Agenda item

The Cabinet Member considered a petition received from Parkway residents requesting a parking management scheme in the road. A representative of the petitioners addressed the Cabinet Member. Comments and suggestions included:

·         The Cabinet Member was advised that Parkway was a narrow road of special character which had not been designed for the volume of traffic currently using it.

·         The road was particularly busy as it served St Helen's School, a Medical Centre and was also used for commuter parking due to its proximity to Hillingdon Station which further exacerbated the problem.

·         The road was particularly congested at school pick up and drop off times.

·         Concern was expressed regarding potential lack of accessibility for emergency vehicles at busy times.

·         Air quality was an area of concern for local residents.

·         Visibility when accessing / leaving driveways was sometimes limited due to the number of vehicles parked along the road.

·         It was felt that a parking scheme would alleviate the problem.

Councillor Graham attended the meeting as Ward Councillor and spoke in support of the petition. He reiterated that commuter parking was the principal problem in the area and confirmed that access to driveways was often restricted; particularly at school pick up / drop off times. Councillor Graham expressed further concerns regarding accessibility for emergency vehicles and air quality in the area. Councillor Cooper also attended the meeting as Ward Councillor and confirmed that the parking issues in Parkway were primarily caused by commuter drift.

Councillor Burrows listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised. He requested clarification regarding the availability of parking at the Medical Centre and was advised that parking existed to the rear of the surgery which incorporated spaces for disabled residents; however patients often parked on the road rather than in the car park provided. Attention was drawn to the part of the road which was privately owned and residents were informed that the Council may not be able to put yellow lines along that section of the road. Councillor Burrows outlined the possible options open to residents; namely a full parking management scheme or waiting restrictions. He noted that waiting restrictions would also impact on local residents who needed to park their cars along the road during the daytime. A Parking Management Scheme was another option but the matter of the private part of the road was a complicating factor. Councillor Burrows informed residents that an informal consultation would be undertaken to establish which option residents would prefer. It was explained that the decision of the majority of residents would be carried forward; if residents did not respond to the consultation, they would not have a say. Councillor Graham asked whether residents of the private road would be included in the consultation and officers were able to confirm that this would be the case.  The Traffic, Parking, Road Safety and School Travel Team Manager stated that he would need to seek clarification from the Council's legal team on this point. It was confirmed that the informal consultation would be initiated in spring 2018 but it was impossible to confirm exact timescales at this stage.

RESOLVED:  Meeting with the petitioners, the Cabinet Member:

1)    considered the request for the introduction of parking restrictions in Parkway, Hillingdon;

2)    asked officers to add the request for parking restrictions in Parkway, Hillingdon to the Council's future parking scheme programme for further investigation and informal consultation with residents when resources permit;

3)    requested that officers consult the legal team on the issue of the section of the road which is private and not within Council control.

Reasons for recommendations

To allow the Cabinet Member to discuss with petitioners their concerns and, if appropriate, add their request to the parking schemes programme.

Alternative options considered / risk management 

These were discussed with petitioners.