Eco-friendly car parking discount dropped
Maxwell Kusi Obodum • Published 3 Dec 2010 09:30
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COUNCIL chiefs have put the brakes on a scheme offering parking permit discounts to eco-friendly vehicle owners.
Proposals to reward greener vehicle drivers as part of a shake-up of the town's residents' parking permits will be put on hold for a year after widespread opposition from neighbours.
The council's Residents' Parking Review looks at merging Reading's 52 parking zones into 14 larger areas to enable neighbours greater space and flexibility in the face of rising pressure for parking spaces.
But results of public consultation, outlined at last week's cabinet meeting, showed that the majority of the survey's 1,700 respondents opposed discounts for environmentally friendly motorists.
Borough strategic transport and planning leader, Cllr Richard Willis, told the meeting: "There is a case to be made for low emissions vehicles and we should explain the benefits, but at the moment more people think there shouldn't be a discount and we will have to look at this again."
Respondents were also against plans to install pay-and-display machines to allow visitors to park in residents' zones and opposed measures for second permits only being issued if the zone was less than 80% subscribed.
Cllr Willis pledged to "streamline" the annual renewal process so people did not have to supply extra proof of residency documents and could use online bills, council tax and electoral registers as proof of address.
He told the meeting: "At a time when I can renew my tax disc online, it's a crazy situation that every year people have to prove where they live."
But former transport and planning leader councillor Tony Page, whose Labour administration began the review, stressed changes should be made "slowly" and added: "We must be rigorous and ensure we have bona fide applications."
But environment and sustainability leader Cllr Warren Swaine, who was denied a parking permit earlier this year because he could only provide electronic bills, said swift changes were needed.
He told Cllr Page: "We've done more in 23 weeks than you did in 23 months."
The 14 enlarged zones will be brought in for a three-month transition period on Saturday, January 1, before a full launch in April.
Households will be entitled to one free permit, with second permits costing £60 per year.
Each household will be allowed 20 free visitor permits with up to 80 extra permits at £1 each.
Business permits cost £250, with up to 100 visitors' permits and discretionary permits cost £300.
Foreign vehicles will be charged £300 for a permit lasting up to six months.
For more information, see www.reading.gov.uk
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