Operation Park Safe to be piloted in Crewe throughout January

A new initiative which allows residents to report public illegal parking problems online is set to be piloted across Crewe LPU throughout January.

Operation Park Safe is a project which will allow members of the public to report parking issues directly to the police website.

As part of the scheme, residents will be able to upload videos and photographs of offending vehicles to the website where they will be assessed by an experienced traffic officer, who will triage and deal with any dangerous parking offences.

Any minor traffic obstructions or community impact issues will be allocated to the local PCSO or Beat officers to deal with in an appropriate manner.

The operation is to be piloted in Crewe starting in January 2024.

If successful, officers will look to roll out the scheme across the force.

What residents will need to do:

• You will need to provide a written statement about the offence, including the date and time it happened. This can be completed electronically.
• You will need to provide us with your name, address, date of birth and contact details.
• You may be required to attend court if the matter is contested.
• Do NOT challenge the driver or get involved in confrontation.
• Do NOT put yourself at risk to obtain a photograph.

What officers will do:

• The Roads and Crime Unit will triage the report and will deal with the person responsible. This may include issuing fines or educational courses depending on the severity of the offence committed.

Offences officers will deal with:

• Vehicles parked on or in a crossing area: This includes the area covered by zig-zag lines.
• Parking on white lines: People cannot stop or park on a road marked with double white lines, even when a broken white line is on your side of the road, except to pick up or set down passengers, or to load or unload. This includes the pavement or verge.
• Forcing pedestrians to walk in the road: This includes parking on the pavement where there is not enough room for pedestrians to get past.
• Parking at/on a junction: Vehicles cannot stop, park opposite or within 10m of a junction.
• School parking offences: People cannot stop or park on the zig-zag lines or keep clear markings.
• Parking on a cycle track
• Parking a goods vehicle on the road: Vehicles with a maximum laden weight of more than 7.5 tonnes (including trailers) cannot park on a verge, pavement, or any land situated between carriageways, without police permission. The only exception is when this is essential for loading and unloading, but the vehicle cannot be left unattended.

What officers can’t deal with:

• Single and double yellow line offences: These are local authority parking enforcement only.
• Pavement parking: This is where there is still room for pedestrians to get past without having to go into the road.

To report parking issues as part of Operation Park Safe, visit cheshire.police.uk/park-safe

Sergeant Russell Sime said:

“We know that unsafe parking can cause a real nuisance and danger to members of the public. But we cannot be everywhere - this initiative relies on the help of active citizens to aid us in making the roads safer.

“However, it is important to note that while we will always try our best to resolve parking issues, there are some offences which do not come under our control.

“The pilot for this operation will only occur to offences that take place in the Crewe LPU area for the month of January 2024. This area has been chosen for the initial roll-out due to having the second highest Resident Voice returns for the force in the last quarter.

“We hope residents will make use of this initiative so we can all work together to make our communities a safer place to live.”

John Dwyer, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, said:

“I’m really pleased to see Operation Park Safe being trialled in Cheshire.

“Road safety is one of the top issues raised with me and it’s a priority in the Police and Crime Plan, that’s why it’s important for the police and public to work together to tackle things like illegal parking.

“This way of identifying and dealing with offenders has proven successful elsewhere in the country, so I am hopeful that it will be the same in Crewe and then for the whole county.”