Time for a parking policy rethink?

A few disconnected thoughts!

A couple of weeks ago I bought a copy of the Sentinel which carried a banner headline that Stoke City Council are considering reducing their parking charges next year! They've reached the conclusion that the increase in charges last year has had a detrimental impact on the city's economy. Fewer people are going up to the Potteries to do their shopping. Surprise! Surprise!

Then a few days ago I was in a well known shop in the town and was immediately engaged in conversation by the owner who thought I was still on the council. She was complaining bitterly that her takings this year are down on the same period last year due - in  her view - to the difficulties her customers are experiencing in parking in the Station Road to pop into her shop. Several of her customers had vowed never to come shopping in Stone again due to having received tickets for overstaying their time by a matter of a few minutes.

Then I saw a headline in the Newsletter about tickets being issued to church goers in Margaret Street. This came as no surprise to me, having watched Traffic Wardens 'hiding' around the corner of Station Road just waiting to pounce on motorists who were unaware of the new timings in Margaret Street.

And today I've just read the Mary Portas Report, commissioned by the Prime Minister, upon the future of High Streets. An extremely good report which should be compulsory reading for every councillor - particularly the section about parking!

So where am I going with this posting? Simple. It's high time that the provision of good and ample parking is recognised as being essential to the viability of any town centre. Local authorities should regard parking provision as a necessity and an incentive to attract people into towns and not, primarily, as a source of revenue.

In my view Stafford Borough Council need to look afresh at their attitude to parking provision in Stone. In order to better inform the debate, I have today sent a Freedom of Information request to the Borough Council to find exactly how many tickets have been issued by wardens to motorists on the streets of Stone in the last six months and how much the Borough has received in parking fines from them. I'll keep you informed!