Crouch End Lib Dems object to Parking Permit changes
Following the announcement of proposed changed to permit parking across Haringey, your Crouch End Lib Dem team have sent the following objections to the council traffic team:
----------
Dear Sir/Madam,
We would like to send some initial objections to the recent proposed parking charge changes, sent out by email correspondence on the 14th February.
Our objections are two-fold:
1. Visitors parking to no longer be subject to a limited allocation
Removing the limit on the number of visitor passes will incentivise local residents near transport hubs to buy many hundreds of visitor passes and sell them online for a profit, turning many parts of Haringey into giant park and ride zones.
Haringey is already one of the most polluted boroughs in the country, and we should be looking to reduce car travel not adding incentives to increase it. This will also reduce the number of on-street spaces available for those living in Haringey who have resident parking passes.
We question the reasoning for removing the limit. To quote
"Visitors parking permits will be simplified and no longer be subject to a limited allocation
This is to ensure we are taking a fair approach when it comes to everyone who wants to park in our borough and to encourage people to use other forms of transport if possible."
These statements are contradictory. Adding the ability for more visitor parking passes to be available will increase the amount of private vehicle use in the borough, and discourage people to use other forms of transport. We would therefore like to see a limit remain in place for the number of visitor permits available.
2. Removing the ability to get a refund on unused permits if not used in one year
"Unused permits would therefore not be exchanged or refunded"
With many people unaware how many permits they will need or use in a single year, removing the ability to get a refund on unused permits will lead to many under or over purchasing permits. Those that over purchase to be on the safe side will be financially penalised, whilst those who under purchase may be left with a shortfall in permits due to the length of time it can take to receive permits when ordered remotely, or the inconvenience and amount of time taken to purchase permits from an in-house location. We would therefore like to see refunds made available for any unused permits at the end of the year, and for all permits to be available for a minimum of 12 months from purchase, rather than to be used in a calendar year. This is particularly important for carers, support workers and other visitors to vulnerable residents.
Finally, I would like to direct you to the wording currently used on visitor permits, which is causing confusion for many, and leading to unfair fines being imposed.
The visitor permits clearly state on them "Time of arrival". Should a visitor arrive at a location with a CPZ controlled from 10am-noon (as in the case of Crouch End Zone A) at 8am, following the instructions on the visitor permit - they should scratch off 8am as their time of arrival. However the intention would clearly be for the permit to be used between 10am and noon. This is particularly difficult to understand for non-native English speakers, who have followed the instructions, and believe their 2-hour pass will entitle them to park between 10 and noon.
We strongly recommend that this wording is corrected so that the instructions on use are far clearer for all, and stop the penalising of those misunderstanding the instructions.
Kind regards,
Dawn Barnes, Luke Cawley-Harrison & Tammy Palmer
Liberal Democrat local election candidates for Crouch End Ward
----------
To view the full proposals, including how the new charges are applied, changes to the length of permits, and affects on concessions please click the following link, and then click on "Proposed Parking Charges (ZIP. 66KB)": http://www.haringey.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-travel/roads-and-streets/traffic-management-orders/list-traffic-management-orders
<hr/>