Car Parking Charges
Posted by Diana Monahan,
Monday, March 31, 2003
New Road Car Park is normally full at 4 pm. This Monday, the first day of charges, there were 3 cars. Well done to everyone for boycotting the car park.
Has anyone else spotted that four by fours and similar vehicles over 1.5 tonnes in weight can no longer park in Hebden Bridge for more than two hours because the car parks now have weight restrictions on them? This is apparently to stop the surface from being damaged. How many years did we have to wait to get a surface on the car parks? New Road gets a regular visit from lorries to deal with the recycling. I wonder if they will be banned too.
Before Calderdale Council started messing about with the car parks, 24 cars could fit in the New Road Car Park. First came the recycling bins, then the glass bins, then the "tree" spaces were painted out, then the new charging machine took up two spaces. There are three spaces in the New Road Car Park alongside the bins which are not marked out so people cannot legally park there. Also no one is sure why we have to have a turning area which takes up a further three spaces since we have managed since the site became a car park without this facility. The net result is we are down to 15 spaces which includes two disabled spaces. A reduction of more than one third of what we had in 1994.
It would also appear that residents on the west side of the river can have permits and residents' spaces for a small administration charge, but those on the East side can buy a permit for over 413 per year which would allow them to park in a specific car park (but no space is guaranteed so they could end up having to pay to go in another car park.) I'm told that it is only about 90 for residents in Camden, London to have a permit. What is going on? Why are we being treated so unfairly?
Posted by Robert Collins,
Tuesday, April 1, 2003
The agenda is, of course that we must all "end our love affair with the car" and be persuaded to "leave our cars at home."
So if I selfishly choose to support local businesses eg Holts greengrocers, Waites bakers, Maskills butchers then I should strap the baby into her pushchair and wobble our way down from Mytholm steeps (no/narrow pavements). I can then load up her trolley up with groceries and try not to lose control of it or die of a heart attack as we struggle back up the 1 in 5 gradient in the pouring rain.
Alternatively I can pay this extra "having a family tax."
Or I can drive to Safeway once a week and wonder why Hebden Bridge slowly turned itself into a collection of boarded-up shops and empty carparks.
Posted by Diana Monahan,
Tuesday, April 8, 2003
On Wednesday the 9th April at 6 pm there is a meeting of a committee of Calderdale Council in Halifax Town Hall at which the issue of car parking is to be raised. A group of us will be there as it is a meeting that the public can attend.
Posted by Janice Sayer,
Saturday, May 24, 2003
I emailed parking@calderdale.gov.uk to complain about the lack of residents parking provision for people who live in the New Road/Commercial Street/Albert Street area. The response include the following statements:
"Although there are areas of Hebden Bridge with residents parking scheme there is no scope for the introduction of this type of scheme within your area...It is possible to obtain a Contract Permit for unlimited use of most of the car parks. The charges compare favourably against those of for private facilities such as a lock-up garage."
So the council thinks that parking in the council car parks is as secure and convenient as having your own lock-up! I don't think so, and neither will anyone who has had their car vandalised or broken into! I recommended that the council check out the guidelines on consultation with motorists on the Motorists' Forum
I assumed they would make affordable provision for residents when charges were introduced, as they have done elsewhere in the town but I suspect that they didn't even think about town centre residents when they imposed the charges.
: