People in Watford are being asked what they think about changes to the Controlled Parking Zones (CPZ) in the town centre.
They are being urged to respond by councillors who say they are responding to residents’ concerns to ensure they can park at night and on Sundays.
Council chairman Rabi Martins represents the Central ward and said it was vital to hear from as many people as possible.
He said: “It is clear that parking pressures will increase with the new shops and cinema in the town and we want visitors to use the car parks or come by public transport. It’s up to residents to decide what they think is best for them.”
People living in zones A, B, C, F and G received a letter after councillors said they wanted to know residents’ views.
The proposals resulted from concerns which had been raised by residents about the impact on parking of several significant developments in the area.
The Intu Watford Extension, due to open in this year, has raised a number of concerns over parking. There are fears that the new facilities could drive additional on-street parking demand in the evenings. This would be added to the town’s night-time economy visitors.
A consultation carried out by Central ward Liberal Democrat Councillors in 2017 highlighted that the vast majority of respondents thought parking was a big problem outside the hours of control for the CPZ’s.
The Council has therefore agreed to carry out this consultation to seek views on proposals to extend the hours of control for the CPZ’s.
Extending the operational hours and days will mean CPZs will be enforced in the evenings between 6.30pm and 10pm and all day on Sundays.
Residents have four options to choose for the new CPZ .
They are Monday – Saturday, 08:00-18:30, the current arrangement. Monday – Saturday, 08:00-22:00 (extended time period), Monday – Sunday, 08:00-18:30 (extended duration) or Monday – Sunday, 08:00-22:00 (extended duration / time)
Although an extension to the CPZ hours will help prioritise parking for permit holders and prevent non-resident parking, locals will still have to buy visitors parking vouchers. It’s also believed that an increase in the hours of parking enforcement could lead to an increase in the cost of permits.
To provide feedback, the online survey can be found at https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/WatfordCentralCPZ/
The consultation is open till the end of August.
Is parking a problem in your community? Email tim@mynewsmag.co.uk
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