Protest sparks parking u-turn

9:37am Thursday 5th September 2002

Protesters marched to the Town Hall to hear the Croydon Council's response to their parking objections and were met with dramatic U-turns but also harsher restrictions for central zone residents.

A last minute decision to retain 9am-5pm parking restrictions Monday-Saturday outside the central zone was announced at the traffic management committee meeting on Monday.

This keeps the status quo after a backlash of complaints that a proposed 7am-7pm restriction penalised residents, traders and churches seven days a week, as highlighted in The Guardian's Parking Watch in recent weeks.

The committee also agreed to introduce a 15-minute tariff at two-hour parking bays, allow more visitors' permits for residents in the central zone only, "maximise" the number of parking bays in all zones and allow registered carers permits for visiting patients.

Chair of the traffic management cabinet committee, Coun Gerry Ryan also announced plans to introduce up to 700 more parking spaces for residents.

However, councillors were heckled at the meeting when they pushed through their last minute bombshell to impose harsher 7am-midnight restrictions for central zone residents.

Having packed the public gallery of the council chamber and the Mayor's parlour because the usual committee room was too small, outbursts from the public gallery grew when protesters learned the proposed Thursday-Saturday 7pm-midnight restrictions in the central zone were to be extended to 7am-midnight Monday-Sunday.

Coun Gerry Ryan said: "I am willing to listen to residents' concerns right up until the last minute."

He pledged to consider residents-only parking bays in the central zone if residents found it difficult to park after the changes.

However, he was shouted down when he said: "There's 220 parking places in the Wandle Road car park that are going to made be available to all central residents with parking permits every night of the week.

Tory group leader Andrew Pelling said the proposals "didn't add up" and that the council was "in retreat."

Coun Pelling quoted a letter from Croydon Parish Church vicar, The Rev Colin Boswell, who called the original plans "a disaster" that would drive churchgoers away.

Shadow parking spokesman Coun Gavin Barwell said: "There will be a problem of displacement when people who can't park in the central zone will start parking in surrounding zones.

"The committee know this and will extend restrictions to other areas in future."

Kathy Court, member of Croydon Residents Against Parking Plans, CRAPP, said: "The new central zone restrictions will mean late night revellers will park in our streets and make a disturbance at night. We've won the battle but not the war and we will continue to protest."