Agenda item

The Committee considered the report regarding the revision of the parking charges. The New Business and Projects Manager, Public Realm, informed Members that the report provided details on the costs of managing kerb side demand and influencing car use, to support general accessibility to amenities and in response to overarching national, regional and local drivers for addressing the borough’s air quality and public health challenges.

In response to Councillor Clancy it was explained that if the parking charges were increased, it was thought that the demand to park would increase as it would enable better access for shorter stays to occur. It was also noted that it was difficult to estimate if parking would be displaced to private car parks, especially post-COVID 19, as the traffic had not returned to how it was pre-lockdown.

Councillor Ali stated that car-free zones being introduced in Croydon would be positive. The New Business and Projects Manager noted that according to TfL data, Croydon had the most potential in London to provide safe spaces for cyclists. He gave the statistics of cyclists in neighbouring boroughs to highlight how low the cycling rate was in Croydon.

Councillor Jewitt joined the meeting at 1850 hours.

Councillors Neal and Clancy raised concern for the removal of 30 minutes free parking and the affect this could have on local businesses, particularly in small district centres, which relied on drivers stopping briefly to shop. In response, the officer explained that drivers were discouraged from using cars for non-essential trips and they could walk or cycle to a local shop.

In response to Councillor Neal’s query regarding how air quality would be measured, the New Business and Projects Manager explained that the average of vehicle admissions could be calculated from parking bays and using the data collected by the pay and display machines.

In response to queries raised regarding the budget implications of COVID-19, the New Business and Projects Manager and the Director of Public Realm confirmed that the increase of parking charges was not in response to the shortfall created by the lockdown; the majority of the shortfall had been consolidated by the increase collected in August and September 2020 and the council were working with central government to mitigate any impact from COVID-19. It was confirmed that the increase in charges would cover the costs of work being completed by the transport team.

In response to Councillor Clancy, the Chair explained that the Mayor supported the freeze in transport fares; however, TfL was heavily reliant on fare income and this had significantly dropped during lockdown. He noted that more could be done on a local level, in terms of transport, such as offering financial incentives to purchase a bicycle instead of a car.

RESOLVED – That the Committee:

1)    Agreed, for the reasons detailed in this report, to amend the existing Traffic Management Orders to effect a 30p per 30min increase in the P&D parking bay charges and to advise the Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment (job share) accordingly.

2)    Note that the recommended 30p per 30min increase would coincide with the implementation of emission-based banded parking charges, as agree by Cabinet 25 March 2019.

3)    If it is agreed to proceed, delegate to the Highway Improvement Manager, Public Realm Directorate the authority to give a Public Notice of variation.