FOTOKOSTIC / SHUTTERSTOCK
BREATHEFITNESS / SHUTTERSTOCK
NEWS
LOCAL AUTHORITY NEWS
PARKING CASH REFUNDED BY ‘OVER-ZEALOUS’ COUNCIL
CLIFTON DOWNS LICENCE SPARKS CONTROVERSY
A decision to allow parking on Clifton Downs as an overspill for Bristol Zoo has caused controversy, with the Open Spaces Society (OSS) describing the decision as ‘ill-informed’.
Parents who were hit with parking fines while watching their children play football are to have the money refunded by Devon-based Teignbridge District Council following its admission it had been over- zealous.
Between 20 and 30 fixed penalty notices were issued on 21 April on a stretch of the A382 recently defined as a no-parking clearway. Before this re-classification, the road had no parking restrictions in force. Council environment standards manager
Sue Edwards said it was not the council’s intention to be ‘constantly over-zealous, or appear to be an unfriendly council that can’t be approached’.
Edwards said that, as the clearway had just been introduced, it should have undergone a ‘bedding-in’ process for a short period where drivers were given a warning. The council introduced the clearway in a bid to improve pedestrian safety after cars parking on the roadside verges were deemed to be dangerous.
WHY PARKING MATTERS – A TIME AND MOTION STUDY
The need for efficient parking controls and a means to keep traffic moving has been highlighted by figures quoted in the Daily Mail, which says that today’s motorist can spend 106 days of their lives searching for a parking space.
The study was commissioned by parking reservation service Parkatmyhouse, and it discovered that a typical driver spends 2,549 hours circling the streets looking for a suitable space.
10 JUNE 2013
Whether it is the school run, a visit to the supermarket or a shopping trip, parking is 45 per cent of driver’s biggest headache, the paper reported. Across the UK, it was found that it takes an average of six minutes and 45 seconds to find a space; in Manchester, Southampton and Bristol the time rises to 10 minutes; and in London it typically takes someone 20 minutes to find somewhere to park.
The move to grant the five-year licence was taken by the Downs Committee and means that part of the Downs near Ladies Mile will be used for parking for 60 days a year. It is anticipated that this will ease the problem of zoo visitors parking in nearby residential areas. The OSS has condemned the scheme as premature, pointing out that not only has the Downs Committee no mandate to support Bristol Zoo, but also that the zoo’s current car parking licence doesn’t run out until November 2014. Defending the decision, Downs Committee councillor Brenda Hugill spoke to the BBC saying ‘at a time of austerity, we have to do all we can to preserve the economy of this city’.
CLEGG CONSTRUCTION AWARDED BIRMINGHAM UNIVERSITY CONTRACT
A £4m contract to build a private car park at Birmingham University has been awarded to Clegg Construction.
The car park is intended to reduce parking problems on campus and will cover more than 100,000sq ft.
It is expected to provide an additional 500 spaces for university attendees.
www.britishparking.co.uk
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