THE number of parking tickets issued in York has fallen by a quarter, after trigger-happy traffic wardens were told to be more lenient.

In 2007/8, wardens issued 21,256 penalty charge notices (PCNs) in the city’s streets and car parks, down from 28,467 in 2005/6.

Transport chiefs at City of York Council say the drop is because wardens are no longer punishing motorists for relatively minor offences, such as parking slightly outside a bay.

As part of the council’s budget proposals, the number of enforcement officers is also being cut, with two vacant posts being scrapped.

The council’s annual parking report says guidelines introduced in 2007 were working, with the focus being placed on motorists causing serious obstructions, and a concentration on on-street offenders rather than those in car parks.

The report, compiled by council transport officials, states: “Less emphasis is now given to minor offences, such as where motorists have paid the appropriate fee, but may have parked slightly out of a parking bay.

“A careful check is made before a PCN is issued to a vehicle for parking out of a bay, and a PCN is only issued as a last resort when a vehicle is clearly causing an obstruction rather than with, for example, one wheel overhanging the bar marking.”

Motorist Tim Wardle, who was ticketed in Castle Car Park in 2006 for overhanging a bay, welcomed the change of policy.

“It’s definitely a good idea,” he said.

Mr Wardle and his wife, Caroline, had travelled to York from Bishop Wilton, but their American Dodge Ram pickup did not fit in one bay. They got a ticket, although the council later cancelled it on appeal.

Mr Wardle said the car park had only been quarter full, and added: “We were doing no harm to anybody, so the change is definitely good.”

Coun Steve Galloway, the city’s parking boss, said: “Generally the parking report shows that motorists are increasingly respecting parking restrictions hence fewer tickets are being issued.

“This is encouraging. This means that we will be able to dispense with two enforcement posts, hence reducing costs.”

The parking report details the performance of the city’s parking services for 2007/8.

Among the highs for the council was the performance of the city’s innovative “pay by phone” service.

In 2007/8, the total number of users was 94,087, up by 79 per cent from the 2006/7 total of 52,469.

Meanwhile, the council’s parking hotline, which enables residents to report illegal parking by phone, received 2,308 calls in the year, with 78 per cent being responded to within 45 minutes.

This resulted in more than 950 penalty charge notices being issued to illegally parked vehicles.

In total, parking made slightly more for the council than expected in 2007/8, with net income of £3.74 million against a budgeted £3.68 million.