Issue - meetings

The purpose of the report by the Director of Regeneration is to recommend ways of improving the residents' parking scheme to

·         encourage  the use of cars with lower emissions

·         encourage car sharing

·         reduce the potential impact of student halls of residence on parking in the local area

·         make it easier for residents living  near Residents Parking Zone (RPZ) boundaries to find parking and to reduce displacement

RECOMMENDED

(1)  That the following variations to the Portsmouth City Council (Various Roads) Residents Parking Places) (No. 9) Consolidation Order 2016 are advertised and any objections considered at a future Traffic and Transport Decision meeting:

      (i)         The procedure for issuing permits is changed to allow car sharing between people living in different zones by allowing the same vehicle to be issued with permits for two zones as described in paragraphs 4.3 to 4.5

      (ii)        The eligibility for permits is changed to exclude student halls of residence as described in paragraphs 4.6 to 4.10.

(2)  That the following variations to the charge for the issue of parking permits be advertised under the statutory notice procedure:  

      (i)         The charges for residents permits are changed, as described in paragraph 4.11 to 4.16, so the first permit for a household will be free if the vehicle is powered solely by electricity and that the charge for a first permit is reduced by 50% to £15 if the vehicle emits less than 100g of CO2 per Km provided (a) it is not powered by a diesel internal combustion engine and (b) that it was registered after 1 March 2001.

      (ii)        The cost of a third resident's permit to be reduced from £590 to £300 as described in paragraphs 4.17 and 4.18.

The Cabinet Member for Traffic & Transportation agreed:

(1)       That the following variations to the Portsmouth City Council (Various Roads) Residents Parking Places) (No. 9) Consolidation Order 2016 be advertised and any objections considered at a future Traffic and Transport Decision meeting:

            (i)         The procedure for issuing permits is changed to allow car sharing between people living in different zones by allowing the same vehicle to be issued with permits for two zones as described in paragraphs 4.3 to 4.5

            (ii)        The eligibility for permits is changed to exclude student halls of residence as described in paragraphs 4.6 to 4.10.

(2)  That the following variations to the charge for the issue of parking permits be advertised under the statutory notice procedure:  

            (i)         The charges for residents permits are changed, as described in paragraph 4.11 to 4.16, so the first permit for a household will be free if the vehicle is powered solely by electricity and that the charge for a first permit is reduced by 50% to £15 if the vehicle emits less than 100g of CO2 per Km provided (a) it is not powered by a diesel internal combustion engine and (b) that it was registered after 1 March 2001.

            (ii)        The cost of a third resident's permit be reduced from £590 to £300 as described in paragraphs 4.17 and 4.18.

Kevin McKee, Parking Manager, presented the report which had been revised since from an earlier meeting.  The report sought to make improvements and encourage car sharing, deal with the issue on student halls, encourage electric car use through reduced charges, as well as reduce the price of the third permit to reduce displacement.  The report also set out proposals for overlapping "fuzzy" boundaries.

Deputations are not minuted in full but can be viewed in the webcast.  These were made by:

i)             Laura Trowem - supporting the introduction of car permits and encouraging funding to be made available for cycling infrastructure.

ii)            Jerry Brown - also encouraging cycling but also suggesting that permits be made available for residents to have visiting workmen.

iii)           Councillor Luke Stubbs - felt that the report was going in the right direction regarding the introduction of overlapping zones, but he also favoured splitting into smaller residents' parking zones and also raised the possibility of shorter restriction timings and the need to consider the nature of each area before rationing permits.

Kevin McKee responded to points raised and explained that the hours of control depended on the area e.g. by the hospital or station.  The ratio of permits to spaces needed to be carefully considered (elsewhere at Brighton a 110% capacity was calculated) and the count did not include visitor or business permits. 

In response to a question by Councillor Heaney, Nikki Musson clarified that the dual boundaries were considered on a case by case basis rather than have a blanket policy.  Councillor Heaney was concerned that a limit to permits could penalise those who owned cars for a number of years.  Councillor Stagg responded that RPZs were not a city-wide policy but were looked at in response to requests from residents who were experiencing parking problems.

Councillor Bosher welcomed the amendments to the previous report and asked about the implementation of the free electric vehicle permit when applications were made for more than 1 car from a household.  His view was that there may be confusion on the "fuzzy boundaries" if there is not a wider strategy.

Councillor Stagg stressed that the policy for permits was evolving and she thanked the Parking officers for their hard work on this issue.

DECISIONS The Cabinet Member for Traffic & Transportation agreed:

(1)       That the following variations to the Portsmouth City Council (Various Roads) Residents Parking Places) (No. 9) Consolidation Order 2016 be advertised and any objections considered at a future Traffic and Transport Decision meeting:

            (i)         The procedure for issuing permits is changed to allow car sharing between people living in different zones by allowing the same vehicle to be issued with permits for two zones as described in paragraphs 4.3 to 4.5

            (ii)        The eligibility for permits is changed to exclude student halls of residence as described in paragraphs 4.6 to 4.10.

(2)  That the following variations to the charge for the issue of parking permits be advertised under the statutory notice procedure:  

            (i)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27