Leeds Bradford Airport: New £100 fines for passengers parking on double red lines

Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) has announced it is implementing new measures to ensure the safe use of the airport’s roads and car parks.

Effective from Friday May 27, drivers are warned not to stop, park or wait on new double red-lined ‘red route’ roads on the airport estate.

The airport said the measures are being implemented due to growing congestion caused by vehicles stopping and blocking lanes, creating safety risks for other motorists and potentially causing costly delays for emergency vehicles responding to an incident at the airport. Fines of up to £100 will be levied for breaches of the new measures.

In line with parking policies at other airports across the UK, drivers will also face a fine of up to £100 if they tailgate other vehicles out of car parks to avoid payment, park over two bays, or park in disabled bays without the appropriate authorisation.

Damian Ives, the airport's chief operating officer, said: “The last thing we want to do is to issue fines, but safety is our primary concern. These changes are being implemented to ensure the wellbeing of passengers on the roads and carparks on the airport’s land, by reducing unsafe vehicle behavior and limiting the risk of an accident.

“We encourage any passengers coming to LBA to use the ‘One Hour Free’ zones or our ‘Pick Up and Drop Off’ when driving to the airport, or alternatively the Flyer bus services. LBA also offers a wide variety of parking options to suit all of its customer needs.”

Public signage detailing these changes will clearly mark the affected areas. Any fine paid within 14 days of the violation will be reduced to £60 from £100.

It comes as the airport continues to grapple with the industry-wide shortage of staff that has seen passengers queueing for hours to get through the security gates.

The airport has apologised for the issues and is recruiting for a range of roles, including security staff, lounge chefs and cleaning staff.

This article was first published by the Yorkshire Post.