Agenda item

Steven Austin, Traffic, Parking, Road Safety and School Travel Team Manager, introduced a report detailing the Councils extensive Parking Management Schemes.

The Council’s Parking Management Schemes were set into context, and the Committee was informed that, as per data captured from the London Travel demand survey 2011/2012, Hillingdon had the third highest household car access rates in London at 73%, only beaten by Richmond upon Thames at 75% and Bexley at 74%. Several major housing developments are under construction in Hillingdon, and so the demand for kerbside space was significantly increasing, together with the demand for parking schemes. In 2018, the Cabinet Member for Planning, Transportation and Recycling had 64 petitions submitted to the Council that fell within his portfolio and of these, 41 (64%) were parking related.

Last year, the Transport and Projects team consulted over 11,500 households on possible parking options in their roads, and currently the existing program had over 51 schemes of various sizes that were being managed. This did not include the further 5 petitions that the Cabinet Member will be hearing in the coming months.

Members asked a number of questions, including:

Some residents are concerned at the time being taken to resolve requests for parking management schemes. Is this due a lack of team resources,  and what can be done to relieve the pressure in what is going to continue to be a demanding area to manage?

Recently, a new member of staff had been seconded into the team on a six month placement, to try and help clear the backlog. However, it was important to point out that the delay in resolving requests was not wholly due to volume vs. resource, but also due to the requirement to adhere to process and legal obligations before any actions could be taken, which is often a lengthy process.

How often were parking management schemes reviewed, and what more can be done in regards to educating residents on what their options are?

Officers were always happy to review what communication is being sent to residents, and all consultation forms included an officer's name, telephone number and email address should residents wish to contact the department. While officers were always happy to take on board suggestions for ways to improve correspondence and communication with residents, recent consultations had achieved very positive response rates.

In instances where proposed schemes cover part of a road or area, was there a way for officers to engage with the other road section to fully explain how they will be affected by the scheme? Often, the only course of action available to these residents is to engage with the Council’s petition scheme, which can be a lengthy process.

The extent of the demand was such that officers were comfortable that the petition scheme and subsequent consultation process was the most appropriate way for residents to make their views known. By signing a petition in sufficient numbers, the Cabinet Member was assured that there is a consensus among residents for some kind of action.

Regarding new housing developments, some large scale developments were being approved without sufficient resident and visitor parking spaces, which cascaded parking issues out into neighbouring areas. Was there any way that the transport team could work more closely with planning officers to avoid such issues?

While it would be inappropriate to comment on planning processes, the team did work closely with colleagues in planning. In certain circumstances, parking issues could be regulated through the use of parking permits.

What were the plans to review those roads across the Borough where parking enforcement is suspended?

The Borough has approximately 380 legacy roads where enforcement has been suspended, though only a small subset of those roads ever report parking issues.  When notified by residents of such issues, the Council will often consult with residents on a formal scheme, (likely parking bays with appropriate signage) however, this inevitably leads to an overall loss of parking for residents. Officers can make a list of these legacy roads available to the Committee outside of the meeting.

The Stop and Shop scheme set out in the report was intended to encourage residents to use their local high street. However, the reality is that parking spaces are often being taken up by the owners of local shops. What could the Council do to address this? Could number plate recognition be used to combat the issue?

Enforcement of the maximum stay time would be a matter for the parking enforcement team; however, it is likely that it would be down to the diligence of the parking enforcement officers to make sure that they note what vehicles they see, and how long they have been parked, before taking the relevant enforcement action. The suggestion of number plate recognition could be fed back to the parking team for consideration. Members could also report details of suspected infringements to the parking enforcement team who can then investigate the matter.

How did the Council manage those busy roads where, due to parked vehicles, access by emergency services was difficult? 

Each case would need to be reviewed individually, and appropriate actions taken in line with policy.

It was requested that a larger map showing the current parking management schemes within the Borough be made available to the Committee following the meeting.

It was suggested that a briefing note regarding the enforcement of parking management schemes be considered for inclusion on the work programme at a later date.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the information in the report be noted;

2.    That a list of list of legacy roads where parking enforcement is suspended be forwarded to the Committee;

3.    That the suggestion of number plate recognition as a way to combat Stop and Shop parking infringements be fed back to the parking team for consideration;

4.    That a larger map showing the current parking management schemes within the Borough be made available to the Committee; and

5.    That a briefing note regarding the enforcement of parking management schemes be considered for inclusion on the work programme at a later date.