Agenda item

Report of the Corporate Director, Community.

The Panel received a report of the Corporate Director, Community, which set out information about the identification, prioritisation, development and implementation of parking management schemes in Harrow.  It also set out information about requests for parking schemes received by the Council and recommended a programme of work for 2019 /20. 

Officers responded to Members questions as follows:

·                     the schemes included in the proposed programme for 2019/20 were assessed and were given a score rating, the top eight of these had been prioritised for possible funding in 2019/20 in accordance with TARSAP’s agreed process.  The proposed schemes had not been ranked in order of when the schemes would be taken forward during 2019/20 and that would be determined once TARSAP had considered the recommendation and approved a programme.  It was clarified that there was no waiting list of schemes and additional schemes would not be added to the work programme later in the financial year because all available funds would already have been allocated;

·                     the operational hours of a scheme were an important part of the design process. Due to the large number of existing CPZs with very short operational hours, typically 1-2 hours, problems have now been encountered with enforcement.  As a consequence for future schemes developed residents will be advised that a minimum period of a 4-hour parking restriction will be required in order to enable effective enforcement of CPZ schemes;

·                     currently, the Council was required to undertake statutory consultation when introducing or amending parking restrictions and as a consequence of typically strong public opinion the implementation of parking controls in the borough was mainly a customer-driven process.  It was important to acknowledge the fact that the introduction of parking controls in one area often led to displaced parking in neighbouring areas and that this was an unavoidable consequence of this type of work;

·                     response rates to consultations was typically low.  Harrow had undertaken a survey with other local authorities which had revealed that the response rate in inner London boroughs varied between 5%?25% and in outer London boroughs it tended to be approximately 10%.  In cases where the response rate was significantly low, the matter would be referred to Members;

·                     parking controls, once implemented, could not easily be reversed.  It would be more cost effective and politic to use available funds to implement schemes that were required rather than spend money on removing existing schemes.

·                     incentivising low emission vehicles through lower parking charges was suggested, it was advised that the Council was already trialling electric vehicle charging points in Greenhill, and motorists would be entitled to free parking while they charged up their vehicles.

A Member back benching suggested that it would be sensible to undertake works on Whitefriars, Graham Road and Handel at the same time.

Resolved to RECOMMEND:  (to the Portfolio Holder for Environment)

That:

(1)          the list of parking management schemes for 2019 /20 is as shown in Appendix B, subject to confirmation of the capital funding allocation for 2019/20 at Cabinet,

(2)          officers be authorised to carry out scheme design and consultation on the parking management schemes listed in Appendix B;

(3)          officers be authorised to implement the parking management schemes listed in Appendix B subject to further reports being provided on the outcomes of public and statutory consultation and receiving approval of Portfolio Holder to proceed,

(4)          any substantive new requests received to undertake a controlled parking scheme or review that are not included within the agreed programme or priority list in Appendices B and C in this report be referred to the Panel for consideration.

Reason for Recommendation:  To recommend to the Panel a proposed Parking Management Schemes Programme for the 2019/20 financial year.