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News and Comment March 2022

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18 March - Parking: Ticket machine broken? Send PCN, anything else is too difficult

Last week the Places Scrutiny Committee heard of more proposals for making parking in the borough even more difficult and stressful. There is revenue lost to Covid to be made up.

The pandemic struck Bexley’s 19 car parks hard and usage is down by around 23% in main town centres and 29% at smaller shopping parades compared to two years ago. Commuter car parks are still a long way from having recovered.

Kim DurraniCouncillor Cheryl Bacon (Conservative, Sidcup) remarked on Grassington Place being at only 22% of pre-Covid levels. (78% down.) Remarkably, the Council Officer had no idea why his by far the worst performer was being so little used.

Councillor Daniel Francis (Labour, Belvedere) asked why the 20 pence service charge on phone payments was not simply included in the price and queried the official report’s comment that on-street restrictions of only one or two hours should be reviewed because “it allows people the freedom to park for free”.

He could not see how it would put commuters back into the car parks as the report suggested and asked why on-street car parking was recovering more slowly than car parks, to which there was no clear answer.

The Parking Manager said the one or two hour restriction used to ‘catch’ commuters working regular ‘office’ hours but flexible working may be defeating the restriction and complaints suggest it is adversely affecting residents, hence the review. There would be no change without consultation. Councillor Francis remained sceptical while Council Officers believed that the short restrictions were “not working as originally intended”. Did he mention reduced income? Of course he did.

Councillor Val Clarke (Conservative, Falconwood & Welling) was not happy about the proposal either. Neither was she happy about motorists getting parking tickets when the machine had failed and when there is no way of paying without a mobile phone which is not what had been the previously accepted norm.

Residents had reported to her that Arnsberg Way now demands the mobile app which she thought might be the reason for its usage falling so spectacularly, however her site inspection found the most prominent machines to be there but not working which amounts to the same thing.

Cabinet Member Craske said that some ticket machines were so old that replacement parts were no longer available but every car park is to be provided with a new machine.

The Council Officer said that during Covid, machines were covered to encourage use of the mobile app but his procedure now is to issue a ticket and expect the recipient to appeal because “blanket suspension of charges is extremely difficult”. I think he meant to say expensive. Motorist are expected to take photographs of broken ticket machines.

Maximising resident stress levels is presumably a priority and as Councillor Clark acknowledged, “some residents become so worried that they pay”.

The Council Officer came across as a mixture of ignorance and indifference to the pressure placed upon residents. He should expect a promotion soon.

 

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