Letter to SCC Highways – Pricing Objection

This letter details CRA’s collective concerns about the proposed pricing of the parking scheme. As it stresses, we are most grateful for all of the great work which has been done already and a win-win situation is clearly still easily achievable for all sides.

Tom Harris – 04/03/2010

26th February 2010

Kevin Smith
Traffic Regulation Manager
Development Services
Development Services Directorate
Riverway
Stafford
ST16 3TJ

Objection To Residents Parking Scheme (RPS) Charges Castletown Ref HoHM/MJH/TL/CAS 3

Dear Mr Smith,

We, Castletown Residents Association would like to object to the proposed charges of the Castletown residents parking scheme.

We understand that the council is likely to charge around £50 for joining the scheme and £50 a year thereafter for a standard permit. On the face of it this seems like a reasonable price, but we have questioned whether this is fair. Is it what people pay elsewhere? Has the council undertaken diligent cost studies? Is there an alternative to the charges?

These are questions we have tried to answer in a logical fashion by undertaking research. The aim of which was to benchmark a suitable price if any for the Castletown scheme.

Our Analysis:

From the attachments you will note that it is actually quite rare for a council to charge a joining fee. Secondly there is great variation in the annual permit prices charged. For instance if one took Nottingham, the scheme is totally free (any permit), where as the price charged in Cheltenham is £62 p/a (1x residents parking permit, no joining fee).

In order to assess areas affordability for a parking scheme one could use the average amount of council tax paid for each dwelling in an area. Since council tax is proportional to a dwellings value, the wealth of council tax areas and residents within them can be compared.

As one would expect the most deprived areas such as Stoke have a low average council tax per dwelling (£849), whereas the most affluent areas such as Richmond in London are high (£1782).

Since the average amount of council tax for each dwelling in Stafford borough is £1201, it indicated to us that the scheme charges in Castletown need not be as high as those in Richmond nor as low as those in Stoke (see attachment).

What was interesting to find out in a draft parking scheme report by East Staffordshire Council (2008) was their operating cost of £29.50 per permit based on 500 permits, which translates into their resident paying £50-60 per permit, with no joining fee.

On inspection of Stafford Borough Council’s £50 joining fee and £50 p/a standard permit fee (£100 1st year), one could conclude that the council are charging 100% more than one of the richest areas in the UK (Richmond Upon Thames/Teddington). In addition it is noted that Notts get theirs for free. Something doesn’t seem fair to us.

The figures suggest that £35 for a permit p/a is a fair price (no joining fee). Or if the council were determined about a joining charge, then £70 initial fee with a resident permit fee of £15-18p/a.

It is beyond the scope of the analysis presented in this letter to examine the direct correlation between parking scheme charges in the given local authority areas Vs the affordability of specific resident catchment zones within the given local authority areas. To establish the affordability of specific resident catchment zones in detail one could use householder income or as a “broader brush” the predominant council tax banding for that zone. Since the majority of dwellings in Castletown fall within band A (lowest council tax band, £931.03p/a) it is worth stressing that the areas affordability for any parking scheme could therefore be even less than that suggested above.

We would hope that if the council were to undertake proper due diligence studies and provide tax payers with the best possible value they would indeed arrive at the same conclusions as us.

The Solution For Castletown:

We are fairly confident that the council would like to be viewed as sustainable (self financing) and acts in the best interest of tax payers. Therefore it would be quite reasonable if the council were to implement a free RPS, such as that in Notts. One could argue a case for this based on allocated cash generating spaces, for the unique area of Castletown.

If there are approx 180 marked bay spaces in Castletown under the RPS, total revenue generated for the council (£35*180) would be £6300p/a. To ensure the council still obtains their revenue and residents pay absolutely nothing for the RPS, why not allocate around 6 on street bays adjacent to the station along railway street on a pay and display metered basis. This will mean that if the bays are used for 320 days a year at £4 a day the revenue generated will be £7680, thereby off setting the costs for residents.

We are convinced the metered spaces will be utilised as the current borough council parking charges undercut those of Network Rail and the demand is supplied by the train station.

For residents the savings are huge £100 in the first year and then a further saving of £50 each and every year after that.

In Summary:

We would like to know in detail how the charges for the RPS have been drafted and whether any investigations have been made into a free RPS. Despite making direct contact with your department via the telephone, all we have been told to date was that there was no published material in the public domain and no other charging options available. Surely if this is a public consultation then detailed published material should be freely available to ensure the council are acting in a transparent and accountable manner.

The success of the RPS will ultimately be judged by how many residents subscribe to it. In the event that the charges are too high or deemed unfair or an alternative was never looked at, residents will simply shun it and not use it. We hope to work together to find a win-win solution and would like to arrange a meeting to discuss the matter further.

With regards,

Tom Harris,

On behalf of Castletown Residents Association

ENDS

The tables included in the letter, detailing pricing in other areas can be downloaded here.

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More Press Coverage

Goodness me! Three out of three front pages prefer Castletown parking! Amazing!

I hope this has helped to put the parking situation, not only in Castletown, but the whole of the town centre, on the agenda.

Press Coverage

I have just seen today’s Express and Star. Front page! I am most grateful for the coverage, as it helps in communicating our difficult situation to a wider audience.

I would, however, like to point out that the plans to take photos and make videos are not in any way intended to be a provocative gesture to non-residents parking in the area! I shall not be car-doorstepping commuters in a Roger Cook style “Mr Motorist, have you got anything to say?” style, although the idea of making a spoof is quite tempting.

Residents have already started forwarding photos of cars to the police, but only when they are causing obstruction, hindering passage on pavements or the road. These photos merely serve to illustrate the daily difficulties residents face because of inconsiderate motorists. Residents who are elderly, disabled, in wheel chairs, pushing pushchairs or loaded down with shopping should not have to walk out into the street to get around parked cars – it is as simple as that.

Equally intended as only an illustration and not a provocation  is my planned video of the expected rush hour traffic chaos. A picture tells a thousand words and a video many more and I think a video of Castletown gridlocked would be quite informative. All I want to do is to show anyone who is interested how daft the situation here has become.

I have just had a really good chat with Jeremy Herbert and assured him how non-confrontational our intentions are. If I  really were a pitchfork-waiving redneck I would not be having a meeting with Cllr Mark Heenan and representatives of the Highways Department next week, would I?

Here is the whole press release, so you can get a wider picture:

Castletown Residents Parking Concerns

The recently reformed Castletown Residents’ Association met last Thursday evening to discuss parking issues with members of the Town Centre police team.

Tom Harris, chairman of the Association told us, “Finding a parking space in Castletown has been an issue for a long time. Residents originally set up the group around 25 years ago with the intention of campaigning for a parking scheme. Various schemes have been discussed in the past but residents and local authorities have never been able to negotiate their way to an agreement.”

At the end of 2008 Staffordshire County Council sent out questionnaires to residents in Castletown, asking their opinions about a possible parking scheme.

“In February 2009 I learned that the County Council had received about half of the questionnaires back, but unless many more were returned the consultation would be shelved. A few other residents and I went knocking on doors and we got lots more replies sent back. Shortly after that the plans for a residents’ parking scheme for Castletown was announced.”

Karl Motherwell, the Association’s secretary said, “Castletown Residents’ Association is working together with the County Council to help make the parking scheme the success it deserves to be. The start date of the parking scheme is yet to be announced, although we understand some time in spring or summer 2010 is on the cards.”

Although the planned parking scheme means there is light at the end of the tunnel, residents still have to put up with a difficult situation in the meantime.

Karl told us, “Since the Borough Council became responsible for issuing parking tickets we have suffered terribly. There are tales of people being fined when their back wheel was four inches on to the double-yellow lines, or when unloading heavy tools from their cars.

As well as the shoppers, students and commuters who take advantage of the free parking in Castletown, the closure of the car park at Stafford railway station is set to raise tensions as yet more train users inevitably seek an alternative to the park-and-ride scheme or paying for parking elsewhere.”

In order to help ease the situation members of the Association are being issued with identification cards for their vehicles after residents unanimously agreed to the idea.

Tom Harris said, “It seems the best way forward right now is to help residents to recognise each others’ cars. People don’t mind so much when they know it is the other residents’ vehicles filling up their street.”

The residents are now hoping a new website, which can be found at http://www.castletownstafford.wordpress.com, detailing their concerns about the parking situation, will help communicate their plight.

Mr Harris told us, “We going to start publishing photos of inconsiderate parking on the website, as well as forwarding them to the police. Later this month, when the railway station car park closes we are going to film the inevitable traffic chaos during rush hours and upload the video to YouTube so everyone can see what we have to put up with.”

PC Darren Mattocks, of Stafford Town Centre police told us, “We are very happy to be working together with the residents over what we know to be a difficult situation.”

Parking Stories

Here are a few snippets from emails conversations with other residents about the parking situation:

Mr H. of Railway Street writes:

“I have not had a ticket, but I have had a builder doing some work on my house. We have to get a good parking space a day or two before, then not move our car until the builder arrives. Then we have to drive off and look for a space, which will usually be over the bridge, and then fetch the car later to try and occupy a space somewhere near our house. Quite a performance you will agree.

Another comment is about inconsiderate parkers who leave large gaps between cars – not enough to park in but enough to take up two spaces, this soon fills up the street, especially when the commuter in question is gone for a weekend or a week, (or in one case for weeks and weeks!!).”

Miss F. of Castle Street writes:

“I have resided in Castle Street since 1999 (a few doors down from the railway inn). When I bought the property parking was not the problem it is today. Between 1999 – late 2007 I nearly always managed to find a space – this was mainly due to being able to use the 1 hour parking zone opposite Railway Inn as it was not warden patrolled regularly back in those days.

Since the wardening was introduced in late 2007, parking became more and more of an annoyance as every car owner (whether a resident from Castletown or those parking to shop or go on the train) scrambled for an available space. The parking situation has not improved, nor enabled residents to park in their street – it has only served to infuriate residents who are now regularly ticketed.

The increase in council parking to over £1 per hour has driven even more shoppers/commuters/students to park in Castletown as they avoid having to pay the hourly rates. Why does the council not offer more ‘affordable’ parking solutions? Offer students and commuters reduced rates? Do the council really think that the new station car park will eleviate the parking problem? (– not at over £1 per hour it won’t!)

Between late 2007 and Jan 2009 I received 7 parking fines (almost one a month) each costing me £35.00… a total of £245 for 12 months parking. (Yes, I admit I was either on yellows or parked over the 1 hour limit on these occasions but is this perhaps a cheaper way for me to park than £2-£5 pounds spent on Sainsbury’s every week when I cannot find a space or even potentially cheaper than the residents parking badge will cost me!!?)

Also during this time, my car was vandalised on three separate occasions (brick through front window and scratches all down bonnet – £200, wing mirror ripped off – £150 (speeding motorists in Castle Street another issue!!!), key scratches all down one side of vehicle – didn’t even bother getting them done as I’d already paid a lot out and so still have this little reminder.

Then to top it all off my car was also hit (when parked on the bridge overnight due to not being able to find a space) by a driver who left me one morning with over £400 worth of damage, but alas they forgot to leave me their details – how nice of them! (Yes, thank you to the inconsiderate person in the big red van or car who did this – you cost me a lot of money)!!!!!!!!!!!

I love living in Castle Street but the parking situation, car vandalsim and speeding motorists really does make you want to move. (If I could afford to I’d move and get a house with a drive!)

On another point – I have a dog. I work. My Mum and my friend each come round to let the dog out or pick her up twice a day (yes, I owe them and they are the best dog sitting service ever!!!!). The issue – they find it really difficult to park, even in the 1 hour zone, and are constantly whinging to me about it.

I am one resident who is fortunate enough to have only a single line outside/ in front of my house (i.e. 20 mins parking only), but my dog sitters either cannot park due to other vehicles already pulled up there, or are constantly having to move for lorries and keeping eyes peeled for wardens. When visiting my dog one day, my friend parked on the path in front of Herberts Car Park fence (a position which, when I can, I have parked on for 10 years). The police were called out. My friend was very very angry and it took me a long time to persuade her to come back again. It makes it very difficult for my mum and friend to continue to let the dog out for me on a long term basis. Perhaps if they had a badge in their car that showed they were resident friends it may help?”

Mr K. of Jerningham Street writes:

“Issue One – Parking Offences

Parking on the pavement in Jerningham Street has become a repeated problem in the last six months.  We feel that this has the opportunity for serious repercussions. On several occasions wider vehicles have struggled to drive through the street when cars are double parked on it. In such cases vehicles have reversed out onto the fast flow of Doxey Road. Several near misses have been witnessed in recent weeks. You will also be aware that there is an access gate to the west coast mainline railway at the top of Jerningham Street; we are certain that this gate would also be required for emergency access which would certainly be prevented by a street blocked with cars. Equally, we are concerned for the access that would be denied to emergency vehicles to residences in the event of a fire. When the police were responsible for all traffic violations in the area, offenders were ticketed and this generally prevented repeated occurrences.  Since the Borough has taken control of parking offenses, owners have deemed the pavement on the post office side of the road a legal parking option.

Issue Two – Motoring Offences

We are conscious of several locations within the Castletown area that require monitoring of speed and motoring offenses. Traffic leaving the roundabout at the Castle Tavern through to Doxey is often excessive with speed and dangerous to both pedestrians and cars accessing or leaving the North Castle Street or Jerningham Street junctions. We would welcome a review of speed calming measures, ideally in the form of a pedestrian crossing and/ or speed bumps between this round about and the entrance to North Castle Street.

We would welcome a review of Castletown speed limit. In an area of such narrow streets a restriction of 20mph would be prudent. We welcome suggestions for preventing motorists driving the wrong way down our one-way streets

Issue Three – Castle Works Signage

Repeatedly, lorries enter Castle Street believing that it is the entrance to the lorry park behind Sainsburys. Particularly foreign drivers who see a symbol of a lorry which in fact indicates Castle Works. These vehicles struggle to reverse out on to the main road and cause considerable risk to passing traffic and damage to buildings.”

Parking

Finding a parking space in Castletown has been an issue for a long time. Residents originally set  up the Association around 25 years ago with the intention of campaigning for a parking scheme. The Association became dormant around 2005, but was revived in 2009, again, with the possibility of a parking scheme on the horizon as a central motivation.

Fortunately, there seems to be a faint light at the end of the very long tunnel!

Following consultation with the residents, Staffordshire County Council announced plans for a residents’ parking scheme for Castletown in spring 2009.

Castletown Residents’ Association is working together with the County Council to help make the parking scheme the success it deserves to be. The start date of the parking scheme is yet to be announced, although we understand spring/summer 2010 is to be expected.

In the meantime we still have to live with a difficult situation. The closure of the car park at Stafford railway station is set to bring new challenges as commuters will inevitably seek an alternative to the park-and-ride scheme.

This section of the blog is for comments and ideas about parking from the residents of Castletown. I shall aim to publish some of the residents’ emails and stories on the subject here, as well as photographic evidence of the type of parking difficulties residents face.