to which they told me: ‘they already they charge way too much, considering that we all pay road tax which is a high amount as well. They try to make revenue out of you in every way possible by booking cars for the smallest misdemeanours. A lot of the roadside cameras give you hefty fines from going slightly over the speed limit, and keeping a car on the road is expensive as it is. Some car parks charge way too much, especially hospital car parks. London is just extortionate’.

‘They bleed you dry with every penny they can get from you with their speed traps, and sometimes you can just be going 2 miles over the speed limit and they still fine you, they don’t give people enough discrepancy. They even charge disabled people in some car parks and now they’re starting to charge disabled badge holders which is really unfair because those people are on tight budgets anyway’.

It’s clear that fees and fines are increasing in south London, and it’s ridiculously expensive to travel anywhere else. However despite the complaints, The Local Government Association have stated that parking charge surpluses were spent on ‘essential transport projects’, meaning that the money has been invested into helping the UK with travel. The Local Government Association’s transport spokesman said parking charges were re-invested back into the community by helping to keep the road clear, help pedestrians, motorists and cyclists safe and enable people to park near their homes.