From 2006 to 2010, I was a councillor for Lee Green ward in the London Borough of Lewisham. During that time, I blogged regularly and in 2009 I won the Tim Garden Award for the Best Blog by a Liberal Democrat Holding Public Office. My blog posts from my term of office are archived here in case they prove of use to former constituents, or to those who share my annoyance with faulty street furniture
Just back from Mayor and Cabinet, where they were discussing the response to the Assembly’s ‘statement of community views’ on parking. You may remember that this went to Mayor and Cabinet back in May - tonight’s meeting received the report requested then (quite why it’s taken six months is anyone’s guess, but hey-ho).
The report being considered tonight responded to our statement by making three recommendations to the Mayor:
- That all residents in Lee Green ward who aren’t covered by existing Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) will be consulted on the potential introduction of parking restrictions (including the option for a two hour zone where appropriate). This will happen by April 2010.
- That existing CPZs will be retained on their current hours, and that if funds are available in future, hours of operation can be reviewed.
- The Hither Green East CPZ which was brought in last year will be reviewed by the end of this year, and the extensions to that zone and the Old Road/Bankwell Road zone that are currently being installed will be reviewed after one year of operation. The original Old Road/Bankwell Road zone will also be reviewed at this point.
All the reviews and consultations will include questions on:
- If you’re in a CPZ, do you wish to retain it?
- If you’re not, would you like one?
- If you’re not in a CPZ, and you don’t want one, would you like safety works like yellow lining on corners to be carried out?
I spoke at Mayor and Cabinet and made the following points:
- It’s good that the assembly’s views have been considered, and that money’s been found to ask the rest of the ward about parking all at once (so as to hopefully avoid the piecemeal solutions we’ve had in the past that have simply moved the problem around)
- However, the assembly didn’t call for more CPZs – we called for CPZs with different hours, and other solutions like homezones and car clubs, to be explored. Crucially, the concept of car clubs needs to be explained by the Council – it’s no good just asking people if they want one – we need to explain the concept and benefits (the Sustainable Development Select Committee report does a good job at this!) and this is something I’ve already raised with the Deputy Mayor at a meeting of the Full Council.
- The key word in our original motion was parking solutions - not just restrictions, as the Mayor’s report seems to assume. A small change, but an important change of emphasis. The last thing we want is the assembly’s work being used as a trojan horse to push through more 9am-7pm CPZs where they’re not wanted.
I said I hoped officers would take that on board and ensure the consultations and reviews are carried out in the spirit of the assembly’s statement. In particular, that third question about safety works should also ask about other solutions like homezones and car clubs.
I also asked that officers to prepare an update for the Assembly on 19th Jan explaining the decision that’s been made and where they’re up to with each of the recommendations.
Finally, there was some amusement about the Mayor’s interview in the NewsShopper, where he admits to owning no less than three cars himself (not including the ones the Council gives him use of). He assured us this doesn’t colour his judgement when it comes to parking..! In the same spirit of openness, I guess I should declare that I share a Ford Fiesta with my partner, which we sometimes manage to park on our own street.
