Forum Topic

Parking- again!

Now that Hamilton Road has its very own CPZ, the council is again "consulting" residents in New Road about extending it there. I guess they'll keep trying until everyone in the borough is paying to park in their own streets. It would be nice if they followed the example of Kensington and Chelsea- if you have a permit you can park in any residents' bay in the whole area, not just a few selected streets.

Mark Gormley ● 4529d12 Comments

When the Paragon development was being built we were told there wouldn't be any parking provision because the residents wouldn't have cars!It's laughable really. Boston Park Road is a CPZ Mon-Fri. Have a look down there on a Sunday evening. It's packed with cars that have no permit. Where are these cars parking during the week? Oh yeah - down our road.And of course the piecemeal street by street CPZ of Avenue/Enfield Rd's doesn't help one bit.If/when we get a CPZ it'll just move the problem in to Ealing. Hooray!But I've got a new bike - so there. (Blows raspberry in the general direction of officialdom).

Peter McGovern ● 4526d

Brook Road has always been hard to park in. Even in the 1980's when I first lived here.But there are spaces during the day. As I come and go several times during the day, It's rare but not unheard of to not find a space.Much of the problem at the south end is currently builders at the High Street who cannot park on or near the site.If you read Barratts website for the GWQ it mentions parking by further negotiation. But if you go as a prospective buyer, they suggest 'easy parking in the vicinity just a few mins walk away.  That means here.What is reprehensible is the way planners and policy of the borough has used politics and deals to effectively defecate on the existing residents and properties here.They all know how delicate parking and other facilities are in this area, it's nothing new.But to allow developments with no integral and adequate parking and then dump the problem onto tiny victorian streets with no solutions other than to charge residents for an imported problem is disgraceful.We simply don't know what's going on. I have a car that may well be parked outside several doors down and I may not use it for several days. Then I may be working away for a few days. How does anyone know who is doing what with there cars and where they live unless you follow them home?Everyone is assuming this and that and very few are finding out pure facts without a political or policy slant.What would be better is a proper survey with a full idea of how many vehicles are actually residents and go from there.Even if it was collated by residents to a specific list of criteria.This is something Ealing did do with working panels. Zone C and S in particular and how we came to a satisfactory but not unanimous agreed formula.Which I might add has since been undone by the current administration who are using it as a cash cow.And that is what will happen next.

Michael Brandt ● 4528d

It seems like the council do several of these consultations in Brentford every year! it says 2010 for Lateward Road but I know of 2 at least in the past year within this area! They really are hell bent on forcing us to have these bloody things, surly just to make money. I'm sure one day we shall find out how all the bosses at LBH are syphoning off cash into some personal reserve!I implore everyone to say no to this ridiculous bombardment of CPZ's in Brentford until they come to their senses. Street by street CPZ's are simply stupid planning.

Alan Branch ● 4528d

Are there fewer car owners in K&C?  More flats?  More single people as opposed to families?  Better public transport?It is very difficult to compare different areas.

Philippa Bond ● 4528d

I'm sorry I think you are wrong about empty streets during the day.  I went out at lunchtime and apart from the space I vacated there was one other in my street.  Brook Road South was nose to tail and there was nothing in Ealing Road between Baemar and New Road.  I thought that during the summer holidays the parking situation might ease because of BSG not being open but that was not the case.CPZ will also stop people who are not residents dumping their cars for days on end; I have one currently parked outside the house which stays for nearly the whole week, week in week out. Strangely you never see it at the weekend.......

Caroline Hawkins ● 4528d

“The problem is what ever the hours, people from the new developments will still park overnight and that's when there is a problem.”This is not exactly the case. I know at least three vehicles in my street that belong to the GWQ residents that are parked for a few days in a row without leaving, and not just overnight. “It works fine in Ealing so why is it a problem in this borough?”Indeed. It does work in Ealing – I lived there and just loved it. So why can it not work in Brentford?

Alex Shpinkov ● 4528d

It's what they are not telling us that is the worry.How on earth can a carers permit be so expensive? And quite right, elderly without cars in a zone should have free visitors permit cards. They will get completely cut off from life. And there are a lot of elderly in Brentford.So how do they cost it. The consultation shows one price. But one price for what? All day? One hour?The problem is what ever the hours, people from the new developments will still park overnight and that's when there is a problem.Empty streets during the day when most are at work only benefits those who seem to think that they simply have to park right outside their front door at all times.There will be so many yellow lines and restrictions that that won't be the case.And residents with permits not being able to park across their own drives is just stupid - it will mean them parking outside someone else's house or shuffling cars about at all hours.It works fine in Ealing so why is it a problem in this borough?

Michael Brandt ● 4528d

We got the 'consultation' today.It's better than last time whaen we and almost everyone affected did not get a wide enough consultation over Hamilton road.But how contradictory.It's a benefit for residents and visitors.  But why a doubling and trebling of permit charges?What if you have young adults or two individuals flat sharing and they being independent have a car. Why should one pay more than the other? They are both residents and presumably pay an equal share of council tax.That seems rather unfair. This does not happen in Ealing where this very fact was taken on board.You can also park across your own drive in Ealing and always have been able to do so. That will be great in Clifden Road. It will displace so many second cars that we will end up with an even bigger problem.As for carers, Is that a misprint. How can a carer be expected to cough up double. Most will not get any reimbursement and those that do will be coming from the taxpayers purse.Over 70's should get free permits and over 75s should get free visitors permits.The big worry is much as it was some years back when there were so many additional yellow lines and restrictions that nearly 100 normal car parking spaces were lost in the whole Griffin Park area.It's all there between the lines.They need to show every resident the blueprint for what they will do and then see what people think.If it were reasonable and flexible like they seemed to have managed in Ealing then it might be alright, but I suspect this will be a payment for precious little difference and maybe worse.

Anthony Waller ● 4529d

If freedom to park over a wide area is introduced should Hounslow also introduce Kensington and Chelsea permit charge levels? I suspect the 2 should go together.

John Connelly ● 4529d

It also seems a bit stupid that within the CPZ you cannot park in front of your own drive?

Reg Ghosh ● 4529d

I did.. but it doesn't seem to cause a problem in K&C!

Mark Gormley ● 4529d

The trouble with large CPZs is that people who live furthest from somewhere eg the station will just drive nearer to park in front of the houses of those that live nearer who then find that their street is filled with commuters from within their own CPZ - and they then are unable to park near their home.Hope you followed that!

Philippa Bond ● 4529d