Amanda Taylor

News and views about Cambridge and Cambridgeshire politics, especially Queen Edith's Learn more

What’s all this about residents’ parking?

by admin on 14 February, 2018

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Residents’ parking could be coming to your street soon, or at any rate, a consultation about it. The County Council has embarked on a programme of parking consultations covering most of the city. Up till now, residents’ parking schemes have been developed after evidence of demand, as with the Morley scheme in this area; but following an offer by the Greater Cambridge Partnership to fund the set-up costs of new schemes, the Council is putting the idea to residents regardless of whether any interest has been shown.

The Council has divided the city into 26 zones and is consulting residents in phases, presenting them with parking scheme proposals. They started with the areas where there has been strongest demand: so far, consultations have been run in the Staffordshire, Newnham, Accordia and west Coleridge zones. They have all resulted in majorities for residents’ parking schemes, although with a very low turnout in the Coleridge west area. The Victoria, Elizabeth and Coleridge East zones are coming next, and consultations for Queen Edith’s are likely to be in spring 2019.

Citywide map of RP zones 2017

If the consultations in each area result in over 50% of responses being in favour of the proposed scheme, then they will go ahead; if not, then they will not be progressed. Labour councillors wanted to implement the schemes even without majority votes, but Lib Dems have insisted that there must be majority support.

Residents’ parking schemes restrict parking during set hours to people with permits: residents and their guests, plus traders and carers. Permits cost between £1 and £2 a week depending on the hours of the scheme and all permit types are going up in price in April, to reflect rises in the costs of managing the schemes.

Visitors’ permits are currently £8 for five days but will be going up to £12 in April. (The Conservatives were going to put them up to £15 but were persuaded to set a less steep rise following pressure from the Liberal Democrats and residents.)

See here for our frequently asked questions on residents’ parking, with links to the County Council’s web pages on the topic.

   3 Comments

3 Responses

  1. Kate P says:

    Amanda, I assert that it is now time for us to to aspire to a car-free Cambridge. If the cycling infrastructure/cycleways/safe and secure bicycle parking was greatly improved; if there were either an above-ground or underground metro/tube; if there was a thoroughly decent bus network for both city residents and commuters to Cambridge then that would be a radical and long-lansting solution to a magnifying problem. Residents’ parking permits are fine, but they are just tinkering at the edges, don’t you think?

  2. Mary Chapman says:

    Parking around Rustat Road area is mainly due to rail users looking for free parking. Permit parking will just move the problem further out to the other side of Coleridge, Perne Avenue and Gisbourne Road, Hobart and Suez Road areas. We are not solving the problem of limited parking for rail users. They still need to get to the station and there is limited parking, at a price to those already paying high fees to use the train. Perhaps a free shuttle or very cheap bus from a free park and rides could be an option. The guided but is another, free or very cheap option.

  3. Daniel Woodford says:

    Hi mummmmmm❤❤❤❤

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