Residents parking schemes

Parking is contentious. Parking schemes are contentious. One thing is for sure, you cannot please everyone.

I did not want a residents only parking scheme in my area, I voted against it (in the survey). It is coming anyway. It looks like I am not the only one who is less than pleased.

This popped through my letterbox a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately there are no contact details.

At last night's Full Council I spoke about parking schemes and the need for some strategic thinking. Rather the piecemeal schemes implemented at the behest of individual councillors we need to take a view on the bigger picture.

Parking chaos

There is a gradual, but perceptible, change happening on our streets in Southend-on-Sea. Slowly but surely our roads are becoming largely unwelcoming to all but those who reside in them as new residents parking schemes are implemented.

Whole swathes of the borough are now out-of-bounds to visitors as residents find a solution to the issue of too many cars and too few places to park them.

However, as a solution, resident permit parking creates it own problems. Excluding non-residents does not guarantee a parking space, and once a scheme has been implemented it is not long before those in neighbouring streets feel the impact of those displaced motorists who now seek an alternative place to park.

As a ward councilor I have to represent all within the ward, which means those who want their road to be for the exclusive use of those that live in it. It is difficult to resist these residents, if for no other reason than that there is often real distress for those who own cars in areas that are popular with visitors.

Nevertheless, if we keep adding new schemes the day will come when all roads are unavailable for the casual visitor. I am not convinced this is at all desirable.

I accept that roads turned into commuter car parks are not good, but neither are roads now made empty by draconian schemes.

We need a review. I have called for a review. We are sleep-walking into a situation where cars are effectively banned from large parts of the borough. Whilst some environmentalist may cheer at this, it does nothing to assist the ambitions of those who want a thriving town that attracts large visitor numbers.

As for the concept of having exclusive rights to the tarmac outside one's home - our roads are a shared resource, and we have to accept that we do not own the road outside our homes, and neither should we be able to dictate who can and cannot park there.

Parking and infrastructure concerns in Central Southend

PRESS RELEASE

Parking and infrastructure concerns in Central Southend

Southend Labour Party has called on the coalition Conservative-UKIP administration to guarantee that no car parking places will be lost as development plans for central Southend go ahead.

Labour Councillor for Milton ward, Julian Ware-Lane, believes that the Council should be looking to expand the amount of available parking in the town centre, and not merely retain the same number of places.

At present there are around 5700 parking places in the town centre area, which includes designated car parks and kerbside availability (some of it metered), and we know that a certain number of these places will be lost due to the proposed developments. For example the Seaway car park will be entirely redeveloped; the Better Queensway development will remove the Essex Street car park as well as that in Short Street; the Marine Plaza car park will also be going.

Cllr Ware-Lane said: "The availability of parking is a huge issue for residents, and with the development plans to include new businesses then the stresses on parking will increase. Residents, visitors and businesses all need places to park, and with some significant development plans about to be implemented, we want assurances that these large scale developments will not adversely impact town centre parking."

The new developments will include many more new homes which will put greater stress on available parking as well as the local road infrastructure. There will be significant challenges ahead, particularly through Victoria Gateway, and consideration should be given to re-open The Deeping.

No adequate parking strategy appears to have been planned for in SCAAP, and no tourism strategy either. With extra housing and commercial enterprises attracting more visitors, these visitors will need places to be able to park.

 

Southend Labour is also calling on the ruling administration to conduct a thorough review before it is too late. “We are still awaiting sight of a parking strategy” said Cllr Ware-Lane, “promised as part of the SCAAP. I am worried that we will see a reduction in car parking as both Seaway and Essex Street car parks are built on.”

I am not sure why we need two signs for one parking bay

As found in Queens Road.