There’s been a big response to my survey about resident-only
parking for the roads between Brixton Prison and the South
Circular. I’m still receiving replies every day so I can’t
report a final result just yet, but so far a majority are in favour
of controlled parking in the area - although it’s far from
overwhelming!
I decided to conduct a survey because a number of residents in
the Brixton Hill / Kings Avenue area contacted me to ask for a
resident-only parking scheme to be put in. I wanted to know
if that’s a widely shared view, although from living locally myself
I know that parking is a big issue with our roads frequently
jam-packed, including commuters who come from outside the area to
park their car then take the tube into central London.
If controlled parking is put in, car owners would be asked to
pay around £2 a week to cover the costs of installing the meters
and to pay for wardens to police the scheme. There are also
questions about what hours any scheme should apply. This can
vary enormously. Some areas want restrictions all day long,
other areas prefer a two-hour period when restrictions apply so
there is still plenty of time for other people – like workmen,
friends or family – to come and park without having to buy a
visitor’s permit.
Some people have said they don’t want a scheme at all, usually
because they don’t want to pay the charges associated with
it. My survey is really just to give everyone an idea of what
people want so I can report it back to the Council’s transport
team. I will support whatever residents say they want and am
not campaigning either for or against a scheme – this one really is
for local people to decide for themselves. Given the level of
interest in this issue, I will ask the Council to carry out a full,
formal consultation in the new year so we can find out how strong
local support is for resident-only parking. The outcome of
that consultation will determine whether a scheme goes ahead or
not. In the meantime, I’m keen to hear your views – and I’ll
publish the final result of my survey on this website when your
replies stop coming in.
Many roads in the Brixton Hill area are jammed with parked
cars - but is a resident-only scheme the answer?
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