The free parking slot drivers in Redbridge will be given where parking is controlled is to double from 30 mins to an hour, the council has announced in a move which it says will support local shops.
Additionally, coin parking machines across the borough are to phased in out in favour of the RingGo system or contactless payments.
Leader of the Council, Cllr Jas Athwal, said the one-hour free parking gwould benefit residents and business.
He said: “We are committed to supporting residents and local businesses and by doubling the free parking allowance on Redbridge high streets to an hour, it will make it much easier for people to visit our local shops and help businesses grow. This will be a real boost for our high streets and help revitalise the local economy whilst making sure there is still a good level of turnover in parking bays – giving as many people as possible the opportunity to use parking spaces to pop to the shops.”
On-street parking controls were introduced in Wanstead at the start of 2018 following a long period of dispute and debate. It is not known if Redbridge has undertaken any assessment of the impact on shops, but anecdotally it would appear that in Wanstead the restrictions have made it somewhat more possible to park for short periods during the day.
Hang on one dickety minute. We were told at length that the introduction of parking restrictions would start the demise of the high street. That all manor of horrors would break out if people would have to park with a bit more thought and consideration. That nobody would come any more. That shops would close down.
It wouldn’t have been, no couldn’t have been……a load of old nonsense proven to be completely unfounded could it?
Well, I am shocked to the core. Who’d have thought it eh?