This policy was last reviewed in September 2019.
Introduction
Bury Council currently has 11 residents parking zones across the Borough. The first residents parking scheme was introduced in the borough approximately 20 years ago. Subsequently, a further 10 schemes have been introduced bringing the number of permits issued to over 6,000 per annum.
In order to provide a transparent framework a policy has been developed that sets out the process in relation to the introduction of residents parking requests.
Over time this policy has become dated and it has become necessary to revisit and revise the Councils approach to residents parking.
Objectives of a Residents Parking Scheme
The objective of a residents parking scheme is to provide car-owning residents, with a reasonable chance of being able to park near to their homes, where the regular and frequent parking of non-residents prevents this. It is intended for those who cannot provide alternative space rather than those who choose not to.
It should be recognised that no car owner has an inalienable right to park on any specific section of the highway and it should, therefore, also be recognised that residents parking schemes will never guarantee the car-owning resident a parking space.
Implementing and enforcing residents parking schemes is costly. Consequently, will only be considered for such treatment where all potential alternatives are thought to be inappropriate and where the schemes in themselves will not create other traffic problems.
It is recognised that local businesses situated in residential areas play a valuable part in the community and it is not intended to exclude these businesses but to try and consider their needs and include them where possible.
The needs of visitors, essential callers and the disabled also have to be considered.
Initiating a scheme request
Requests are generally received directly from residents, via Councillors or as a result of the Council investigating complaints about other issues. There may be, on occasion, the need for the Council to review parking in areas without receiving a request from any other source. In order for the Council to investigate a request to introduce a residents parking scheme a minimum of 10 properties within the affected area must indicate that they support the request.
Initial assessment - stage 1
The objectives at this stage would be to determine:
Is there a genuine problem for residents?
The initial correspondence from residents etc can be used to inform this assessment.
What type of residents parking problem is it and what nearby issues are causing a problem?
Wherever possible local knowledge (or information provided by the requester) should be used in advance of site visits to help determine suitable observation times.
There could be one or a number of combined factors such as commuter parking, nearby town centre with pay and display parking restrictions, large colleges etc.
What type of land uses are in the area?
This information will help to determine potential conflicts between residents parking schemes and other road users. Again it may help determine suitable observation periods.
What is the geographical extent of the problem?
This information is useful in looking at the impact on an area as a whole. Introducing a residents parking scheme in an area where the number of streets experiencing a problem is outweighed by the total number of streets is unlikely.
Stage 1 of the process will involve an investigation by a Traffic Engineer (or other suitably skilled individual). This will necessitate a minimum of 2 site visits at different times of the day and week.
Criteria that the Engineer will be assessing an area against will include the following:
- a minimum of 50% of the kerb space occupied by non-residents for more than five hours a day on at least four days a week
- at least 85% of all available kerb space is occupied by all parked vehicles for a 5 hour period
- the majority of properties must not have off street space that they are able to park within (or make available at a future date to park within).
If, after the Engineer has been and observed the site, there is no obvious problem, the original requester can be notified in writing. The dates and approximate times of the site visits should be supplied to the requester, who will be prompted to respond if they feel there are circumstances that have been overlooked.
Data collection - stage 2
Once a problem has been confirmed and investigated as above, information will need to be collected on:
- the number of on-street spaces currently occupied
- the length of times these are occupied
- the amount of kerb space available for parking
- the number and location of residential off street spaces.
This information will be used not only to gain an insight into the problem, but also provide information that could assist with any future scheme design.
The most effective way of collecting this data is to carry out parking duration surveys; however, observations on an hourly basis all day are not usually practical and can be very time consuming. If a site observation shows heavily parked traffic on a morning visit then registration numbers should be documented and a return visit should be carried out on the same day at a later point. This will indicate if there is a high proportion of long stay parkers.
If it is felt that there is a problem that could be treated with a scheme, questionnaires will be sent to residents. This will request information including the number of vehicles they own, how many visitors they have a week, their perceptions of a problem as well as other relevant data collection. These questionnaires are useful for assessing whether the problem is caused by the residents and their visitors. Where it becomes clear that this is not the case a residents parking scheme would not be proposed.
The number of days to be surveyed would normally be at least 2 weekdays. In particular circumstances it may be necessary to carry out observations during a weekend.
Design, public consultation and implementation
The preliminary scheme design would use observations obtained in stages 1 & 2 relating to the physical environment and current parking characteristics, together with a consideration of some or all of the following:
- local traders/businesses
- effects on adjacent areas
- needs of visitors and essential callers
- any complimentary traffic management measures
- other relevant policies and schemes
Once a proposed scheme has been designed a consultation will be carried out with residents within the area and their views will be sought.
Once the public consultation has been carried out a summary of responses will be collated. A report will be prepared for each scheme proposed and these will be reported to Cabinet annually
In order for a scheme to be progressed to design stage at least 51% of properties in the consultation area must support the introduction of a residents parking scheme. If there are less than 51% of properties providing written support a scheme will not be recommended for progression.
It is at this point that a decision may be made to amend the design to incorporate comments made during the consultation period.
Once a scheme has received endorsement it will be formally advertised in the local press and notices will be posted on site. During this time formal objectors may submit their comments in writing to the Council Solicitor.
If there are objections received as part of the formal advertisement, that differ from any considered as part of the informal consultation stage, it may be necessary to refer back to a future Cabinet meeting.
There may on occasion be the need to refuse the implementation of a scheme even when evidence shows there is a problem and residents support the introduction of the scheme. This could be due to a number of reasons including financial restraints or excessive setting up costs.
Review of existing schemes
Existing residents parking schemes will be reviewed every 5 years to ensure that they remain purposeful, are supported by residents and are still providing value for money. Once a scheme has been introduced it will remain in place indefinitely. If a resident wishes the Council to consider removing a scheme they must receive support from a minimum of 10 properties in the affected area.