Statutory consultation 25 June 2010

The informal consultation carried out in October/ November 2009, resulted in a response rate of 17.3%.

For the collated results on a road-by-road basis, for all questions, please see the table linked below.

After analysing the returned questionnaires and taking note of your views, the results and officers' recommendations were reported to the Cabinet Member for Planning & Traffic Management and the Street Management Advisory Committee on 12 January 2010. In view of the consultation responses, the Council has decided to proceed with a formal consultation on the following proposed measures as shown on the plan (Z78-157-01 Rev B) linked below.

• To introduce additional permit holder parking bays on both sides of Mayfield Road outside the Telephone Exchange.
• To extend the existing permit holder bays in William Road outside property no.5 and in Newton Road opposite property no. 2
• To replace existing single yellow lines with double yellow lines at ends of culs de sac in Merton Hall Road; Richmond Avenue; Trevor Road; William Road; Newton Road and Sherwood Road and on the bend in Braeside Avenue.
• To allow 30 minutes free parking in the existing pay and display shared use bays in Avebury Road outside the recreational grounds near Wilton Crescent.
• To convert the existing free parking bays in Quintin Avenue near its junction with Kingston Road, to pay and display shared use, operational Monday to Friday, between 8.30am and 6.30pm, with a maximum stay of 2 hours and no-return within 2 hours.
• To convert the existing permit holder parking bays in Kingswood Road Avenue near its junction with Kingston Road, to pay and display shared use bays, operational Monday to Friday, between 8.30am and 6.30pm, with a maximum stay of 2 hours and no-return within 2 hours.
• To convert the existing free bays & pay and display bays outside the tennis courts on Wilton Grove, to pay & display shared use bays, with a maximum stay of 5 hours and no-return within 2 hours.
• To convert an existing free parking bay in Quintin Avenue near the junction with Kingston Road, to a 'Car Club' bay for the sole use of an approved designated car club vehicle at all times.
• To remove or shorten certain parking bays to accommodate and improve access to existing crossovers or new crossover applications.
• To introduce an additional car club bay outside property number's 68/70 Toynbee Road.

Documents

• Statutory Consultation Newsletter - Zone 5F Review
• Plans of proposals (Z78-157-01 Rev B)
• Collated Informal Consultation Results Table

Informal Consultation - 23 October 2009

Merton Council is carrying out a review of the existing '5F' Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ).

Zone 5F was implemented in 2001. Since its introduction the Council has not had the opportunity to carry out a significant review to address any requests and concerns the local community may have. The objective of the review is to identify any such alterations to improve road safety and the operation of the parking controls to benefit its residents and businesses. This could involve the introduction of double yellow lines at key locations such as junctions; changes to the CPZ hours of operation (currently Monday to Friday, between 8.30am and 6.30pm); changes to the use of certain parking bays; and additional bays or extensions where suitable.

In addition, to enable effective enforcement of the controls, it is necessary to ensure that all the restrictions comply with the Department for Transport's (DfT) regulations. This means that all designated on-street parking bays and other restrictions with different operational times to the CPZ, must be clearly and correctly marked and signed.

Proposed changes

The following changes are proposed as shown on the linked newsletter below.

• To provide additional spaces or extend parking bays in Mayfield Road outside the telephone exchange;  William Road outside property no 5; and Newton Road opposite no 2, without compromising safety and access.
• To improve safety and access by reducing obstructive parking that is currently taking place outside the controlled times by replacing the existing single yellow lines with double yellow lines at certain locations such as culs-de-sac, bends and to provide passing gaps.
• To allow 15 minutes free parking in the pay & display shared use bays in Avesbury Road to encourage parents to park in these bays instead of parking in residents' permit bays in the area surrounding Wimbledon Chase School. This will particularly help reduce the pressure on parking as the pupil intake to the school will increase in the coming years.

CPZ's that have been operating for a number of years generally operate Monday to Saturday in Town Centres. These controlled times are more suitable for a number of reasons, ie. shoppers especially on Saturdays, businesses and local employees. Away from Town Centres the controlled days may differ, however these areas may also be closer to train stations, attracting commuter parking. We recognise that these may require different operating hours therefore there is a case to consider alternative controlled times in areas away from Town Centres.

Optional changes

The following optional changes could be considered where there is general support.

To change the operational hours:

One-hour operation (11am - 12 noon):
This minimum restriction will offer more flexibility for residents' visitors than the current all day controls, reducing the amount of visitors' permits they would normally need, and is still effective in restricting commuters and other long stay parking. However, it may encourage other short tern parking by non-residents or businesses. Non residents may also work their way around the one-hour by moving their vehicles and then returning to park for the rest of the day. Full enforcement of an entire zone within a one-hour period may also put extra pressure on Enforcement Officers, making the parking controls less effective. The standard annual parking permit charges will still apply regardless of the hours the zone operates.

Reduced hours of operation (10am - 4pm):
These operating times offer less restrictions on residents and their visitors than the current 'all day' controls. It is still effective in preventing commuters and other long stay parkers. However, it may encourage short term parking outside the operating times by non residents or businesses. Residents returning from work later in the afternoon may find less available parking in their street due to this. Motorists unable to park in nearby zones with longer operating times may also take advantage of the available parking outside the controlled times. The standard annual parking permit charges will still apply regardless of the hours the zone operates.

To increase the operational days (Monday to Saturday):
Additional controls on Saturdays would provide residents with added parking priority, but would put more restrictions on residents and their visitors.

Newsletter

• Newsletter - Zone 5F Review

Let us know your views

The consultation period for this proposal closed on 20 November 2009.
We regret that due to the number of responses received during a public consultation it will not be possible to individually respond to each respondent. We welcome your comments on this proposal, which will be noted and included within the proposed measures where appropriate.

What happens next

The results of the consultation along with officers' recommendations will be presented in a report to the Street Management Advisory Committee for consideration and subsequently to the Cabinet Member for Planning and Traffic Management for a decision. Once a decision is made you will be informed accordingly.