Starting Thursday, parcel delivery and other drivers who stop briefly in an unauthorized spot and leave their vehicle may come back to find it sporting a parking ticket.

The revised Road Traffic Law, which takes effect Thursday, allows private companies under police employ to write parking tickets to drivers who park illegally, including the parcel delivery vans that are an ubiquitous part of the urban landscape, their drivers running from building to building with cartloads of items to be signed for.

The change is aimed at freeing up police to focus more time and energy on fighting serious crimes instead of misdemeanors.