Hucknall and Bulwell tram operator clamping 60 vehicles every month at park and ride sites

NET began clamping vehicles at the Forest Park and Ride in October 2022, in a bid to reduce the number of people using the facility against its rules.

Enforcement of the rules was then rolled out across all seven park and ride facilities the following year, including Hucknall and Moor Bridge.

NET says park and ride sites are for the sole use of tram ticket holders, meaning all motorists using the facilities must have a valid tram ticket or a travel card. Overnight parking is also prohibited.

Progress on the issue will be discussed at a meeting at Nottingham City Council’s Loxley House headquarters on January 14.

Meeting documents say: “Parking enforcement continues across the network.

“Activity has remained stable throughout the year, with on average 60 vehicles per month being clamped across all seven park and ride sites.”

NET is also looking to continue a crackdown against fare evasion and anti-social behaviour across the network.

While both issues are in decline, NET says front-line staff members ‘continue to experience abuse and occasionally physical violence when carrying out their duties’.

Exact figures have not been published, but meeting documents add: “NET work closely with the police to provide our high-definition CCTV footage to identify and prosecute where possible.

“Each month, NET attends the transport hub with local stakeholders to share anti-social behaviour (ASB) incidents and agree on a joint approach.

“They have also carried out joint operations with the police and schools in areas where ASB and fare evasion are at their highest.”

In the seven months between May and November last year, NET says the reliability and punctuality of tram services sat between 93.6 and 95.8 per cent.

NET’s ongoing zero tolerance campaign on fare-dodging started a year ago and saw a 45 per cent month-on-month rise in penalty fare notices issued during the first month of its launch.

Almost 10,000 people were caught in the first six months of the campaign, with the number of passengers not paying for a ticket falling from 10 per cent to between seven and eight per cent.