Problem parking Cabinet plan lacks any real action
The paper going to Cardiff Cabinet Thursday on problem and nuisance parking
Failed to properly address the terms of reference eg;
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| Womanby Street Cardiff is supposed to be a pedestrianised street with access to permit holders only and a bollard goes missing!! |
· Consider the diverse car parking problems experienced in Cardiff ... northing on parking in shopping areas impeding bus operators and passengers, esp. disabled people.
- · Examine the extent / impact of the problem and the areas most affected.
- ... not a mention of Canton High Street with congestion and bus operations badly impeded by legal and illegal parking
- · Examine the Council approach for addressing parking problems in the city.
...not a mention of the lax approach taken by the Council enforcement officers, including abuse of the loading and access restrictions in the central area
· Consider examples of best practice for dealing with parking issues in other
areas.
... not a mention of good practice areas (eg. Watford/Bedford) instead of Bristol which has done as badly as Cardiff
- Failed to consult pedestrian and disability groups,
- Failed to consider the Council’s duties under the Disability Act - duties to make reasonable adjustments and remove obstructions by vehicles, which is detrimental to disabled people's access to buses and the pedestrian environment.
- Failed to conduct any equality assessment
- Failed to consult bus users
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| damage caused by car parking on verges Grand Ave |
Members viewed the verge and pavement parking in Heath and Llanishen –
and concluded that this was a problem. They felt that some kind of legislation
or intervention was required (for example, a byelaw or traffic regulation order)
to stop people parking on pavements and verges as the practice clearly
causes damage and obstructions. They understood that the creation of numerous Traffic Regulation Orders might work; however, setting up all of
these would be a long and expensive exercise. Once again they commented
that some kind of blanket order would be useful. An officer mentioned that a
Traffic Regulation Order used to prevent verge and pavement parking had
been replaced by a byelaw in Plasturton Avenue. Legal Services do not
consider that a blanket TRO would be specific enough.
Members were told that it takes approximately six months to create a traffic
regulation order. This will involve the use of a £500 advert to publicise the
order and the costs of a survey
· Parking on verges in Bristol has proved very difficult to control. They have
not yet identified an obvious solution. It is an offence to drive on to a
verge (but not to park); it is also an offence to cause damage to a verge /
public highway. Where there are currently no restrictions such offences
are currently dealt with at the discretion of the police. Trying to recover the
costs associated with damage to verges through the Magistrates Court
can be a problematic.
Recommendation 5 - Verge & Pavement Parking
Members were informed that many parts of Cardiff had a real issue with verge
and pavement parking. There were many instances where such parking
abuse caused considerable damage to the highway asset and created obstructions and other safety issues for the public. The Committee recommends that:
· The Council should liaise with Welsh Government to establish the
proposals that it is currently considering in relation to dealing with
pavement parking. Once established, the Council should consult on how
these proposals would impact upon Cardiff and provide feedback to the
Welsh Government.
· Where significant damage is caused to verges on a regular basis and a
large number of complaints are received, the Council should consider
using specific Traffic Regulation Orders to improve management of the
problem.
Recommendation 5 is supported by key findings KF20 to KF22.
Verge & Pavement Parking
Key Finding 20
The inquiry was told that at present Wales has no legislation which prevents
pavement parking. When providing evidence officers from Cardiff, Swansea
and Neath Port Talbot all explained that the Welsh Government were looking
into proposals for dealing with pavement parking in Wales. The detail of
these proposals has not yet been made clear.
Key Finding 21
During the inquiry Members were told that Wales has no legislation to prevent
verge parking. On their parking tour of Cardiff Members saw examples of
where verge parking had caused damage to the highway and adjacent
verges.
Best Practice Bedford borough Council
- Illegally parked vehicles cost the Council thousands of pounds each year in repairing damage to paving and to grass verges. These vehicles also cause serious problems for pedestrians, particularly blind, disabled and older people which may result in them having to step off the footway onto the road thus putting themselves in danger.
Bedford Borough Council has powers available to prevent parking on verges and footways. The Council will consider enacting these powers to help prevent persistent parking on verges and footways by issuing fixed penalty notices.
streets which have been designated for no verge / footway parking:
1. Prior to commencement of enforcement there will be a single issue of a leaflet to all households in the selected street to advise of the unlawfulness of verge / footway parking and the Council’s intention to introduce enforcement.
2. The Borough Council will erect signs to enable enforcement to take place
3. The Borough Council will undertake enforcement by issuing fixed penalty notices
ALL YOU NEED IS SOME IMAGINATION
Peñalosa's first and most defining act as mayor was to declare war: not on crime or drugs or poverty, but on cars.
He threw out the ambitious highway expansion plan and instead poured his budget into hundreds of miles of cycle paths; a vast new chain of parks and pedestrian plazas; and the city's first rapid transit system (the TransMilenio), using buses instead of trains. He banned drivers from commuting by car more than three times a week. This programme redesigned the experience of city living for millions of people, and it was an utter rejection of the philosophies that have guided city planners around the world for more than half a century.
... a Vehicle Crossover it is illegal to drive over the existing pavement or verge. ... of the guidance notes to ensure that your parking area meets all the criteria.
12 Oct 2012 - Since the ban came into action on July 2 drivers face a £70 fine if they park in the pavement or grass verge along the busy road.
