Backlash Over Ealing Council Transport Strategy

Petition demanding the council rethink price hike and shared bays

More than a thousand people have now signed a petition opposing Ealing council's proposals to increase the cost of parking permits and introduce shared bays.

The new charging scheme will see an average 60% increase in the price of a parking permit from the Autumn.

The increases will be levied according to each car's CO2 emissions and their will be a surcharge for all but the newest diesel cars ostensibly to reduce pollution. The council is also introducing mixed bays in CPZs, cutting the number of spaces for residents and allowing potential commuters to park at a daily rate of around £4 depending on the zone.

Northfields Conservative Councillor, David Millican, said: '' A local resident is so concerned about the changes announced by Ealing Council that he has posted this petition, which explains the plans in detail. I have been overwhelmed with residents complaining about the increased parking charges announced''

The petition , set up by Simon Hayes, calls on the council to withdraw the proposals which he says were only introduced by the administration after the elections.

He said: ''There is no justification for what the Council proposes. They are milking residents in Ealing, Acton and Chiswick who have no option but to pay for a permit to park on the roads around their houses.

'The Council claims introducing the new charges will improve air quality, but it will do nothing to stop the flow of heavy vehicles through the borough that contribute huge levels of pollution, nor will it affect anyone with off-street parking within a CPZ, even if they have a diesel vehicle or a very old, more polluting car.

'This is simply a further tax on residents, and one that was not publicised during the election campaign. I haven't yet spoken to one person who knew of this proposal prior to the election, and not one person, other than Labour councillors, has spoken in favour of it.

'The new charges will affect those who can least afford it, people who cannot afford to buy newer cars, older people who may rely on a car for mobility, people living in shared accommodation who may need a car for work. It's unfair and undemocratic.'

It's also argued that the residential increase in parking charges is aimed at raising an extra £500,000 of revenue which Mr Hayes says 'makes it a tax, which the Council is not allowed to levy. CPZ permit schemes are a traffic management tool and are expressly forbidden by law to be used to raise revenue.'

However Ealing council say ''the proposals fully comply with the Road Traffic Regulation Act (1984) which states how income from parking may be used. In line with these regulations, any additional income is put back into local parking and highways services in the form of concessionary fares, infrastructure and other projects.''

Mr Hayes has also criticised the  proposed introduction of shared use parking bays, which are being trialled in Chiswick, Acton and Southall.

He said, 'This is another example of the Council's cavalier attitude towards residents. On the one hand they tell us we should use our cars less to improve the environment, yet on the other they are actively soliciting non-residents to drive into the borough, park for well-below the market rate for a day, then drive off again. How does that help improve the air quality?

The petition concludes '' We call on the Council to withdraw its deeply flawed transport strategy and pledge not to penalise residents in CPZ areas in future plans.'

The online petition is open until Friday, July 20. If 1,500 signatures are received then the issue will go back before the Council for debate.

A council spokesperson said, “The council is not taking any parking spaces away from residents. We conducted a comprehensive survey where parking spaces were monitored on four occasions over the working week, which highlighted underuse in the area. The plan is for around 8% of total spaces, all of which flank walls and open spaces, to be converted to shared bays. They are not located in front of residents’ homes and remain available for use by permit holders.

“Shared parking bays are currently in use across the borough and as in all cases where a change is implemented, we will continue to monitor how things are operating within the first 3 months, with the view of making possible amendments after around 6 months.”

2 July 2018