New parking fees spread disharmony
Enfield Independent
8th September 06
Fears are growing that a new price structure will put car parking in the borough beyond the reach of Enfield's most hard up residents.
From next month, car parking prices will be harmonised with one price structure across the borough. The changes could see the cost of an hour-long stay in some car parks double and the price of long-stay parking shoot up by as much as 200 per cent.
Denise Headley is councillor for Edmonton Green, one of Enfield's most deprived areas. "Edmonton has a large number of people on benefits and residents will not have the means to pay these new fees. This is all about making money," she said.
"There has been no proper debate. The new charges will be bad for my constituents and bad for Edmonton."
Currently, parking in Edmonton is good value. The car park in Lion Road, Edmonton Green charges 55p for an hour-long stay and £1.50 for a stay of more than six hours.
Under the new rules, drivers in the area will face a £1.50 charge to park for an hour while a stay of more than six hours will cost £4.50.
Edmonton Green councillor, Andrew Stafford, has joined the chorus of protest. He said: "How can you harmonise charges when there is no harmony of income across the borough? This is total exploitation."
Cabinet member for the environment, Terry Neville has described the plans as "flexible, cost-effective and straightforward."
But critics are concerned that the Edmonton economy could be hit. "The increases will scare off shoppers and harm businesses," said a Labour group spokesman. "What will happen to the car parks if nobody uses them? They could be sold," he added.
The radical plans also allow drivers who regularly park in the borough to take advantage of a voucher scheme, allowing the pre-purchase of 11 tickets for the price of ten. Parking tickets will also be transferable between most car parks.
The proposed on-street pay and display charges will be 20p for 15 minutes, 50p for 30 minutes, £1 for one hour and £2 for two hours. Off-street pay and display parking will cost 90p for up to one hour, £1.50 for one to two hours, £2 for two to four hours, £3 for four to six hours and £4.50 for six to 11 hours.
Residents have until September 20 to make their views on the parking charge scheme known to Enfield Council.
8th September 06
Fears are growing that a new price structure will put car parking in the borough beyond the reach of Enfield's most hard up residents.
From next month, car parking prices will be harmonised with one price structure across the borough. The changes could see the cost of an hour-long stay in some car parks double and the price of long-stay parking shoot up by as much as 200 per cent.
Denise Headley is councillor for Edmonton Green, one of Enfield's most deprived areas. "Edmonton has a large number of people on benefits and residents will not have the means to pay these new fees. This is all about making money," she said.
"There has been no proper debate. The new charges will be bad for my constituents and bad for Edmonton."
Currently, parking in Edmonton is good value. The car park in Lion Road, Edmonton Green charges 55p for an hour-long stay and £1.50 for a stay of more than six hours.
Under the new rules, drivers in the area will face a £1.50 charge to park for an hour while a stay of more than six hours will cost £4.50.
Edmonton Green councillor, Andrew Stafford, has joined the chorus of protest. He said: "How can you harmonise charges when there is no harmony of income across the borough? This is total exploitation."
Cabinet member for the environment, Terry Neville has described the plans as "flexible, cost-effective and straightforward."
But critics are concerned that the Edmonton economy could be hit. "The increases will scare off shoppers and harm businesses," said a Labour group spokesman. "What will happen to the car parks if nobody uses them? They could be sold," he added.
The radical plans also allow drivers who regularly park in the borough to take advantage of a voucher scheme, allowing the pre-purchase of 11 tickets for the price of ten. Parking tickets will also be transferable between most car parks.
The proposed on-street pay and display charges will be 20p for 15 minutes, 50p for 30 minutes, £1 for one hour and £2 for two hours. Off-street pay and display parking will cost 90p for up to one hour, £1.50 for one to two hours, £2 for two to four hours, £3 for four to six hours and £4.50 for six to 11 hours.
Residents have until September 20 to make their views on the parking charge scheme known to Enfield Council.
posted by Neil Herron at 10:47 AM
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