Safe Speed Forums

I've no idea what their budget is, but it's obviously too much as they only spend it on more and more goddam white lines, more and more speedcams, and white central hatching painted over red! They spend it on congesting the roads.
Why?

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Pecunia Prius Equitas et Salus

Bizarre how they can do all that but still don't have enough money to repair potholes or resurface roads

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Prepare to be Judged

Surely the service they provide is for the town. If nobody can park in the town they'll go elsewhere. They should be making the town more attractive to people and easier to access.

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Andrew.

It won't be easier to access if parking is free. There will be more congestion.

But never more congestion than the participants in the congestion choose to accept.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Except I don't believe that. Car parks can be full even when people have to pay so that doesn't appear to have any effect. The free car park in Poole isn't usually hard to find a space in.
People don't park for longer than they need to (unless they've paid for longer than they need) so I doubt there would be much difference. Would be nice to find out though.

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Andrew.

[quote="Ziltro
People don't park for longer than they need to (unless they've paid for longer than they need) so I doubt there would be much difference. Would be nice to find out though.[/quote]

Free parking would get rid of the transfer of ticket scam. I pay for an hour - am back in 10 mins, so i've already paid for that space ,but can't give someone that space free - so in effect many spaces are being paid for twice/possibly more .But our lot come out with the "increase in town element of council tax "story- and all the local Mr Browns rubing their hands at the thought of more revenue.

That's right. Isn't it amazing how bad things will get before people start to toy with the possibility that there may be a better option?

And congestion doesn't only affect those who choose to accept it.

Removing parking charges will increase the number of cars. If the car parks are full it will mean more queueing, or cars driving round and round looking for alternatives.

If that happened then the implication is that there's more people using the local shops - good for everyone. And they should then go and build another car park...

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Wake me up when the revolution starts
STOP the Toll Tax http://www.traveltax.org.uk

Jub Jub wrote:
Removing parking charges will increase the number of cars. If the car parks are full it will mean more queueing, or cars driving round and round looking for alternatives.


Or - it could be that those parking anywhere as traffic wardens are a thing of the past, and decrim parking is opposed will have somewhere to go . Got so bad in my town that the local council are asking /telling the county /police that they must have a traffic warden (as in the old style yellow perils) to get things under control - streets are congested with parking, as parkers won't pay, if they get it free - pavements are blocked ( councillers version is that pavements are being damaged ) ---supermarkets are bringing in parking restrictions ---to end free parking.

The main car parks around Poole have lanes where people queue when they are full. There are queues quite regularly I believe. Charging people doesn't seem to stop this so it doesn't prove anything. It's just an un-necessary tax.
If they were free then people wouldn't stay longer than they needed, nor would they waste time faffing with barriers and tickets, etc.
It would probably be healthier too due to there being less stress involved. "No you can't go to the loo, we have to get back to the car!"

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Andrew.

Perhaps, but it will also include people who commuted another way and the free parking has tempted them back into the car.

Building more car parks in city centres isn't something that happens -the land is too valuable. For some reason at the present time all the developers seem to be on the apartment bandwagon. And as the congestion increases so the opportunities for buses and park and ride to increase gets more difficult. So planners make it more easy for buses to get in and harder for cars.

And the circle goes on.

You couldn't have more traffic wardens, as you've just lost all the income that you used to get from car parks. And the circle...

Jub Jub wrote :
"Perhaps, but it will also include people who commuted another way and the free parking has tempted them back into the car."

It's NOT FREE parking - we council taxpayers own (collectively ) the ground that the council charge us for using. Now why around christmas time do certain councils relax parking charges - are they modern day St Nicks -NO it gets more people to shop in their town , and keeps the shopkeepers happy.

I agree with you here. Land's worth more as apartments so that's what they build. So less parking - more out of town centres. Then the whinging about local shops closing starts....

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Wake me up when the revolution starts
STOP the Toll Tax http://www.traveltax.org.uk

That's not the point. If car parks don't charge you directly to park then people are more likely to use them. If catching the bus or train means saving money then some will use that alternative.

You keep bringing it back to how Local Authorities raise income. And that's a whole bigger issue than just parking charges.

Birmingham is an interesting study Graham. The new Bullring opening, combined with the flooding of the centre with apartments, has dramatically changed things. Whereas previously people would park all over and shop in the whole city centre, now the majority aim for the Bullring by car, bus or train. So the roads into the Bullring are busier, and shops elsewhere in the centre are losing out. But because there are far more living in the centre a number of these shops are becoming mini-supermarkets.

That's not a bad thing.

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Andrew.

[quote="Jub Jub

You keep bringing it back to how Local Authorities raise income. And that's a whole bigger issue than just parking charges.[/quote]

No - it's tied in with the council tax bit - our lot ( not so far from B/HAM geographically/ politically ) see parking charges as a means of income raising. So the whole idea of parking/ council tax is totally related. ( Or so our Labour Controlled council tell us)
Motorists to the labour group are a source of income - hit them whilst they drive ( or park) - a car is just that -a source of national or local income ,or both- driving - VED, tax on insurance ,tax+fuel duty + driving licence : parked - VED , tax on insiurance , + driving licence + parking fee .( then if they park outside the time/ we can find some way of screwing yet more - it's all legal , till they find it's not ) - The Sherrif of Notts would have given his right arm for these powers.