OPINION THE GREAT PARKING DEBATE
question OF
A trust
The NoTo Mob’s Graeme Jones and BPA director of policy and public affairs Kelvin Reynolds go head-to-head as they debate local authority and private parking management
GJ We have been variously described in the media as a ‘biker-gang,’ ‘vigilantes,’ ‘Robin Hoods,’ or ‘superheroes’ all of which make us cringe when we hear them. The fact is, we consider ourselves to be a group or ‘mob’ of ordinary people who are standing up and saying ‘No’ to the injustices we encounter on a daily basis. It just so happens it is the parking industry that has attracted most of our attention at this time, and we are grateful and pleasantly surprised that we have been allowed to present our concerns over the workings of the parking industry in one of its leading journals.
KR The parking profession is extremely diverse, and issues involving parking impact on many other areas within our daily lives and the communities we live and work in. The BPA is therefore keen to engage with stakeholders from a wide variety of disciplines and standpoints to better understand how these issues may impact on those, the individuals that they represent. Through the BPA’s think-tank The Parking
Kelvin Reynolds
Forum, for example, we regularly engage with those organisations representing consumers and specialist user groups including The AA, RAC Foundation, Disabled Motoring UK, Which?, Freight Transport Association, Motorcyclists Action Group, British Motorcyclists Federation and many more.
It is their views, along with others, that help the BPA in developing its key objectives, as set out in our Master Plan for Parking. This is what we feel government must do to tackle issues involving parking and we welcome comment and feedback from all stakeholders in helping us shape the next Master Plans for 2013-14.
36 MAY 2013
GJ Our recent appearance in the BBC1 fi lm Parking Mad struck a chord with the general public, many of whom have arrived independently at the same conclusion as the NoTo Mob, which is that the industry has lost focus on what it should be trying to achieve, such as road safety and enhancement of traffi c fl ow, and its focus is now fi rmly on one thing, and one thing only. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY.
KR It is important to understand that many local authorities do not generate a surplus from enforcement and in many cases their parking enforcement accounts are in defi cit. Parking management is about tackling congestion, improving road safety and helping more sustainable forms of transport like buses and cycling. It’s actually against
www.britishparking.co.uk
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