‘Resident parking permits a money-making scheme’
Campaigner says it will cause conflict between neighbours
AN Ickenham woman has launched a campaign against Hillingdon Council’s parking permit scheme, which came into force on Monday.
Joanne Teale, who lives in Copthall Road East, has opposed the new system and says it will cause arguments between neighbours and is a ‘money-making scheme’ by the council.
Miss Teale started a petition against the permits and gathered almost 100 signatures from local households and businesses.
The 50-year-old told the Gazette: “It’s a money-making scheme. If it isn’t a moneymaking scheme then why don’t they give them to residents for free?
“It causes conflict between neighbours and if I’ve got visitors I’ve got to give them vouchers and then they’ve got to go and find a bay. And the bays aren’t big enough.”
Ms Teale said the bays have already caused confusion with a neighbour, who believes one of the bays belongs to his house, when in reality they are first come first served.
Parking permits costing £40 per year became mandatory in Copthall Road East from Monday, and visitor vouchers will cost residents a further £5 for 10 and each voucher can only be used once.
Hillingdon Council carried out public consultation in September 2014 to gauge public opinion on ways to tackle all-day commuter parking and said that the council’s policy was not to adopt changes unless a majority of residents were in favour.
But Miss Teale, who works as a hairdresser, said a majority of residents she had spoken to were in favour of a waiting restrictions, not permits.
In her petition, Miss Teale said: “I feel that permit parkings will only push vehicle parking into surrounding roads causing a ripple effect which, as a small village, Ickenham cannot sustain.
“The permit parking will also have an adverse effect on the small businesses within Ickenham village as staff need to park their cars while at work and their customers will go elsewhere as parking is already tight nearest to the shops.”
Miss Teale puts the increased parking strain in her road and those surrounding, down to West Ruislip train station, where there have been parking charge rises and a shortage of spaces.
The petition was delivered to council officer Kevin Urquhart, who works in the council’s resident services department, on Monday last week.