We are a group of residents, at the moment mostly from the south-east end of Preston Park Ward, who think that the quality of life here will be improved by a residents parking scheme.
On 27 September 2010 the council introduced a controlled parking scheme for the area known as “Viaduct Rise” – bounded by Viaduct Road, Ditchling Road, Stanford Avenue and Beaconsfield Road – but not in the streets north of the railway line.
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Now people who live south of the railway line and don’t want to buy a parking permit can leave their cars here without paying. People taking the train from London Road station or catching the bus into town can park in our streets for as long as they want for free. Parking – which was difficult enough before – is already very much worse for the people who live here.
The council’s piecemeal approach to parking just moves cars from areas with parking schemes to nearby uncontrolled areas. The short-sighted politicians responsible seem to think it’s fine to improve things for one group of residents while at the same time making life worse for others.
We think it’s high time the council took a more strategic approach to parking across the city.
