16 thoughts on “Don’t look now… but Wanstead pay and display is back”

  1. ALso -watch out for small print
    Zones already in existence will be extended to saturday
    More daily permits need to purchased -if you have family or friends who migh visit !!!!

  2. Does the 30 minutes free time include mobile phone time to RingGo and if yes how much time, including waiting time, will it take to complete the transaction?
    Free tickets from RingGo meters are available in Redbridge already, so why can’t we have them in Wanstead? This looks like a double standard, one for them and one for us!
    Have the Council considered ‘Click and Collect’? This would save time.
    Have the Council considered a ‘Virtual Shop’ for ‘Click and Deliver’?
    Sainsburys, Newbury Park have a click and collect car park service.

  3. Surely all the cars displaced by this scheme will just park elsewhere in Wanstead.

    Looks like a poorly developed proposal imho.

  4. As far as I’m concerned, we don’t really have a parking problem. The restrictions work just fine keeping the balance (in the main). This is a weak half arsed attempt to back door in a revenue generating scheme where it’s not wanted, required or justified when no-one is looking. Since when does a scheme get referred to as a ‘proposal’ suddenly become a ‘trial’ within the same document and then implemented. DO LBR know what they are doing or are they just blinded by fleecing some more revenue out of residents. LBR need to look up the meaning of the words and do proper consultation with residents before taking any action, this is undemocratic, improper and not following due process. I think we (all those that disagree) need to write to, phone and make our feelings known to our ward councillors in no uncertain terms to pull their fingers out and sort this, and also turn up at the so called ‘going thru the motions’ BS meetings with LBR officers and make it clear they are not following due process and demand a review of whatever this is proposal, trial, plan, BS, etc. Fed up as a taxpayer with crap public sector approach to things wrapped up in baseless BS.

  5. I was right. I decided to investigate this further and on speaking to a trusted source, established this is a scheme being ‘forced through’ under a temporary traffic order. This usually happens in order to bypass a public Consultation, and in this instance the Council ‘knows’ there is widespread opposition in Wanstead to this idea, and this has been so for over 10 years, so they are taking a different tact. Not just the Residents but the Businesses on our High Street are also wholly against this, so you have to ask why is the Council forcing this upon us? I don’t thinks it’s a coincidence that this idea has come round again after LBR control changed to Labour. The collective ‘they’ sneaked a ‘Parking Strategy’ through when no-one was looking to introduce a blanket charging policy across the LBR Borough to make money, irrespective of taking an evidence based approach of the phantom ‘issues’ they allegedly are trying to address. Currently only Wanstead and Hainault are the only areas that have resisted and managed to avoid a parking charging scheme thus far, but with a political change at the top in in LBR, ‘they’ have seized on the opportunity to have another go at forcing this scheme/strategy through by taking bull dozing over local views and inflicting this charging scheme under a temporary traffic order. The whole thing reeks.

    Knowing there is local opposition, they see using a temporary traffic order as a means to do what they want without having to properly consult with us first. Dressing it up as a ‘trial’ (which its not however you dress it up) and implying they could/would reverse this after a review if it wasn’t effective is simply pouring insult to injury, intelligence, and outright BS and about as likely to happen as finding hens teeth, as anyone with half a brain cell can see that once this is in place it will never be reversed, there won’t be the will (nor the budget they will tell us) to remove the scheme of course all typical tactics to keep the scheme in place and stymie local views. Frankly, this last point is not even for consideration as LBR have not provided the data, evidence or rationale to do this. Everyone should know, where LBR have introduced similar schemes elsewhere in the Borough businesses (and visitors) have all suffered financially and businesses have gone bust, fact! We have a fragile local economy on the High Street which is striving to sustain itself through hard working business owners, precious investment and campaign/support from local people. LBR stakeholders (Officers & Councillors) should take note and be consulting taking direction from local people and supporting these businesses, not ignoring them and certainly not screwing them by making it even harder for them to survive, unfortunately they are being short sighted driven by money coming into the coffers and can’t see beyond the £ sign at the end of their nose in introducing this scheme. The links at the end of this piece will illustrate further. As both a SME business owner, local resident and someone advising Central Govt Cabinet Office on supporting SME businesses nationally who are at the heart of our U.K. economy, I am outraged by this and not prepared to accept this and quite prepared to take this further.

    Environmentally, can you imagine the change to our street scene’s, littered with signs all over relating to implementing this ill thought through charging scheme, it will completely change the look and feel of our environment and the unique character of Wanstead, I am sure the Wanstead Conservation Society will have a view. All to squeeze more money out of businesses, visitors and residents into the Council coffers.

    I’ve gleaned from my source, each ‘charged’ parking space is valued at/worth over £500 annually to LBR (surprise surprise), and they will tell you its not about raising revenue but easing congestion. But this is not where they really make the real money, oh no, it’s the jackpot of enforcement penalties that will result from contravention of this scheme, this is where they really see the opportunity to milk the cash cow (that they will create). Conspiracy? The Parking Enforcement company used by LBR was this year subject to a BBC Inside Out investigation for setting staff performance targets to issue penalty notices as well as confusing signage, deliberate? As an aside, what does that do for the vulnerable? Older residents and visitors to the area who are not tech savvy and will slip up using the technology and incur penalties. LBR should be ashamed of themselves. But it doesn’t stop there, for residents who are already coping with austerity, let’s not forget about squeezing money from them for parking permits, once started, where will that stop? It won’t. The next step soon after that a year or two later will be to raise fees for inflation which will become a periodic fact of life for everyone to accept, and when separately they start getting reports of the ‘spill over’ effect to just outside the CPZ boundary, guess what, LBR will be rubbing their hands in glee because they will NOW have created traffic issues and we will play straight into asking them to extend the CPZ boundary further, more money for LBR. This is pathetic. If LBR have challenges coping with funding cuts, I get that, but it is not a reason to misuse legislation and implement levers to impose something under a pretence for issues that do not exist and/or lack evidence, all to create new ‘earning assets’ for themselves and add to the coffers, that is bang out of order.

    To be ‘seen’ to be fair they (LBR) have arranged 2 consultation meetings at the Library on the 14th & 17th. What a joke. I am too long in the tooth to not see right through this, these meetings have been very deliberately and carefully orchestrated to diffuse any chance of the community coming together (or uniting god forbid), venting their frustration, and sharing views with others attending (one of the reason why I have taken to submitting this lengthy piece). ‘Divide and conquer’ I think is the quite obvious strategy being deployed here. The timing and format of these meetings is not acceptable. I expect LBR to reschedule and organise proper formal meetings with the community, where we all have proper and full opportunity to attend together, hear the evidence in relation to the ‘issues’ they are allegedly addressing on our behalf, and take on board what we tell them before any decisions are made. Anything less will be considered a failing. It gets even better, the ineptitude is breath-taking, if it wasn’t so serious I’d be laughing, at the time of writing this piece, my next door neighbour informs me she received a second ‘leaflet’ (a day after the first leaflet) which is different to the first, what the hell?! Guess what, and I have NOT even received the second leaflet but can clearly see hers has different information to mine. This whole thing is a proverbial dog’s dinner!

    Finally, where are the Ward Councillors in all of this? Standing up for our community and representing our views as a community? We should take every opportunity to remind them they (Officers & Local Councillors) are public servants, paid for (and/or elected) by us, here to act on our behalf and represent our views, they work for us, not the other way round. I might be doing a disservice but I’m not seeing it. We are not living in a dictatorship, no wonder then public feeling turns against them, they keep repeatedly failing us by not representing our views. I have made my feelings known, and if you agree with opposing this baseless charging scheme then I would ask you to do the same and make a stand, including turning up to the so called consultations on the 14th and 17th if they go ahead with them! I will be demanding answers and expect LBR to do more than just patronise us by going through the motions but we’re going to go ahead anyway BS.

    I’m not a conspiracy theorist and rarely get involved with issues, but this is just plain wrong and I can’t stand by and not say what I believe/think. For those of you interested I’ve provided a number of links below which should prove for additional backdrop and proves LBR have form. I think as a community we need to unite and remind LBR they work for all of us in Redbridge, not the other way round! If LBR are really serious about sorting out the issues, lets see the data/evidence, and then come talk to me about it and I’ll give you 10 ideas that won’t cost anything to implement and certainly won’t involve screwing people for money.

    W&W Guardian Link – http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/14245404.BBC_documentary_investigates_Redbridge_parking_fines/

    BBC Inside Out Program, YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvvFpL3C8eI

    65% Parking Appeals successful in Redbridge – http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/9880457.REDBRIDGE__Majority_of_appeals_against_parking_tickets_are_successful/?ref=rss

    Councils banned from using parking fines as revenue –
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/10337749/Councils-using-CCTV-cameras-to-fine-motorists-to-be-made-illegal-within-months.html

    Using residents parking permits as a stealth tax –
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/22/councils-using-residents-car-parking-permits-as-stealth-tax/

    Council raise £.6 million in just ten streets in Ilford –
    http://www.ilfordrecorder.co.uk/news/politics/exclusive_parking_fines_make_1_6million_for_redbridge_council_in_just_10_roads_1_3287509

    Item 11 of Full Council Agenda 13th March 2008
    http://moderngov.redbridge.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=272&MId=4092

  6. My road has no restrictions and is full with commuters cars from 7am until 6pm.
    Impossible to return home and park between those hours so i cannot wait!

  7. Regarding the ‘spill over’ effect to just outside the CPZ boundary, I can’t think of anywhere to spill over into unless parking is to be permitted on the golf course or Wanstead Park. Maybe only Nightingale Estate will be spared…

    https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/media/2406/2016-e-322-wa-01-b-wanstead-south-zone-wa.pdf

    https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/media/2405/2016-e-322-wd-01-a-wanstead-east-zone-wd.pdf

    https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/media/2404/2016-e-322-wb-01-b-wanstead-west-zone-wb.pdf

  8. All the zones together. The widest coverage in Redbridge.

    https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/parking/parking-changes/

    https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/media/2402/2016-e-322-001-proposed-zone-overview.pdf

    Changes to parking in Wanstead in February 2017

    We’ve taken the feedback from thousands of people across the Borough to build a plan to make parking fairer in Redbridge. We’re now making that plan a reality and introducing changes.

    In February we’ll begin a trial of a new parking scheme including:

    pay and display parking in Wanstead High Street to give shoppers a fair chance to park
    thirty minutes free parking to reduce congestion in residential side streets
    residents permits
    extension of 2 existing parking zones (WA and WB)
    introducing a new parking zone (WD)

    Further information will also be on display at Wanstead Library, Spratt Hall Road, from Tuesday 6 December.

    Why are we doing this?

    There are a number of parking problems in Wanstead that need to be addressed. There are also changes in other Boroughs that will soon have a big effect on parking in the area. For example:

    it is difficult for shoppers to park on Wanstead High Street which is close full capacity between 11am and 5pm. Half of these motorists park for longer than 3 hours. This makes it difficult for shoppers to find a space close to the shops
    residential roads see a substantial amount of non-residential parking. 60% of the parking in many roads is taken up by people parking for less than 3 hours, after 2pm these roads are fully parked
    free on-street parking is being used by commuters into London, shoppers visiting Westfield, and people attending events/matches at the London Stadium
    commuters and other long-stay parkers occupy more than 350 spaces each day
    Newham are changing their parking rules which could mean more motorists from outside the area start to park in Wanstead
    This trial will allow us to address these issues and others while giving you the opportunity to experience the changes and feedback to us about how it’s working.

    How will pay & display parking work?

    Many businesses and residents benefit from on street pay & display . It is easier to park for customers wishing to park for less than 30 minutes as this will be free. On-street pay and display parking will operate from 8.30am to 6.30pm Monday to Saturday, with a maximum stay of 2 hours. The charges are shown below:

    Charges:

    up to 30mins free
    up to 1 hour £1.20
    up to 2 hours £2.90
    blue badge holders free
    A pay & display ticket, or pay by phone booking, is required to get the Free 30 minute period. View more information on 30 minute free parking (PDF 338KB).

    How will permit parking work?

    We want to improve parking for local residents and business by offering permit parking. The areas you can park depend on whether you hold a resident or business permit. The parking controls will operate from 8.30am to 6.30pm Monday to Saturday. The 2 existing permit zones will be changed so they also operate on a Saturday. Outside these times anyone may park in the bays.

    Permit charges

    Fee for 12 months (6 month permits also available):

    first resident permit £45
    second resident permit £82
    further residents permits £108
    business permit £265
    blue badge holders permit free
    book of 10 daily visitor permits £6.30
    (residents permit parking only)
    Permits for each zone will not be interchangeable with other zones, however residents and businesses located in the High Street and some in Cambridge Park will be able to use dual zone bays so that they can find parking close to their property.

    What do I need to do now?

    You do not need to do anything at this stage, The new parking arrangements are expected to start in February 2017 and we will send you more information when the time comes to apply for permits.

    You’ll be able to discuss these changes with Council Officers at 2 drop-in sessions at Wanstead Library on:

    Wednesday 14 December from 2pm to 7pm
    Saturday 17 December from 10am to 2pm
    If you would like to send any written comments or queries on this proposal then please contact us at parking.schemes@redbridge.gov.uk.

    Parking Design Team, 12th Floor Lynton House, 255-259 High Road, Ilford IG1 1NY

  9. Too much dependence on the car. The majority of people I see on the high street don’t drive there. They arrive either in foot or from public transport. The worst part of being on the high street is the cars. Parking on double yellows or in the disabled bays. Pulling out of the various driveways across the path without looking. Heck, people have been killed by cars in the high st. Are permits the way to go? I don’t know. But for too long the car has dominated and frankly is disproportionate to the high street’s visitors. I own two cars. They are a priveledge. I use the very rarely on the high st. I find it reasonable to pay for that privilege. At just over 0.5 miles I pretty much always walk. So do my young kids. Yet I see many people who live with me drive there. I doubt many ‘need’ to.

    The over dependence on cars and a society who drive everywhere ruins it for the majority of people who walk there. Apparently some 30% of car journeys in London are under 2miles. The government have asked people to walk or cycle. They don’t. So they only way is to make it more expensive. It’s not ideal and I am sure it is revenue generating. But it’s better than the car dominance we have now that frankly ruins the area.

  10. “Parking Design Team”;lol, you might say cost cutting hasn’t gone far enough.

    Let’s get appropriate levels of permit zone control where we need them but imho everything else seems to work just fine.

    I can’t help thinking we could make these decisions better locally, although I think local politics might be a problem with the Tories seemingly dissolved and Labour largely invisible other than banging the gong on the NHS and Grammar Schools.

  11. I live in grosvenor rd parking is impossible there’s a few bays you can park in if your lucky people who live there park in the bays all week instead of parking on there driveways and walk to the train stations other people park taking up 2 parking spaces all the time also when I come home l have to park on a single yellow line in the morning I look out of my window to see if I can get into a bay no chance people who work in the high st park in them and people from outside drive to Wanstead to get the train have parked in them as there out early sometimes I’ve had to park 2 turnings away and walk back to my house I have to do that 90% of the time

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