Agenda item

Concerns, comments and suggestions raised by the petition organiser at the meeting included the following:

·         The petition organiser stated that he was a member of the Ruislip Gardens Residents' Association (RGRA) and was attending the meeting as a representative of the RGRA, which was in support of the petition 

·         The petitioner organiser advised that this issue had been listed as a standard item on the RGRA's agenda in the last 2 years

·         Had raised the petition in order to request a residents' parking scheme at the bottom ends of Clifford Road and Bedford Road

·         Residents parking scheme had been introduced at the top Clifford Road and Bedford Road, which were nearest to the tube station

·         Moved into property 6 years and parking was not an issue at the time but had become a problem since the introduction of the 'pay and display' parking scheme around the area

·         The parking problems could be associated to the restrictions around the tube station, as commuters were being forced to find parking in surrounding areas

·         From a small survey conducted of vehicles parked in a stretch in Clifford Road over several days, it was found that 63% of the cars and commercial vehicles parked belonged to commuters

·         No longer had a vested interest, as had now sold property but was representing residents who had signed the petition

·         At the top end of the roads close to the parking zone, all side parking spaces were taken and 89-90% of homes had off-road parking, whilst their visitors parked at the far end of the road

·         There had been an on-going problem with commercial vans, where up to 3 vans could be parked at any one time on the road. A complaint had been lodged to the company

·         The issue of parking outside the flats was relentless and further compounded by long term parking in the area and people living in the flats were at a disadvantage because they were not able to have drive ways or off-road parking

·         Daily commuters have been noted to park vehicles on a 30 metres stretch along Clifford Road and last weekend observed a convoy of 3 to 4 cars parked on the road, drivers of the other cars then boarded one car and drove off

·          An abandoned vehicle reported 7 days ago had not been removed  

·         The tube station also attracted other commuters such as QPR fans and Westfield shoppers/staff

·         Nos 102 to 112 Clifford Road was the first place where kerb side parking was available and the with parking restriction ending at 6pm, this had meant that residents were unable to even park in the evenings

·         Requested some protection for residents living near Ruislip Gardens tube Station

·         Parking was also an issue of concern for school children, as the vans could hamper the visibility of children which could be a hazard to them

·         Neighbours with young children and people working shifts until 11pm often found parking problem to be detrimental, as they would feel the impact of not being able to move freely due to cars parking too closely and not being able to manoeuvre easily in and out of a space

·         Alley-gating had also added to the problem, as residents were not so keen to open the gates and use the area available for parking at the back

·         Stressed that parts of Clifford Road and Bedford Road had particularly been affected with the parking problems.

The petitioner showed pictures/map of the area to the Cabinet Member and the Road Traffic Officer to highlight the areas that were particularly affected.

Councillor Judy Kelly attended as a Ward Councillor in support of the petition and stated that she totally supported the petitioners and their concerns and hoped that some sort of parking restriction could be introduced.

Councillor Keith Burrows listened to the issues and concerns raised by the petition organiser on behalf of the petitioners and responded to the points raised. He thanked the petition organiser for his compelling argument in support of an extension to the Ruislip Gardens Parking Management Scheme in order to manage parking in their road and advised that this petition presented real difficulties for the Council, as recent consultations undertaken with residents in the area had indicated (from the responses received), that the majority of residents preferred not to have any change to the current parking arrangements in the area.

The Cabinet Member stated that the Council would legally be required to carry out a further detailed consultation in the area and officers would need to also liaise with Ward Councillors in order to look at the wider picture/implications of any proposal. Ultimately, however, residents would have the final say, (through consultation) as to whether they would support an extension to the current parking scheme or not. 

Councillor Burrows acknowledged that the reality of residents in an area opting out of a Parking Management Scheme whilst other areas accept the scheme, often led to parking problems for other residents in the area. He noted that consultation for Parking Management Scheme had been undertaken in early 2013.

Officers expressed their sympathy and advised that the Council had already carried out an informal consultation with all roads within Ruislip Gardens estate and the fringes of the existing scheme and unfortunately the majority in all roads, including Clifford Road and Bedford Road had indicated their preference for no change to the current scheme.

In response to the comment that the concerns were mainly from residents that did not have drive ways. Officers noted that some of these residents must have changed their minds, as they had also signed the petition.

The petitioner added that the wording of the consultation had caused some confusion. Officers explained that the wording needed to take account of preventing parking across driveways (although in reality most people didn't).

In response to the petitioner's request for parking permits, officers highlighted that the difficulty was that any proposal would have to be a viable option and the option for yellow lines (which was the more viable option and easier than a  Parking Management Scheme) had been rejected in the consultation.

In conclusion, Councillor Burrows informed the petitioner that in addition to having carried out the officer recommendations, he would attached a third recommendation instructing officers to undertake a Parking Stress Survey in the roads indicated within the petition and ask officers to report the results back to the Cabinet Member and Ward Councillors for possible solutions to be discussed if found to be problematic. 

Resolved: That the Cabinet Member:

1.    Discussed and listened to the petitioner and their request for an extension to the Ruislip Gardens Parking Management Scheme across the entire Ruislip Gardens estate.

2.    Explained to petitioner that recent consultations with residents had indicated that the majority of residents in all roads had a preference for no change to the current parking arrangements.

3.    Instructed officers  to undertake a Parking Stress Survey in the roads indicated within the petition and asked officers to report the results back to the Cabinet Member and Ward Councillors for possible solutions to be discussed, if found to be problematic. 

REASON FOR RECOMMENDATION

To allow the Cabinet Member to discuss with the petitioner their concerns.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED

These were discussed with the petitioner.