Positive Experiences of Existing Residents Parking

We have been talking to some people who have positive experiences of residents parking zones elsewhere.

Bath

Bath issues 1-2 permits per household depending on the proportion of households to the number of available spaces (householders have to prove that they live in the zone and that their car is registered to that address). A first permit is £90 and a 2nd £130. Visitors permits come in the form of an electronic card which allows 100 "days" or 1000 hours of visitors parking which can be activated/deactivated by telephone or online. The residents we talked to were happy with the scheme which has solved a real problem for them. Tradesmen who register with the council can buy permits online or by telephone and are invoiced at the end of the month (see more detail on the Bath scheme).

"Before the inception of the Residents Parking Scheme we couldn't park anywhere near our homes -- commuters in the daytime and visitors in the evening made it impossible for us to use our cars for work, leisure or taking children to school -- and of course there was no parking for our visitors. The residents parking scheme was like a breath of fresh air..."

Rebecca Derry-Evans -- Chairman of the Lansdown Crescent Residents Association

Reading

Reading issues 2 permits per household identified as having a separate address for council tax purposes. The 1st is free and the 2nd is £55. Businesses can have up to 2 permits the 1st is £50 and the 2nd is £100. Each household can have up to 110 visitors permits per year -- these come in books of 10 single use scratchcards -- 1st 2 books free, £12 per book thereafter.

"Although it is inconvenient, it is much better than the situation we had before. We are a family of 4 with 2 teenagers and we have never run out of visitors permits yet."

Nick Short

Brighton

Brighton appears to charge £104 per permit although their website is complex. They also have limits to the numbers of permits per area and operate a waiting list scheme.

"I lived in Brighton before and after the introduction of residents parking schemes and now visit friends in the area. As a resident, the situation was vastly improved by the introduction of residents parking schemes and as a visitor I also find it much easier. It is a fair scheme which is good for visitors and residents alike"

Although there was understandable resistance and indeed bad feeling prior to the introduction of these schemes, this disappeared once the schemes got going "everyone knew where they stood -- no one drove around looking for places..."

Philip Blackman

Another UK City

"We believe that RPZs will immeasurably improve quality of life without any detrimental effect. We have lived in another UK city where we saw an RPZ introduced in our street and life was positively transformed for all."

Nick and Vanessa Clark

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