If finding a parking space for local residents becomes a sustained and serious problem one way forward is a Controlled Parking Zone, says Iffley Field and St Mary's county councillor David Williams

Some areas don’t have a problem and therefore there is little point in introducing an exclusive scheme and paying £60 a year.

However, with ever increasing car usage, the situation in certain areas, especially close to the city centre, is becoming intolerable and CPZs have shown that they can be a solution.

The first approach must be to try to encourage walking, cycling and public transport wherever possible as these are healthy, low carbon solutions and can reduce car dependency.

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But for many people a car is a necessity and parking is a part of that choice.

The advantages are that out of town commuters looking for a convenient and free park and ride can no longer park in these zones, creating more parking space for locals.

Houses of multiple occupation only have two permits and experience suggests that the growth of such properties in an area slows when a CPZ is introduced.

The 24-hour parking wardens patrolling the area also bring a new level of security to an area.

In certain narrow streets the CPZ have included pavement parking with a few inches of the pavement identified as allowed parking.

In all those streets the impact of a CPZ is to actually ensure there is sufficient space between the car and the wall to pass. The CPZ also earmarks where not to park, entrances are kept clear and there are open bays where visitors and customers may park on a limited timeframe.

This ensures that local traders are not put out of business by a CPZ and visitors can still come and go.

CPZ are not perfect. Much more should be done. Temporary visitors passes should be handed out to residents for example, but the experience of where they have been implemented is that the residents are generally in favour I have also found that they think the £60 charge is reasonable for giving them a chance to park close to their front door.

The key is acceptance that the present parking situation is intolerable and that has to be genuinely assessed door to door and openly debated.

If that is the position then a CPZ can be a solution.

 

Controlled parking zones have become a means to an end we don’t all agree with. While delivering a survey questionnaire on the subject, a Cowley resident recently told me: “People are not considerate, that’s the only reason we need CPZs.”

Are we less considerate, and have we really lost the value of compassion?

Certainly the number of vehicles on our roads has increased and working habits mean that we have to travel further and work longer hours to make ends meet.

Britain has not made an exceptional recovery from the 1960s in regards to rail transport.

Dr Beeching’s merciless axe still leaves a scar on Oxfordshire’s transport system, even during the era of privatization.

The Varsity Line, also closed in the same era, is only half replaced by a coach service, taking nearly four hours to reach Cambridge, says city councillor David Henwood.

For those with little time on their hands, seeking passage via London is still the only way, and is far from pleasurable.

Nowadays, cars are built to be far safer and less polluting than comparable models from 10 years ago, at least.

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Why should we, therefore, be placed at the bottom of the traffic food chain at the mercy of costly parking fees (if any are available) when motor cars are still the most efficient option?

Buses don’t quite get us to the end or beginning of our journey, they are good for the bit in between, a car is often needed to deliver the whole journey. Does it really mean therefore CPZs are needed?

In Headington I campaigned to make changes to the CPZ system, I tried to introduce a system whereby an app on a mobile phone could purchase a parking voucher, instead of creating yet another journey into Oxford to buy them over the counter.

Contractors with jobs in CPZs have to wait until their voucher arrives before they can start work or risk a parking ticket. The idea was turned down.

That’s not the only reason I don’t like CPZs. They also mean we are still heavily dependent upon cars.

Although many would feel £60 is a small price to pay for a CPZ, for many elderly residents and those struggling on lower incomes, £60 can be an extortionate amount.

Until we can find a viable solution that can compete with the motor car, in the way in which we work and use our leisure time, unfortunately CPZs will continue to be necessary.

They reflect a need we are unlikely to relinquish.