Residents' Parking ?

A few months ago I was asked if I wanted Residents' Parking. "Yes please", I replied enthusiastically, thinking "would it not be wonderful always to be able to park outside our house". Then came the rude  awakening. I read the Council's reply. "Residents' parking? No", they said, "you can have a controlled parking zone". " What does that entail I ask in innocence" It means :-

1 There will be "pay and display bays", (perhaps outside my house!)

2 There will be more yellow lines ( could be outside your house!)
3 The Council will "reduce the number of parking places currently available by 40%". (Quote by Council Official) The Council claim many people take their car to work. When we live next to a station?

4 Paying for a parking permit ( due to increase in price very soon)

5 The Council aims to provide a parking space within 50 metres of my house. I can usually park within 100 metres of my house without paying at the moment, Why change?

6 Once installed the Council will not reverse the scheme, only "fine tune" it, ( whatever that means)

We need to consider the effect on our shops in Arthur Road. (Morden Town Centre is dying because of the Controlled Parking Zone in Morden) People from Home Park Road will have to pay & display to shop in Wimbledon Park. Will they still want to shop in Arthur Road?

The Council are only prepared to make minor changes to any controlled parking scheme. They are not prepared to consider a 2 hour period of Residents' only Parking which would stop commuters parking all day, but allow free access to shoppers and people using Wimbledon Park Businesses.

The 2 hour Residents' only Parking Scheme was used in Wimbledon Village during Wimbledon Fortnight with great success, so why not in Wimbledon Park?

Ask yourself, why you choose to live in Wimbledon Park, was it because it is a pleasant place to live (almost a village) or was it because you wanted to park outside your door whatever the effect on the rest of the area.

So come on Residents & Businesses, People of Wimbledon Park, voice your opinion on what you need and want in way of a parking scheme, if you want one at all. I certainly don't want the Council's current Scheme!

        Ute Dallimer The Crescent