Zone C for D, please

Residents Celebrate Long Awaited CPZ Consultation

Campaigning C and D zone residents are tentatively celebrating getting one step closer to being able to park outside their homes throughout the year.

After years of petitioning a consultation has been announced, asking Zone D residents whether they are willing to be in operation all year round as Zone C residents currently are.

At the moment , Zone D is only operational from October 1 to June 30, allowing non-resident motorists three months free parking.

But complaints have been coming thick and fast from Zone Ds over Thames Valley University students and staff stopping people parking near their homes during the summer months.

Paul Mathieu has spearheaded the campaign: "In August 2006 the residents of Marlborough Road first contacted the Highways Department at the Council about the invasion of our streets during the summer months, by cars and vans taking advantage of the Zone D free-for-all parking between July 1 and September 30.

"It took the Department nine months to reply. In the meantime, those residents concerned about our inability to park in our own streets during the summer (a serious issue for the elderly and those with small children, an inconvenience for the rest) had canvassed our roads, and approached our ward councillors. The canvass showed that every household on Marlborough Road, and every household who could be contacted in Richmond Road, supported a proposal to extend the October-to-June parking controls to cover the summer months."

Ascott Avenue residents, chaired by Ian Richardson are also firmly behind the petition.

Twenty months on from the first approach to the Highways Agency, July 1 heralded 'a summer of parking mayhem in our streets' this year.

One resident questioned the Council's inaction. "What frustrates me even more than being unable to park outside my own home in spite of having paid for the privilege of so doing, is the total lack of effort on the part of the Council to enter into dialogue on this matter. This inaction is hard to understand... I am not a 'conspiracy theorist' but if I were, I would wonder whether the Council seems reluctant to upset TVU by stopping their perk of parking that is subsidised by local residents."

Liberal Democrat Councillor Jon Ball is supporting the campaign. "The CPZ was first introduced around Thames Valley University during term-time only but since then, there are a lot more summer courses available with students parking outside residents' houses."

He added: "Many people in the borough are elderly and if they have mobility problems, they have to park a long way away from their homes which is not right and we welcome the proposed restriction extension."

So the news of a consultation has been met with 'relief', but there is still concern amongst residents at who is being consulted. "We are worried that it will take in too many groups who have a vested interest in continued free summer parking subsidised by the residents," said Mr Mathieu.

October 23, 2008