24 September - Bexley Council is listening to parking concerns
There
is nothing quite like parking or road closures for filling the Inbox. Three responses within an hour or two of
highlighting the petition on Wednesday. No one
thought petitions were effective and maybe that is true. Bexley Council went on
the record some years ago to say it takes no notice of petitions and has proved
it by never accepting a single one in the 17 years I have been watching them.
From Alsike Road and nearby addresses comes news that dangerously parked
vehicles are reported to Bexley Council with no obvious result but that
Councillor Larry Ferguson (Labour, Thamesmead East) takes an interest in the situation. He
has written to complaining residents to say that Peabody has been trying to reach an agreement with Bexley Council such that
it will take over responsibility for parking in Peabody areas and extend its Controlled Parking Zone.
However Bexley Council appears to be in no hurry to accept the offer and even when they do get
around to making a decision there will have to be a consultation. Recent history
suggests that consultation to implementation - if any - takes around 18 months.
Some residents to the South of the railway line have been campaigning for change
too and Councillor Jeremy Fosten (Labour, Belvedere) has been doing his best to
help. At the July Council meeting he asked a question about New Road which is a
heavily used bus route and received the following answer from Cabinet Member Cameron Smith.
Superficially at least that sounded a little nonsensical to me and I asked
Cameron if he could explain. He said there was a difference between a small
revision to parking regulations in a troublesome area like New Road and a full blown CPZ
proposal and of course there is but I would nevertheless take issue with him on
the implication that there have been no demonstrable changes since 2022/23.
Since that date there have been two very significant changes of circumstances and a
couple of minor ones. Bexley Council imposed two new Monday to Friday 10 until 4
CPZs which used to absorb much of the Elizabeth line commuter traffic. The two CPZs
cover a massive area to the East and South of the old AW CPZ (covering New Road) which is Monday to
Friday 11 until 1 only. The Council also placed restrictions on Free Parking Zones for no good reason whatsoever.
The old tradition of 9 to 5 working is a thing of the past so an 11 until 1
restriction does not work very well any more especially when further afield it is 10 until 4.
All three CPZs actively encourage weekend parking close to the station such that residents dare not leave home by car.
If this is not a demonstrable change in circumstances one must wonder what is.
The conversation with Cameron revealed a willingness to help but against an
overwhelmingly adverse reaction to changing the AW CPZ in 2022 he is being naturally careful. Have enough
residents changed their mind since then? He is very well aware of the
significant parking issues in Abbey Wood but given the decisive No to the
earlier consultation, delivering four new Controlled Parking Zones became the priority.
He is willing to revisit AW1 (both North and South of the railway line) if there
is a demonstrable consensus among residents for changes to the CPZ.
Before AW1 was introduced, Councillor Sally Hinkley (Labour, Belvedere)
did a brilliant job
surveying residents needs and probably that is the way forward, The Cabinet
Member should not be expected to authorise a formal consultation without being
fairly sure it will not merely confirm the status quo.
Whilst some residents are suffering from the Liz line problems, particularly at
weekends, I am equally aware of some who are happy enough with
11 a.m. until 1 p.m. because it
allows them to avoid the cost of a parking permit.
Since 2022/23 the Elizabeth line has grown in popularity, evidenced by the
increased frequency of trains especially at the weekend. Additionally the
introduction of bus route SL3 in February 2024 has made the poorly designed and
timed parking arrangements in New Road even more of a problem. Forcing buses on
to the footpath can surely not be good for anyone, but that is what Bexley Council does.
Note: This blog was written with the help of Councillors
Fosten and Smith and I believe is accepted as a reasonable summary of a
difficult situation by both. Their assistance is appreciated.