Sidney Road currently bears the brunt of the parking problems in St Margarets...
...now is our chance to change it!
You may have heard from the vociferous "Say no to CPZ" (Controlled Parking Zone) lobby, but they have their own reasons for trying to persuade Sidney Road residents to resist inclusion in the growing St Margarets CPZ.
Some are using this issue to generate capital for their own political ambitions.
- Some are second car owners from nearby streets who park in Sidney Road to avoid the cost of an additional permit.
Some think that if our parking problems are solved then those cars will park on their streets.
But these people are not the ones having their lives blighted by the challenge and daily stress of trying to park anywhere remotely near their homes. We are - the residents of Sidney Road.
Now we have a chance to vote for inclusion in the CPZ and radically improve our lives. Here's why...
We'll be able to park throughout the local area...
As it is now, if we can't park in Sidney Road we have very few other places to try. We cannot park in adjacent streets in the CPZ, even though we've all seen the many empty CPZ spaces in Bridge, Broadway, and Winchester roads. If Sidney Road opts into the CPZ, we will have similar empty spaces available to us. We could even park in those adjacent streets whenever we wanted.
It will save us money in the long run...
Many frustrated Sidney Road residents are falling foul of the stringent parking fines of £50 a throw through parking in CPZ spaces in desperation, going over CPZ road markings, or not moving their cars in time for the CPZ restrictions.
The CPZ permit will allow us to park anywhere in the St Margarets zone, saving parking charges for neighbourhood activities – visits to doctors, shopping at local shops, etc.
It will be easier for visitors to park...
Currently it's a nightmare for family and friends visiting the street to find parking. The CPZ will mean we can obtain Visitor Parking Permits to allow them to park in our street.
Similarly, when having building work or property maintenance, trades-people will be able to park closer to our properties, with easier access to their tools and materials.
And delivery drivers will be able make deliveries to our doors without having to block the road and cause havoc.
It will improve our access to night-time parking...
A common argument used by the "No to CPZ" lobby is that the CPZ only operates during the day, so it won't improve night-time parking problems. However, cars parked in a CPZ street during the day can remain there all evening.
When returning home at night, often the only spaces available are in the CPZ zone. Park there, and we have to move the car before 10 the next morning or pay that £50 fine . With Sidney Road in the CPZ all the spaces in Sidney Road and the surrounding roads will be available to us.
It will sustain property values...
Our lack of parking is forcing down house prices in Sidney Road. Houses benefiting from a CPZ are valued higher than houses where parking is a problem. Even if you don't have a car, a CPZ in Sidney Road is in your interest.
Sidney Road voted YES for inclusion in the CPZ on the initial consultation. The council denied us and also refused to take into account the second vote for inclusion if adjacent streets had voted yes to CPZ. Now we have the chance to vote again...
THE ONLY WAY TO SOLVE
SIDNEY ROAD'S PARKING
PROBLEM IS TO BE PART OF
THE ST. MARGARETS CPZ
THE ONLY WAY TO ENSURE THE
COUNCIL INCLUDES SIDNEY ROAD
IN THE CPZ IS TO HAVE A
LARGE MAJORITY YES VOTE
VOTE YES FOR CPZ
IN SIDNEY ROAD
I am in favour of the CPZ for many of the reasons outlined here.
ReplyDeleteI am not a Sidney Road resident, although I do occasionally park on Sidney Road when I can't park on my (adjacent) road for the same reasons you shortsightedly appear to believe are peculiar to Sidney Road.
One issue you choose to ignore is that the parking difficulties on Sidney Road are exacerbated by those people who have off street parking, which is neither good for the environment nor for the availability of parking spaces for the neighbours.
If a CPZ is introduced will your neighbours reintroduce green front gardens and get rid of the paved eyesores on what is otherwise a rather pleasant road?
Hi. Believe us, we feel your pain with parking. It's not specific to Sidney Road, but this is a grass roots project, and Sidney Road is where our grass is rooted.
ReplyDeleteI agree, off street parking is bad for wildlife and limits the availability of street parking for others. However, it is a product of not being able to park in your own street. With a CPZ, the need for off-street parking will be reduced.
I'm sure Sidney residents would prefer to look out of their windows and see a front garden rather than a parking lot.
Thank goodness that someone has had the nerve to come out and balance the shrill, self-styled St.Margarets Parking Association. (Just a front for the Tories really) I live in Bridge Road and the difference to our quality of life since we joined Zone S is amazing. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI have tried to post a comment with little success and will try again.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea why the above anonymous comment has to include a snide remark attributing the St Margarets Parking Assoc to a Tory front. This comment is totally unecessary to a discussion which should be apolitical.
I have been trying for seven years to get some understanding from the people who pass for traffic planners at the LBR but to no avail. The employees in the traffic office (possibly because they do not live here) have more sympathy with commuters than residents. Pointing out that the residents of St Margarets
should take precidence over commuters drew out little sympathy.
It should be patently obvious to anyone that if you have a free parking zone within a CPZ it will attract commuters, shoppers and people who live in the CPZbut do not want to pay.
We now have the situation where residents of Winchester Road park their cars in Sidney Road often for weeks on end. We also have the regular curse of Darlings trucks being dumped for anything up to four weeks.
This is totally unfair and should be stopped with immediate effect.