Residents at the top end of Brixton Hill have given a resounding
no to proposals to introduce resident-only parking in the
area. Almost every single street and block in the
consultation zone rejected the proposals which, as a result, will
not go ahead.
The affected roads lie south of Brixton prison between Kings
Avenue, Brixton Hill and the South Circular and include the
Holmewood Gardens area. There were similar results in
neighbouring areas including Clapham Park and Tulse Hill.
The consultation was kicked off by demands from a number of
residents who felt the time had come to introduce controls on who
can park in the area. But the majority of people felt the
problem of commuter parking was not big enough to justify the cost
of paying for a residents’ permit – around £110 a year for an
average car, or just over £2 a week.
My own informal survey earlier this year also found most people
opposed to controlled parking, although by a smaller
majority. Many respondents took the opportunity to raise
other issues, and there is a particular problem with disused
disabled parking bays. I have now asked the council to
conduct a full review of parking bays in the area so those that are
no longer in use can be removed, freeing up the road for residents
to park their own cars.
Labour has been promoting the ‘Street Car’ scheme on local
roads. The scheme works by having a communal car parked in
the road so people, for an hourly fee, can book it online for the
time they need to use it. It works out far cheaper than
owning a car for people who don’t use a vehicle very often, and is
also greener as it cuts down on carbon emissions. The use of
street cars has trebled over recent months, showing strong support
from local people.
Of course, an even greener way to get around is to cycle or to
walk, and the council’s been promoting both of those too,
especially for short local journeys. If you live in the area
you might have seen me cycling down Brixton Hill on my way to work
or local meetings, although I’m not easy to spot under my cycling
helmet.
Local people voted against resident-only parking in the
Brixton Hill and Kings Avenue area
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