Petition to restrict parking in a Derbyshire town rejected
The County Council has said they’ll look into the potential for an alternative scheme
Last updated 8th Feb 2022
A petition to restrict parking in a Derbyshire town has been rejected.
A total of 188 people signed a petition calling for a residents-only parking scheme for Beighton Street, Crossley Street, Heath Road, Ivy Grove, Manvers Avenue, Meadow Road, Moseley Street, Park Road, Park Street, Wall Street and Wood Street in Ripley.
The County Officers concluded that residents-only parking schemes are not appropriate in situations where it is largely residents who are “competing” for the available on-street parking.
Officers also outline that adopting a residents-only parking scheme “does not guarantee a parking space outside a resident’s property, or even on the resident’s street”.
They say a residents-only parking scheme must be self-financing – cover all of the costs of the scheme and its enforcement.
As a result, council officers write that, in their experience, “such Orders rarely achieve their intended purpose; they are open to misinterpretation and are often ignored, on the part of drivers who are unsure as to their exact meaning”.
They continue:
“They tend to raise the expectations of residents and lead to frequent demands for police enforcement.”
As a result, the report says council officers do not recommend the introduction of “access only” orders.
Meanwhile, officers say: “Bearing this in mind, it is unlikely that residents of Crossley Street would be willing to be part of a residents’ parking scheme that would require them to purchase parking permits.”
“Streets made up of residential and business properties must also bear in mind that businesses will need to be catered for with the possible introduction of limited waiting bays to provide a turnover of trade and or loading bays further increasing competition for residents on such a street,” they say.