New barrier-less parking zones at Derby Train Station.
East Midlands Railway have introduced an upgrade on their car parking zones.
Barrierless entry systems use ANPR (Automatic number plate recognition) systems to log vehicle entrance and exit.
In the same way shopping centres, airport drop off terminals and car parks with maximum stay clauses use ANPR to monitor vehicle actions, Derby Station is implementing them at entry points.
This means that entry and exit points won’t have barriers, just drive in and drive out access points with any overstay or charges happening via computer monitoring.
On the back of concerns raised by Derby private hire drivers, we reached out to find out some more infomation directly from EMR trains.
Based on some questions voiced by the trade, we had a fast and concise response from the team at EMR.
The current facts are:
All car parks will have a 30-minute grace period for short visits. Each time a vehicle enters, a parking session starts with up to 30 minutes of free parking, giving taxi drivers enough time to pick up or drop off passengers without being charged.
Answers to your questions below:
- Is there a system in place to recognise or register licensed private hire and taxi vehicles operating under Derby City Council (DCC) licences, to ensure they are not unfairly penalised by ANPR systems when performing legitimate short-stay passenger work?
No, only taxis* who have paid for permits at our stations will be added to the whitelisting portal. Any other taxis will need to follow the same rules as general customers i.e. they can use the car park for up to 30 minutes for free but will then need to pay if staying longer else they’ll be issued with a Parking Charge.
- Would EMR consider introducing an “Approved Vehicle List” or permit system for verified Derby-licensed drivers, allowing for safer, properly monitored access to the car park and designated set-down areas?
No, we would not consider implementing this for Derby-licensed drivers as we do not believe it is necessary given the 30-minute grace period and it would create additional administrative work to maintain this list as well as creating the possibility for abuse of the car parks.
- Can EMR provide guidance for local drivers outlining best practice for short-term access, grace periods, and compliance to avoid confusion and accidental penalties?
They can use any of the three car parks and short stay periods at Derby railway station covered by ANPR for up to 30 minutes without charge. If they are staying longer than this, they would need to pay for their parking to avoid incurring a Parking Charge.
So the advice from D.A.T.A would be. Make sure you use the proper access points for all station car parks to ensure the ANPR camers monitor you leaving after drop or pick up.
Remember there is a 30 minute free window per visit to the station so once clear, leave the area.
We believe all station car parks will be monitered by APCOA so any and all penalty notices would have to be challenged directly to them via the processes published on any penalty notices.
Further information about the changes at Derby train station can be found here: https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/anpr-car-parking
*Taxis to be defined as Hackney carriages. Derbys iconic yellow taxi drivers pay for a pass to use the designated taxi rank at the front of the station.