New approach to parking permits

01-APR-10

Issued by: Jeanette Hedley

The increasing conflicts between the parking needs of residents and businesses across North Tyneside are to be addressed with a review of the current residential parking permit policy.

In North Tyneside there are currently around 14,000 parking permits which allow residents and their visitors to park free in designated areas as part of 32 permit parking schemes.

And the demand for free permits, and the growing expectations of those residents seeking inclusion in the parking schemes, is forecast to add an ever increasing burden on the council, not just in terms of the current £140,000 revenue cost, but also in management of the operation.

At its next meeting (Monday, April 12) North Tyneside Council's Cabinet is to be being asked to adopt a new permit parking policy that will streamline the current policies and simplify their administration.

It will commit the council to exploring innovative options that will consider both the needs of businesses and residents.

The aim is to achieve a balance that both ensures during working hours there is a ready supply of convenient short stay parking available for shoppers to use, and takes on board the needs of residents and their visitor.

"The desire by residents for permit parking can be fully understood. However, the potential implications of an expansion of the coverage of the residential permit parking schemes on businesses and on resources required for administering and enforcement must all be carefully considered, "said Councillor Ed Hodson, Cabinet member for the Environment.

The new policy will set down criteria to be used in assessing residential permit parking schemes.

Three requirements will all be required to be met before a residential scheme can be considered. They are:

- Parking demand is 85 percent or more of capacity for at least three hours between 8am and 6pm (or alternative hours being considered for the operation of the scheme) on two consecutive days.
- Extraneous parking - e.g. from commuters - contributes to at least 30 percent of the total demand during the peak periods for parking demand.
- More than 50 percent of the households in the street have no visible off-street parking.

A decision on each case will be subject to an independent survey to determine the exact nature of the problem.

And residents in the area where a parking permit scheme is proposed will be consulted. A scheme will not be introduced unless it has strong local support from key stakeholders.

The number of schemes to be introduced each year will be subject to the available capital budget for parking improvements.

The council, at the moment, will continue with the policy of not limiting the number of permits available to each eligible household provided the vehicles are registered to the property.

New software is helping the council to implement stricter controls on the number of visitor and non resident permits granted in the future.