More than £50k fines for disabled parking misuse

The FOI data also shows where the PCNs were issued from 2020-2024, both for on-street disabled parking bays and those in the council's car parks

More than 2,000 drivers who incorrectly used disabled parking spaces in Reading have been fined in 2024.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed that Reading Borough Council had issued 2,030 fines for breaches involving a person using a disabled space without a blue badge, or a person with a badge overstaying their allotted parking time.

The council gained £50,770 from these fines, which are issued through penalty charge notices (PCNs).

Over the last four years, a total of 8,111 PCNs were issued for the incorrect use of blue badge disabled bays.

Reading Borough Council gained more than £50,000 from the fines

The FOI data also shows where the PCNs were issued from 2020-2024, both for on-street disabled parking bays and those in the council's car parks.

The road with the highest amount of disabled parking fines was Blagrave Street, with 1,248 PCNs.

Elsewhere, 1,095 PCNs were issued in Kings Road, and 1,089 fines were issued in Oxford Road.

The highest amount of PCNs - 2,501- were issued in 2023.

In the latest data available, 2,367 fines were issued after a person parked without clearly displaying a valid disabled person's badge in on-street parking spaces for 2023/24.

Meanwhile, 96 people were fined for the same breach at the council's off-street car parks.

Any income the council gets from paid fines must be reinvested in other transport-related projects such as better road surfacing and safety measures.