TO PARK OR NOT TO PARK.....

Written by Graham Tope and published in Paddington Times on Sun 10th Oct 2004

Last month, my Lib Dem colleague and London Assembly Transport Committee Chair, Lynne Featherstone, announced an examination into the way Parking tickets are issued across London.

This is long overdue and should be welcomed and embraced by Londoners. Over the last four years, parking disputes have become ever more commonplace in my post bag.

There are two main types of complaint. First - where the process of ticketing, charging or clamping appears to have gone wrong or been unfair. Second - where local residents, whilst wanting schemes to resolve traffic flow issues, are concerned that councils' parking charges and penalties may have more to do with raising revenue than solving problems.

It is important for such measures to have public support. I want people to comply and pay their charges and their penalty notices if these fines are justifiable - and I want councils to use the revenue on improving local transport related schemes.

But that's all at risk if schemes aren't fair or are being misused to raise money. It brings the system into disrepute, risks non-compliance and can lead to people not trusting the systems put in place to improve their roads.

If it is all fair and above board then local councils don't have anything to fear from this investigation. And if motorists are cheering because they believe that parking restrictions are under attack - they are wrong too. The Assembly is neither friend nor foe - this is a hunt for fairness. My hope is that we will be able to make recommendations that will help Londoners, not necessarily by naming and shaming councils - but by applauding and rewarding those that do it well.

One surprise already. When we originally decided on this investigation, we checked out what work had been done previously on parking in London - so we didn't just duplicate it. The answer came - virtually none.

We will not only be looking at local councils - we are also looking at Transport for London's enforcement of red routes. We will also examine whether there is any room for harmonisation between boroughs. Boroughs argue that they need to vary the details of schemes to suit their own areas. But we have a plethora of different times, different signs, different charges and different penalties. These often cause confusion for people driving around London. Is all this variation really necessary? We shall see...

And we will look at the money. Are boroughs using parking schemes to raise revenue? And if they are - is that their fault, or the fault of the financial rules and restrictions they operate under?

Since the announcement of the plans, calls and emails are flooding in both from individuals and organisations. I am keen to get the maximum amount of evidence from across London. So if there are views you have, please email the investigation at [email protected] or write to - Parking Review (Paul Watling), City Hall, Queen's Walk, London SE1 2AA.