Islington Council is currently consulting on changes (ie
extensions) to the Controlled Parking Zones (CPZ) in five areas of the Borough. The Council is arguing that in the case of the Arsenal matchday zone, the changes will eliminate
confusion about which days there are restrictions in place, and in the case of
zone 'B', that it will make it easier for residents to park in the evenings.
I have been contacted by a number of residents and businesses
with comments about the proposed changes which make me think that the changes may
not have the intended outcomes.
In the Matchday and zone B areas, residents say that at
the moment, if they arrive home in the evening and there are no resident's spaces,
they can simply park on a yellow line nearby, and then move their car to a space in
the morning, which works quite well. With the proposed changes, residents would be
forced to find a free resident's bay, which could involve a significant amount of driving around looking for a space, or risk getting a parking ticket. Also, in zone B, where the proposed hours
would be different to the adjoining zones, there would be a
greatly increased chance of residents accidentally getting a ticket for parking in a
Zone B street after 6.30, or on Saturday afternoons and Sundays, which introduces a
similar type of confusion to that which the proposals are trying to remove in the
matchday zone.
Local businesses are also extremely concerned about potential
harm to trade of the zone B restrictions, since it would oblige all customers visiting
the area to find a legal space or get a parking ticket, as single yellow lines
would be out of bounds. The Council says that the charge to park in a parking space
would be only £2.40, but this doesn't take into account the hassle of trying to find a
legal space, which risks putting a lot of people off coming to the area. Also, particularly worrying is the possibility that both traders and customers of the Sunday
Farmer's Market in Chapel market will be driven away by both the cost of parking
and not being able to legally park near enough to the market to make trading or shopping
viable. Some residents and businesses have also expressed doubt about the motive for
holding the consultation over the summer holiday period, and have also questioned whether there is any empirical basis for the proposals, rather than just one person's view against another's over whether the impacts will be positive or negative.
It seems to me quite possible that these proposals would
make it harder for residents to park, increase the likelihood of accidental parking tickets,
and also damage local businesses, including the real possibility of killing off the Farmers Market, none of which would benefit local residents.
I would urge as many residents as possible to respond to
the consultation before it ends on 7th September. (Google - 'Islington Parking Consultation')
6 comments:
Thank you for speaking up on these parking proposals to match day zones. I agree I believe they may have all sorts of unintended consequences which the proposers have not thought through.
I believe they will place unnecessary restrictions on moving within Islignton especially at weekends forcing me to hunt for park and pay meters just to visit a butchers or dry cleaners and hurt local business.
I feel these proposals are driven a '2 feet good, 4 wheels bad' mentality by people who do not understand that car drivers already make many informed choices to reducing their car miles but ultimately will supplement these choices with car use to stop for Islignton shops and services. Above I feel these proposals solve a problem that has not been adequately explained.
Two big concerns are use of term 'consultation' and lack of public coverage these proposals are getting. An email survey during summer months with room to express preferences and no follow up for public based discussion is not a consultation.
Totally agree, this consultation in the middle of summer is insane & the proposals preposterous. I totally support the anti car lobby and have no car. However, there are many who need cars - the elderly, immobile etc. and those who get out to do their shopping etc. This will have a devastating effect on local businesses and on Chapel Market. There are much vaunted evouchers for those with valid permits ie who have cars so I won't get. It also assumes that getting evouchers will be easy - there are vast numbers who don't or who won't understand how to do it ( elderly again). If the problem is Arsenal (and given the endless pop concerts there now) then they should be tackled about the numbers of days the stadium is used and not penalise the whole borough. When is the Council going to deal with real traffic problem in the area which is the school run.
What Claudia Webb (the environment and transport councillor behind this consultation) has said in the Tribune this week is to vaunt the free e vouchers online for family and friends visiting. " ... some things have got a little lost in the reaction to the proposals ... When you have friends and family visiting, permit holders will now be able to order free e-vouchers online for use in the evenings and at weekends" Note the problems. 1) If you don't have a permit (ie don't yourself have a car with a local permit) then no free vouchers and 2) that you need to access a computer to get the voucher (ie someone like Louise Brown fails on both counts although she is on the list of the older people this is supposed to help). Also, if the same logic about the scratch off vouchers applies then a lot of us will struggle with tradesmen - eg a window cleaner at the moment can come & you give him a scratch off ticket - if the proposals come in you would have Totally unfairly the vouchers will be free in the evenings/weekends if you have a car but not if you don't!
People coming to local churches and all the normal day to day use of the area will be affected by these proposals. Having a children's party on a sunday/weekend party/ lunch party/wedding - at the moment no problem, your guests can use the yellow lines or residents spaces. Dish out scratch cards at other times. If this scheme comes in you would need to get the car numbers for all your guests and then get evouchers, which may or may not be free and otherwise pay the flat rate even if you are there a very short time.
The restrictions round the Angel are to be even more draconian (ie till 11pm) than round here for a problem he also says doesn't exist and they are miles from the Arsenal 'problem'. The Sunday farmers market suffered very badly when it moved from round here with easy sunday parking to Chapel Market so I imagine if they bring in the blanket 'no parking' round there on a sunday that will be the end of the farmers market altogether.
@Martin Klute Very surprised by your comments especially to the Islington Tribune about it being all about the money. For a start I don't think you believe that, and as a councillor with direct access to Cllr Hull and Cllr Webbe, you can find out for yourself. Controlled parking is an incredibly important measure that makes live much more pleasant for the 65% plus of Islington residents who only move around on foot, bicycle and public transport and I wish you would acknowledge that somewhere.
On single yellow lines, would you agree that Islington has taken just about all safe kerbside space on Islington roads and used it for parking bays? Specifically over the last 2 or 3 years officers squeezed another 800 odd parking spaces into the borough and sometimes in very poor locations. Most remaining single lines are in dangerous locations e.g. close to road junctions where people should not park because it affects sight lines. If the parking is saturated on some Islington roads, don't we have to make choices about whether to allocate the available safe parking space for residents or business customers?
On the Sunday Farmer's Market in Chapel market, can I just point out that the market is close to a major public transport interchange (i.e. Angel) and there is extraordinary footfall in the area on Sundays. I struggle to understand how accessibility could be a factor that is affecting the viability of the market.
@Martin Holland I don't understand what you mean 'supplement these choices with car use to stop for Islington shops and services.' Aren't you mixing it up mode of travel with destinations. Yes people will use their cars for special trips and yes people will use Islington shops and services but 65% of Islington residents use butchers and admittingly more difficult, dry cleaners without using a car. Leaving aside the dry cleaners, we can walk to the local shops - depending on the distance and the relative health of the walker.
@Islington Resident #1 Please let's not make assumptions about what the elderly and immobile that drive think about the proposals. I imagine that they can speak for themselves and many have internet access. I am more concerned about the elderly and immobile who can no longer drive, that may have poor eyesight and/or poor hearing, that may use mobility scooters or find it difficult to cross streets and/or rely on public transport; they are also least likely to respond to any parking consultation.
Can you substantiate 'This will have a devastating effect on local businesses and on Chapel Market.' Businesses, are you talking about retail or broader? If retail, do you think these customers will shop instead in Nag's Head, Camden or Hackney, or perhaps Westfield?
Don't understand why you give the school run particular importance but what do you think the council should do about it? AFAIK the council does have a school travel officer and you should contact him with ideas. But the council has little power. I suspect that parking wardens turn a blind eye to double parked cars and cars parked on a single and double yellow lines. There are many unpredictable car movements in the small streets outside our primary schools - no wonder parents won't let their kids walk or cycle to school.
@Islington Resident #2 I think you are raising some implementation issues that presumably the council could sort out. AFAIK all residents will have access to e-vouchers.
I know you are saying 'People coming to local churches and all the normal day to day use of the area will be affected by these proposals.' But there's nothing fundamentally wrong with this. To reuse a quote from a local MP "it's the price of living in a civilised society". We can get on a bus and go to church. Kids can use buses as well.
Residents living in the south of the borough, on busy roads, and pretty much anywhere inside the congestion zone are living in areas with unsafe (and also illegal) levels of air pollution. Young children are growing up with permanently impaired lung functionality. Public health people are screaming at us. Does that count for anything?
@JohnAckers
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LETTERS: Parking: Councillor Klute’s intervention is blinkered
Published: 21 August, 2015 - Islington Tribune
• HOW extraordinary – experienced and well-regarded councillor Martin Klute dissing the council executive in public (Parking rebel: It’s all about raising money, August 14). Did he raise the issue first with council bosses, only to have his concerns dismissed out of hand?
No democrat can argue with Councillor Klute’s assertion that “Because there is only one opposition councillor, we have to scrutinise ourselves.” Any attempt to push through the proposed extension of parking controls without thorough backbench scrutiny must be challenged. If going public is the only way to do this, so far so commendable.
The substance of the councillor’s case isn’t, alas, quite so robust. Indeed, as a councillor for the area which includes the Angel, Cllr Klute’s stance could be argued to be “partisan”, biased towards his own constituents. Nothing democratic about breaking ranks in order to keep favour with your own voters.
From his letter and your report, it’s clear that the respected chair of the council’s health and care scrutiny committee is viewing the parking issue from the perspective of drivers alone. Isn’t Cllr Klute aware that the overwhelming majority of Islington’s residents doesn’t own a car – 65 per cent, against a car-owning minority of 35 per cent? The councillor surely can’t be unaware of the damaging effects of vehicle emissions on public health, particularly that of babies and children pushed in buggies at exhaust-pipe height. We need to make our borough fit for all.
So Cllr Klute’s intervention turns out to be blinkered, not the enlightened stance it appears at first sight. A pity – bold political stands are fundamental to democratic health and progress.
MEG HOWARTH
Ellington Street, N7
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