parking permits off lordship lane

[clare]

my road is so overcrowded I can't park even near my house. I use to be opposed to parking permits but they're looking like an increasingly good idea- especially in roads off Northcross .what do people in ED think?

[Guest]

A truly terrible idea.

I used to live in crowded Belsize Park, with free parking on most side roads. Camden brought in Residents Parking at ?80 per year each resident. Result: we all paid ?80 a year extra to Camden Council, PLUS we were fined ?120 every time they suspended our bays and didn't warn us (or we were away), our cars were often towed by the Council, my aged parents and other visitors could no longer easily come to visit, as the number of "day permits" issued for residents was restricted to 5 a month (at an extra cost of ?10 each, of course, paid for by the resident, of course - would you charge your visitors to come and see you?).

Anyone who thinks that Resident Parking is anything other than a lucrative new revenue stream for the local authority is falling into the usual trap. Councils play on your hopes/expectations that parking will miraculously improve when such a scheme is brought in. They offer to bring in such schemes "for your own good". The truth is they bring nothing but inconvenience and extra costs, which much more substantial than the basic annual ?80/90 charge they tout.

[Huguenot]

Hmm, a quick back of the fag packet calculation suggests that at 80 quid a year it wouldn't be a profitable venture for a council, so it couldn't be a 'lucrative new revenue stream'. There are probably 5,000 bays in total across ED, of which say a quarter might be in vulnerable areas near commercial streets. That would generate 100,000 a year; not enough to fund the workers, vehicles and various overheads needed to enforce the scheme.

The point about your parents is fair, but circular; my Dad doesn't find it easy to visit because he can't find a parking space near my house since it's jammed with people who've driven the 150 yards from Uplands Road to Lordship Lane when they can't be arsed to walk! Parking permits would resolve this and I'd be quite happy to pay the tenner to a council who could do this for me.

As for the suspension of bays - well this happens because of roadworks etc., and applies whether there was a permit scheme or not. You'd still get towed any which way.

I think the main issue is whether parking is for locals, or for visitors. We're probably not going to get the quality of shops and services we'd like if it were only funded by residents, so if we were to move for a permit scheme we'd need to get visitors here another way. That would have to be either uprated public transport (which Camden clearly has), or uprated alternative parking facilities.

Maybe we could propose large underground parking facilities as part of any deal for Sainsbury/B&Q at the Champion Hill site?

[Guest]

I don't think Councils across London would have embraced and promoted Resident Parking schemes so much if it was a drain on their budgets. It's not just the ?80 annual fee, but the extras you have to shell out for. And in Belsize Park I found often that I was ticketed outside my own home by chancers (i.e. the sub-contracted traffic wardens) out to meet their quota, when in fact I was not infringing any parking laws. On three occassions, I had to waste time writing long letters with diagrams explaining to the Council why I was not guilty and would not pay the ticket. And they eventually wrote back and let me off the tickets, but only after a lot of grief and wasted time...

...None of which would have happened if they'd just left the roads for free parking. I would just repeat...it made NO DIFFERENCE to whether one could find a parking space near one's house. All it did was add cost and hassle to the residents' lives. Before it was brought in, many thought it might solve parking problems. It really doesn't.

I agree that perhaps more parking facilities might perhaps be found for visitors/shoppers in ED. But I live on Melbourne Grove, very close to the shops, and I can truly say one of the great pleasures of this area is that it remains one of the few in London with sensible free parking on most side roads. I might not always be able to find a space right outside the house (nor would this be the case under a Residents Parking scheme), but can always find one up the road or on an adjoining one. In London, that is as good as it gets.

[clare]

Yes Bobby I think I agree with you on the whole. Suddenly reminded me of when I lived in Brixton and we had to get up early to move car off yellow lines etc and jostle with neighbours for few parking permit spaces available. Hard for friends to visit etc. Obvious answer really is to do away with cars and get walking again or on our bikes (watch me wobble back to work on rusting bike wed morning). And of course if we do need a car then try not to have more than one.... Or why not campaign to local private schools to stop clogging our roads up with coaches that have dragged hot housed children from across London to be schooled in ED. Local schools for local children I say !!! (Gone off subject but there we go)

ps if you use excellent blue brick cafe on Fellbrigg Road then watch out for cherry tree that is now at 45 degree angle to road. Our car has massive dent in back side from backing into it before xmas. Happy new year all !

[Guest]

Actually I too cycle to work (in Kings Cross). Quicker than driving round the Zone or using the trains. Takes me a reliable 35 minutes door to door. But the car is pretty important for some work journeys round town and out of town, and yes I have only the one.

Of course, as East Dulwich is such a good place to live, we should all use the local facilities as much as possible, and leave our cars behind (wherever we park them). ED is a nice, safe place to walk around, with local shopping a pleasure. I haven't seen the private coaches coming in for the schools, but I can imagine they are a pain. The school run private cars certainly are... I'm sure all these parents have good reasons for using their vehicles, but I have to say I know a few whose kids could easily walk it...

[Huguenot]

Good heavens, they bring up children in greenhouses?? Grow-bags?? That deserves debate!

On a more relevant note I can highly recommend http://www.streetcar.co.uk/ although I suspect I'll regret it because now everyone'll all start using it.

On the cherry tree angle... erm... I can't guage your tone... is that boasting? ;-) Is there insufficient damage to the environment from running a car that now we need to take it on with a brutal finality??

Happy New Pedalling Year!

[clare]

really not boasting about cherry tree - the tree was at an angle before we bashed into it! couldn't see it in mirror ....

[Guest]

I agree that parking permits don't work - said from experience. Used to live in Kensington and we still couldn't park outside our flat even though had paid for a permit. Then we would have to park a couple of roads away and wouldn't use the car again until the weekend (as tube it to work) and bays would be temporarily suspended without you noticing - then your car would get towed away and the release fee was HUGE!!

I've noticed that many parking problems come from houses with only 1 space directly in front of their house, having 2 cars - I know though that some people need 2 cars if they both drive to work (eg the couple next door to me both work shifts so they can't rely on public transport after hours).

Another big cause is flats, particularly converted houses. I would suggest that if parking is a problem on your road, make sure you and your neighbours object to any planning permission applications on your road that involve building flats or converting houses to flats (unless they can show parking will be sufficient).