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After a recent 'consultation' the local council has decided to include my house in a controlled parking zone.This will result in much inconvenience and expense and is in my opinion totally unnecessary.They have invited people to write in with complaints but I think it would be a waste of paper,they had already made their minds up before the 'consultation'IMO.Anyone got any experience or advice on this subject?
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What reasons did they give for the introduction?
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They did that to my parents' house in London a year or so ago.
There is a large multi storey car park 5 mins walk away, used for parking for the high street, a number of offices, and the train station. They demolished the car park to build a Tesco (which would include parking equivalent to what was there before + more for shoppers at Tesco). The idea was that in the 2 years while they were building they would increase parking provision elsewhere, then afterwards it would revert back to how it was.
Instead, they just made local roads controlled parking zones which has caused no end of trouble for residents! In the end they decided to only do half of my parents' road (not as far as their house) so no complaints necessary but we would have written in had they not changed their mind. It also turns out that the controlled parking zones will stay after the new car park is built.
No idea what made them change; could well have been a volume of letters complaining so well worth a try.
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Reasons given
To make it easier for residents to park near their homes(I've never had a problem)
To increase turnover of parking to help users of local services and shops.
To ease congestion caused by inconsiderate and inappropriate parking.
To help provide facilities for loading and people with disabilities.
I've never had a problem using the local shops,never experienced any congestion,never heard any complaints that people can't load, and disabled people can park almost anywhere using their blue badge.
We are within walking distance of an underground station and I must admit that some commuters do park far too close to some corners,this problem could be easily solved with some double yellow lines IMO.
IMO this is nothing but a moneymaking/control exersise.Pay and display/resident only parking bays throughout the area previously non restricted,and the really galling thing is that you will only be able to buy a maximum of three permits per household.I have a company van,a car to use at weekends,and my wife has a car.My two children will both start driving in the near future(I hope) what are they meant to do? It's just another way of making life difficult for motorists IMO.
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Ah - its the tube station probably. Lots of residents complain about commuters parking. We are now getting commuter parking turning up and its a 15 minute walk to the station (10 if you know the back way footpath)
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I live in the borough of Greenwich. For the millennium, remember the Dome?, the "Millennium Controlled Parking Zone" was introduced, to protect locals against against outsiders coming in to visit. (Of course, it didn't happen. It was a flop.) It was of course assumed that the zone would be removed afterwards-NO. It's still there, causing mayhem. Different controls in the one street!
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Been there, done it!
I once ran a petition against a CPZ, I got signatures from about 95 of the 100 or so houses in the road that we lived in, I gave them the opportunity to say whether they aware for or anti, it was 75/25 anti.
I had a local councillor on board, another of his colleagues, same party, was very much fore. I was asked to attend a meeting of the council to present the results of the petition, my friendly councillor said to mention his support though could not be there, he was in the US on business. Just before being called into the dock I spoke to my friendly councillor by mobile phone and he further reiterated his support, when I was in the dock I stated that the residents were 75/25 against the CPZ and that the councillor supported the petition, the other 'clowncillor' interupted me and said that I was wrong, that her colleague supported the CPZ as she did, kind of discredited the petition.
The CPZ went ahead though the council were quite considerate, I think the petition lead them to be so, also the CPZ was not as bad as expected, prefered not to have it though it could have been worse.
Other than having to pay to park in our own road the main issue is that we were one of a minority of houses with a drive and used to park one car across our drive so as to make most of the parking space available, the CPZ made parking across drives illegal, even for the owners of the property so had the effect of reducing the available parking at busy uncontrolled times.
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Perhaps they will make up the amount of value that the CPZ will knock off your property, you never know but don't hold your breath.
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2 cents
thats something I hadn't considered.Now i'm really depressed
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I'm sorry if this sounds unsympathetic, but if you live in London you cannot expect to have public transport AND space to park your car.
I live in the countryside, therefore I do not expect to have a regular or even sporadic bus and train service, or streets that are lit at night. It's the price I pay for having room to park my car, my wife's car,my pick-up truck and (occasionally) my lorry on my own property.
You can't have your cake and eat it. Sorry.
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No matter how bad public transport is in the countryside, no matter how few shops, doctors or super dooper leisure centers it has, people still insist on living there. Why ?
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I think to be honest controlled parking in London is becoming a tool to manage both road space and a whole range of car related "issues" that the councils start developing policies on. I live in zone 2 in Lambeth approx 10 mins walk from the tube but with good bus services nearby. Anyhow a CPZ was proposed about 5 years ago in our street even though there was and still is little parking pressure. It came in and initially I think it was £35 to park for 12 mths...then 2 years later it was £60 and now we have emissions based parking where I think it is about £150 a year now for a not extravagant motor...
One of the things you do need to bear in mind is it makes having work done on anything in your house more of a hassle as you need to get and pay for visitor permits (£3 a day) or get a longer temporary permit for your builder (again £3 a day).....so it mounts up.
Also it means if you don't keep a regular week and have visitors who may come and visit say on a weekday daytime it then means more visitors permits - it seems mad sometimes when you might have two visitors in the same day and have to use one or more permits ( I had two builders working together who turned up separately to do a job and it was chewing through permits).
Also not that it would apply to you but if your other half or whatever lives elsewhere it means again no such visitors other than at weekends or after say 6pm.
I had problems with parents having to delay their arrival into my street when they really wanted to arrive in the light as I'd run out of permits (and the office is not easy to get to and shuts at 3pm on many days).
It's a hassle and an extra cost.
The council probably think it is all v straightforward.
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What about when we have a different car ie loan or hire car when primary car(s) are in for service or repair .It's just a nightmare and I'm nowhere near central london
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It's nothing more than money-raising by the council, and if it inconveniencies motorists at the same time, all well and good!
15 years ago I was living in Walton-on-Thames, near the town centre, and never had any problems parking. The council wanted to introduce a CPZ for the same spurious reasons that you were given. We mounted a vociferous campaign against it hightlighting all the obvious flaws with the plan, and it was thrown out. Still hasn't been resurected.
I work in London, dealing with property, and it is a real difficulty for us and tradespeople we employ to park legally. Whole areas under CPZs with no pay and display meters, and if the householder is out (often) we cannot just help ourselves to their permits! The council of course give themselves borough wide permits so they don't have the same problems - one rule for them, another rule for us!!
Edited by boxsterboy on 21/01/2008 at 15:31
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i've never really understood the mentality of hitting the commuter when they want to park and travel via public transport........surely we should be encouraging them to do that........build them some multi storey car parks and get more commuters off the road, stop hounding them out of side streets (if they park badly ticket them)
and no, i've never been a commuter as such.......but i'm frequently stuck in bad traffic
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Spot on Westpig. Free or cheap secure parking could easily be provided near suburban tube stations or bus terminuses, and I guess a lot of people would use it to the benefit of all. Trouble is, everyone is catching on to this 'skin the driver' feeding frenzy.
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This is one of the ludicrous things about this scheme.There is a large carpark at the station which up to now has charged a punitive rate which is why the commuters park in the sidestreets, but when the cpz is introduced they will only have to pay £1.50 per day.I think thats reasonable .Incidentally we are not 'in London' we are one stop from the end of the line in the suburbs.
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Even at £1.50 a day for the station you'd be amazed how many tightwads park in the street.
OTOH our station car park (Northampton) is usually full Tue to Thur even at £6 a day - not sure if they're all rail travellers or whether that's still cheaper than the town centre car parks.
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Spot on Westpig. Free or cheap secure parking could easily be provided near suburban tube stations or bus terminuses and I guess a lot of people would use it to the benefit of all.
Okay, let's assume the council do this. They propose a secure multi-storey car park right next to the tube station. Who will be the first objectors? The local residents, because;
a) It will devalue their properties.
b) It will increase traffic congestion, instead of a rush-hour there will be a rush-two-hours.
A lot of people will of course be in favour of it, but they won't have a say because they're not local ratepayers.
Stalemate.
What is needed is a wholesale change of thinking. It is becoming increasingly expensive and difficult to commute, so the "mountain must go to Mohammed"; people have to learn to live nearer to their place of work. Wishful thinking perhaps but one of these days it's going to be a necessity.
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i've never really understood the mentality of hitting the commuter when they want to park and travel via public transport........surely we should be encouraging them to do that........build them some multi storey car parks and get more commuters off the road stop hounding them out of side streets (if they park badly ticket them)
But in the councils view the whole journey should be by public transport - i.e. bus to the station (even if it is realistically impossible).
I had the same near my work where I used to be able to park on the street for free near Queens Park tube. This meant that I could get train/tube to and from work and leave my car (essential for work) in town. Council brought in residents permit/P&D limited to 4 hours by station, which meant I am now forced to commute by car instead of public transport.
Will we ever get joined up thinking for our politicians on transport issues?
Edited by boxsterboy on 23/01/2008 at 12:12
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No matter how bad public transport is in the countryside no matter how few shops doctors or super dooper leisure centers it has people still insist on living there. Why ?
Probably because you don't meet the kind of people who think that leisure centres are super dooper! ;-)
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