Agenda item

Parking Management and Enforcement Strategy

Report of the Corporate Director of Community.

Minutes:

The Panel received a report of the Corporate Director of Community, which provided details of the draft Parking Management and Enforcement Strategy under development, including parking policies already approved in the third Transport Local Implementation Plan (LIP3). 

 

The Chair reported that the Strategy would be submitted to July 2019 Cabinet and Members should provide any feedback to the Portfolio Holder for Environment.  He referred to the main revisions at paragraph 2.4 and the structural changes to parking control measures at paragraph 2.12 of the report.  He also drew Members’ attention to the appendix, ‘Harrow Parking Management and Enforcement Strategy’.

 

An officer reported that, as part of the consultation process, briefings would be arranged to allow Members to express their concerns and make comments.  He outlined the form of these briefings and suggested that any concerns should be referred to him.

 

Members asked questions and made the following comments:

 

-               to ensure flexibility in allocating visitor permits.  The officer reported that different types of permits were available.  The Strategy was a draft document and he would welcome comments from Members prior to the Cabinet meeting;

 

-               whilst paragraphs 2.41 and 2.42 of the report proposed three basic standard solutions to solve the main types of parking problems encountered in the borough, would it be possible to retain flexibility within the models to allow for further reduced controls.  The officer reported that the majority of CPZs were driven by public demand and he referred Members to page 77 of the agenda which set out how CPZs with short duration operations hours would work.  He outlined issues around commuter parking and added that whilst choices would exist, it was important that issues were clear to allow for best solutions to be offered;

 

-               there were too many CPZs with different operational hours to allow parking enforcement to address.  Enforcing parking with the use of motorbikes was old fashioned and enforcement methods needed to be improved in line with other boroughs.  The officer stated that he would take this message back to his Directorate;

 

-               another Member was of the view that motorbikes had a deterrent impact and were an effective tool when enforcing parking controls that applied for 1-2 hours;

 

-               was there scope within the Strategy to control parking during ‘event’ days at Wembley Football Club, particularly for Stanmore and Queensbury Wards.  The officer informed the Panel that changing hours of operation in these Wards on event/match days would require temporary traffic orders.  He added that the costs associated with running event day parking schemes were high.  Event Day parking was covered in the Strategy Document at Appendix A to the report, page 20 referred.

 

A Member stated that parking was a challenging issue but minor compared to other environmental issues such as the drive towards a green agenda and the use of diesel vehicles.  He thanked officers for a comprehensive document which would help tackle the issues around parking provision in the borough. 

 

RESOLVED: That the contents of the Strategy be noted and individual Members provide any feedback directly to the Portfolio Holder of Environment.

 

Reason:  To be availed of the draft Parking and Enforcement Strategy, which set out the Council’s approach to parking control and enforcement in the borough and ensured that parking policies in the approved third Transport Local Implementation Plan would be effectively taken forward to address the significant environmental and economic challenges faced by Harrow residents and businesses.  This was required to facilitate Highways Authority functions under the Highways Act 1980.

Supporting documents: