Responses and meeting
17/06/09 13:09 Filed in: News
Responses to my "What's happening?" query email:
- from Tracey Swann at the Ward Coordination Office: "I have passed your query onto a colleague in highways services who will contact you directly with an update." That was 3 weeks ago - haven't had anything yet.
- from Councillor Priest: "The process is grinding inexorably forwards and I'm told today that the scheme should be up and running in mid October. These schemes are never quick...the legal process of removing the public rights to park freely on the highway is seriously time consuming ... time has to be allowed for objections.
With regard to visitors permits I've spent some time with the highways department to see what can be done. The council has the power to provide visitors permits, but has chosen not to do in the Ardwick Residents Parking Scheme so far. As you will have been told, this is because it is seen as a potential problem if such permits were misused and became available to the very commuters we are trying to control. However, requests for visitors permits are pretty widespread across the established area of the scheme as well as in your streets, so we are going to have to find some way to give people what they want and still make the scheme work.
The scheme will be developed as indicated so far in the consultation process...that is without visitors permits, but hopefully if we can get the bugs out of the rules for visitors permits they can be introduced to the scheme later, and maybe we can get that in place before the scheme goes live in October. To give us a forum for discussion we are going to convene a residents consultative group, made up of representatives from the various areas. This group can be taken through the alternatives by the highways team, and in the end advise on what would be good for local residents.
I must admit that I'm worried about the impact of visitors permits on the number of cars in the streets, but as the representative of local people I will always speak for them, so I'm determined to find a way forward."
I have been asked to be on this residents consultative group and have agreed.
Also...
There is a meeting about the Parking Scheme on June 18 which I have been invited to. I'm not sure if it is this consultative group or not. I shall report back here in due course.
- from Tracey Swann at the Ward Coordination Office: "I have passed your query onto a colleague in highways services who will contact you directly with an update." That was 3 weeks ago - haven't had anything yet.
- from Councillor Priest: "The process is grinding inexorably forwards and I'm told today that the scheme should be up and running in mid October. These schemes are never quick...the legal process of removing the public rights to park freely on the highway is seriously time consuming ... time has to be allowed for objections.
With regard to visitors permits I've spent some time with the highways department to see what can be done. The council has the power to provide visitors permits, but has chosen not to do in the Ardwick Residents Parking Scheme so far. As you will have been told, this is because it is seen as a potential problem if such permits were misused and became available to the very commuters we are trying to control. However, requests for visitors permits are pretty widespread across the established area of the scheme as well as in your streets, so we are going to have to find some way to give people what they want and still make the scheme work.
The scheme will be developed as indicated so far in the consultation process...that is without visitors permits, but hopefully if we can get the bugs out of the rules for visitors permits they can be introduced to the scheme later, and maybe we can get that in place before the scheme goes live in October. To give us a forum for discussion we are going to convene a residents consultative group, made up of representatives from the various areas. This group can be taken through the alternatives by the highways team, and in the end advise on what would be good for local residents.
I must admit that I'm worried about the impact of visitors permits on the number of cars in the streets, but as the representative of local people I will always speak for them, so I'm determined to find a way forward."
I have been asked to be on this residents consultative group and have agreed.
Also...
There is a meeting about the Parking Scheme on June 18 which I have been invited to. I'm not sure if it is this consultative group or not. I shall report back here in due course.
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