Parking in Town Centres

Parking and the fees now charged by local councils is a hot topic these days. With the growth in vehicles on the road, parking space is at a premium. Everybody naturally expects to be able to park and shop where they wish, but there is increasingly a price to be paid - one of the costs of motoring and maintaining our roads and pavements as government grants are withdrawn.

But many complain about the level of charges the council makes to cover its roads and pavements maintenance program. Traders particularly point to this one factor as the main cause of their loss of business, though Mary Portas' recent report for the government on other factors such as on-line shopping and supermarket discount competition, seem more compelling.

Brent Council's Highways Committee will be debating this and other transportation issues next Tuesday (7th February) in relation to it's proposal of up to one hour free parking at Preston Road Car Park. This could be a pilot project for other town centres. Come along and let us have your ideas.

cllr jim moher

Commuter parking in Valley Drive, Kingsbury.

From time to time we receive complaints regarding commuter parking in Crundale Ave, Kingsbury. This is a popular parking place (free) for user of Kingsbury Tube station.

A few  years ago the Council held a consultation with residents of Valley Drive to decide if a CPZ (controlled parking zone) should be introduced. This would have restricted parking, except for certain times of the day, which deters commuters but encourages local residents to shop locally for the benefit of local traders. Residents would need a parking permit to park in the road, unless they have off street parking. Following an extensive ballot resident’s narrowly rejected the proposed CPZ plan.

At the time of the previous consultation many residents voted No. It was clear that many people voted from roads largely unaffected by the parking problem. Is it time to consult, once again, to introduce a CPZ, but maybe restrict the consultation to only roads that suffer the parking problems? We would welcome comments?

George Crane