The Traffic Management Act 2004 (TMA)

The Traffic Management Act 2004 (TMA) received Royal Assent on the 22nd July 2004 and Part 6 of the Act comes into effect on 31 March 2008.

The TMA replaces the present system of decriminalized parking enforcement under the Road Traffic Act 1991 (RTA) as the legal framework for parking in England and Wales. The RTA introduced the concept of local authorities undertaking enforcement of parking management schemes.

Previously, traffic wardens employed by the police, undertook the enforcement and issued (criminal) Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN). Under the TMA decriminalised parking enforcement will change and become Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE).

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has been decriminalised since 1994 and therefore there will be very little change in on-street enforcement when the TMA is implemented. Enforcement of parking regulations in the Royal Borough will continue to operate with parking attendants whom the Act has designated as Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs).

The TMA and the associated regulations aim to provide local authorities with a single framework to allow for greater consistency across the country. At the same time the Act allows parking policies to suit local circumstances.

The framework also seeks to ensure that the system operated is consistent, clear and fair to the motorist as well as effective in enforcing compliance with local parking regulations.

Local authorities will be required to be more open and accountable about their parking management policies and to communicate these effectively to the public.

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Further information:

A full version of the Traffic Management Act 2004 is available on Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) website