Complete review of on-street parking rules in Plymouth
PLYMOUTH City Council is carrying out a review of all on-street parking restrictions in the city for the first time and asking residents and motorists for their views.
All residents' permit holders in the city will receive a survey in the post, while others are invited to fill out an online survey at the council's www.plymouth.gov.uk website.
The review will include residents' permit zones and on-street pay and display areas, as well as parking on single yellow lines, in limited waiting bays and in loading bays.
Councillor Kevin Wigens, Cabinet member for transport, said: "Every year, we get a number of requests to introduce, amend or remove parking restrictions in different areas of the city. Over time, this has resulted in various anomalies, for example where two sides of the same street have totally different rules in place.
"This is not only confusing for residents, visitors and businesses but makes it more difficult for our civil enforcement officers to properly manage parking.
"By carrying out this review, we hope to get a clearer picture of what does and doesn't work well and where the main problems are so we can develop a more consistent approach to implementing restrictions in the future."
News of the review prompted mixed reactions from parking campaigners.
Graham Eyles has been campaigning alongside other residents to get permit parking for Salcombe Road in Lipson.
He said: "If there's a survey going on, hopefully everybody in our street will fill it in and say we've had enough.
"The problem is we've been campaigning now for three years and we are beginning to think it falls on deaf ears most of the time."
Mr Eyles said students had already returned to the area after the summer holidays and it was once again difficult for residents to find parking in their own street.
City entrepreneur Danny Bamping, who refuses to pay for a permit to park outside his home in Hillside Avenue, Mutley, said permit parking in Plymouth was "oversubscribed, not fair, not equal and rarely properly enforced."
He added: "Plymouth City Council needs to listen to the residents, because they are best-placed to decide how this can work. Parking needs to change for the better."
Mr Bamping said he had had six parking tickets in five years and not paid any of them, though the process of legally challenging them had been costly and time-consuming for both sides.
He added: "The review will be a good thing if they listen, but not if they don't.
"I'm going to fill out the survey, and I hope a lot of Plymothians do."
Bruce Abbott, campaigns co-ordinator for Plymouth Area Disability Action Network, said parking for disabled people in the city was "appalling".
He added: "I would like to see some recognition given to the difficulties disabled people have in accessing some parts of the city."
He called for more disabled on-street parking bays, and possibly bays for families with young children in pushchairs.
But Mr Abbott said the council should have consulted directly with groups such as the elderly and the disabled.
"They have not even mentioned it to us," he said.
The survey will run until Thursday, September 30 and the review is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Mr Wigens said: "We value the whole community's views on parking issues and we want to hear from as many people as possible."
30 Comments
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by Bottom of my shoe., plymouth
Friday, September 10 2010, 2:29AM
“MrCrazee is right.......
PCC is corrupt, has been for ever...”
by Mike, Plymouth
Wednesday, September 08 2010, 10:22PM
“Graham, you either chose to have children, in which case they are YOUR responsibility, or you didn't choose to have them, which makes you just irresponsible.
The only person sounding egotistical here is you, with your "I've got kids so I have more rights than you" garbage...”
by Anon, Plymouth
Wednesday, September 08 2010, 9:04PM
“Dear Graham. Egotistical? How on earth did you get that from my previous post?! No Graham, I am not a moronic prat, I am a woman who is fed up with people with children taking priority over others including the disabled. This facility is for voicing opinions and not to inflict abuse on others. Please don¿t use this as some sort of release for your pent up anger.”
by homey112, plymouth
Wednesday, September 08 2010, 8:44PM
“ref grahams comments its been going on for years they lend there bagdes out to there friends relatives etc .they need to put the car reg on the badge and this should be put on the dash board if the reg does not match the car then they should be fined !!”
by Mike_59, Pennycomequick
Wednesday, September 08 2010, 8:34PM
“Its about time, the idiots at Amey have ignored requests from residents in Pennycomequick for 6 years, they should get rid of them and give their jobs to people who know what they are doing or they will mess it up again by not listening to what people are telling them in the survey”
by Mike DuPreez, Pennycomequick
Wednesday, September 08 2010, 8:29PM
“Its about time, the idiots at Amey have done nothing to stop commuter parking in Pennycomequick after 6 years of complaining by the residents, they should get rid of them all and give the job to people who now what they are doing. I bet they will still make a mess of it even after the survey because they will not listen to what the people want”
by graham, stoke
Wednesday, September 08 2010, 8:11PM
“"THEY SHARE THE BADGE DAUGHTER OR SON BORROWS IT TO GO OUT SHOPPING AND ITS NOT EVEN FOR THEM !!" if you can prove their doing this and take a digital photo ( legal as your in a public place ) send it to the council the offender will be resonsible for a hefty fine to the owner who may also have the badge revoked as its mis use of council property”
by mark, Cattedown (taxifast Car Park)
Wednesday, September 08 2010, 8:01PM
“It is the council themselves that have caused the problems by allowing house after house to be converted into flats and student accomodation.
The majority of residents schemes do not work because it is the residents themselves that have too many vehicles and the permits are handed out like confetti.
We are also a one car household and one of the remaining properties in the street that has not been turned into flats.
In Cattedown we have houses full of foreign taxi drivers from a certain company that take up all the spaces in the street.
We have absence landlords making huge sums of money renting three bed properties to five or six separate individuals and of course their cars.
I was also amazed the number of disabled bays that have appeared in the streets recently, now I appreciate some do need them, but these bays just seem to be another perk on getting on the benefits band wagon for the majority.
Many are multi car households who shunt their cars around to make sure it is always the disabled bay that is vaccant thus preventing anybody parking.
The council also need to look at the huge number of commercial vehicles that are being kept in the streets. I am not having a go at the one man band plumber/builder but vehicles belonging to national companies that have depots in the area. - a certain roofing and insulation firm with their huge red and white lorries are well known for causing problems in our street. The driver lives two streets away and does not want the vehicle outside his house so why does he think I want it outside mine?
We also have somebody who makes a habit of buying an old car using for a few months until it breaks down and then dumping it around the corner where it will sit untouched and uninsured until the road tax runs out can we get the council to remove it.
This happens three or four times a year but authorites seem reluctant to take any further action.”
by Steve, Millbay
Wednesday, September 08 2010, 7:55PM
“I have e-mails from the parking department. In Emma Place, the ommercial garages regularly abuse the residents parking and park there frr of charge. The CEO's go over and ask them to move.
If any member of the public parks there illegally like the garages, they are booked and receive a fine.
How is this fair?
The answer i got was, the CEO's are not allowed to enter a private residence for health and safety reasons. But they are allowed to go onto the premises of a commercial garage, with machinery, paint sprayers, jack lifts and welders. Now which would YOU prefer to go to?
So if you get fined and are illegally parked opposite a commercial premises, complain, and give the reason mentioned above. Lie and say you saw the CEO's ask a commecial-registered car to move, yet booked yours!”
by homey112, plymouth
Wednesday, September 08 2010, 7:54PM
“PARDON ME JOHN NO IM NOT ! YOU QUOTE ITS ONLY A PARKING SPACE !! MY GRIPE IS HALF OF THIS PEOPLE DONT NEED A BADGE OR PARKING SPACE THEY JUST MILK IT AND IT GETS UP MY NOSE.ITS ABOUT TIME THEY GOT RID OF THE BLUE BADGE ALTOGETHER .MORE MOTHER AND BABY SPACES ARE NEEDED !!”