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Permalink Reply by Alan Sitkin on September 24, 2013 at 15:21

It's a difficult one Suellen and the jury is out

- free parking sounds great because it induces people to visit their local shops (although whether people should drive or walk there is another question)

- but of course, it also means that people tend to leave their car in the spot, preventing other shoppers from popping by

-  you could say therefore that free parking for a limited time is a good idea. But then you have to spend a lot of money policing that. Without the policing being paid for by parking fees - since, by definition, with free parking there wouldn't be any

It's one of those things where no one is quite sure what the best solution is. Because if they were, it would already have been applied. Worldwide!

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Permalink Reply by Richard McKeever on September 27, 2013 at 11:15

Tom, Alan,

This is a complex issue - but there is little convincing evidence that free parking regenerates local economies. In an earlier discussion on this site about the issue The Sustainable Haringey Transport Group presented their response to the petition:

It is repeated below in full.

Dear Lynne

Your petition: 30minutes FREE parking in Haringey

You say this proposal is ‘to help shopkeepers’. But where is the evidence for that? Research over decades has shown that 'free' parking will neither help shopkeepers, nor the vast majority of shoppers and other people in high streets. Please study the summary of research itemised below.

The real problem and solution

Parking is not a central concern for more than a small minority of shoppers. The thing that deters most shoppers – who are pedestrians or bus users – is the domination of their shopping streets by fast, polluting traffic that confines them to narrow pavements and makes crossing the road difficult. Those are the things you and your local councillors should be addressing, rather than pandering to the already well cared-for motorists, who always protest in the UK as though they were an oppressed minority.

A policy worth pushing Government and Haringey to adopt is to reduce speeds in all those busy roads where there are many pedestrians, such as Muswell Hill Broadway. Reduce speeds initially to 20mph, and ultimately lower as is common in Europe. Some neighbouring boroughs to Haringey have introduced default 20mph limits.

Shopkeepers vastly overestimate car shoppers

Shopkeepers believe that about twice as many of their customers come by car as actually do. Research has always demonstrated this – in Edinburgh (2003), Bristol (2006), and nearly 20 years ago in what is now the traffic-calmed, shopper-friendly city of Graz in Southern Austria. In Edinburgh, fewer than 25% (and falling) came by car. In Bristol only 22% came by car, whereas shopkeepers estimated it was 41%. And car-users tended to be drive-through shoppers; whereas pedestrians and bus-users visited several shops, car-users were far more likely to visit one single shop.[SUSTRANS 2003 and 2006.]

Also in Bristol, shopkeepers greatly underestimated (at 12%) the proportion of shoppers who live within half a mile, i.e. walking distance. The true number was42%, nearly half.

One explanation for shopkeepers’ gross misconception of the proportion of their shoppers coming by car may be that car traffic is so dominant in their streets. Yet, in Outer London, only 19% in fact come to town centres by car. In Central London, where shoppers rated ‘Less traffic’ as their highest priority for improvements, only 2% come by car, van, or lorry. [TfL figures, in the London Councils report (see below).]

Car shoppers are not the best customers

Transport for London research has found that walking is the most important mode for people getting to District centres, bus for Major centres and tube for Central Area of London. In all centres, walking has increased over the recent decade.

Another TfL finding was that walkers and cyclists shop many times a week, public transport users many fewer times, and car-users by far the most rarely. Also, while car-users spent the most per visit, walkers spent 65% more than them per month and bus-users 25% more.
-users spent the most per visit, walkers spent 65% more than them per month and
bus-users 25% more.

The quality of the shopping centre, not parking, has most impact on trade

London Councils (the umbrella body and think-tank for the 33 London boroughs) published a review in Oct 2012 entitled The relevance of parking in the success of urban centres. Its conclusions echoed those summarised above. It also emphasised that the most important factors in attracting shoppers and visitors to town centres were a good mix of shops and services and a good quality environment. When asked to name the most important improvement needed, only 6% of visitors interviewed in Outer London called for more or easier parking.
London Councils also reported that Camberwell residents who shop elsewhere than in Camberwell rated parking as the least important factor for not shopping locally. The range and quality of shops were more important.

Research in Leicester in 1992 showed that shop vacancy rates increase as the level of traffic increases. A study of 6 Midlands towns in 1994 showed that ‘parking provision does not have an influence on whether shops close or remain trading’. The overall quality and attractiveness of the centres had more impact on trade. [SUSTRANS.]

Groningen in the Netherlands pedestrianised a large part of its central area in the face of a barrage of ferocious criticism from business, but the area is now prized by shoppers. That is the kind of long term target we should pursue here.

There is no such thing as a FREE lunch

The shopping guru, Mary Portas, in her 2011 review of high streets, advocated ‘free controlled parking…for town centres’. But the London Councils report concludes that a there is no such thing as FREE parking. Someone has to pay to provide, maintain, and enforce controlled free parking. 'Free' parking operated by councils, whether on-street or off-street, is paid for by council tax payers. 'Free' parking provided by supermarkets is paid, through the price of goods, by all customers, not just car-users. An Act of Parliament is needed to introduce fair car-park charges at all supermarkets.

'Free’ parking leads to an increase in traffic. So, as well as its money cost, there is the cost born by all shoppers who are eventually on foot. And ‘Too much traffic’ is one of shoppers’ commonest complaints.

Kind regards

David Rennie
Sustainable Haringey Transport Group

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Permalink Reply by Chris Jenkinson on October 8, 2013 at 19:55

For information, here is Lynne Featherstone MP's response.

RE:  30 minutes of free parking in Muswell Hill

 

Thank you for your letter in response to our 30 minutes of free parking campaign. I am always happy to hear the views of my constituents and I was very interested to read your letter.

 

I do appreciate your concerns regarding the fact that free parking might encourage increased car use and I am equally mindful of the environmental aspect.

 

That said, it is unfortunately the case that there are problems with public transport accessibility and cycling routes in the borough. I have campaigned for better transport and cycling links in the past and will continue to do so but it remains that for those with young families, pensioners and those with mobility problems, driving is still the best and most convenient way of reaching the local shops.

 

I do think that in the long term, pedestrianisation would be desirable - but it is not currently possible. As such, I am happy to support local shops with this free parking initiative. Independent shops produce fewer emissions and a far smaller carbon footprint than multinational stores and I firmly believe it is important that we support local businesses and encourage people into independent shops. It is my view that this parking initiative is the most realistic way to achieve this.

 

With regards to your query about evidence to support the view that this initiative would help boost trade, the Government commissioned Mary Portas to undertake a review of the English high street. Please see: http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/business-sectors/docs/p/11-143... to read the report. Page 27 explores her recommendation that: 'Local areas should implement free controlled parking schemes that work for their town centres'.

 

Whilst I do appreciate your point that any ‘free’ parking in London has to be paid for by the Local Authorities, I am confident that the huge budget that Labour Haringey currently waste on publicity could be better spent on schemes like this that will help get people out visiting our local shops and boosting business in the area. Haringey Council residents pay the 4th most expensive Council Tax in London and I believe it is about time that this money is invested back into schemes like this, that I really do think will help support local shops.

  

I hope this email goes some way to alleviate your concerns and explain the Haringey Liberal Democrats position on this. Please do not hesitate to get in touch again if you would like to discuss this matter further or if you think there is anything further I can do.

 

Kind Regards,

 

 

Lynne Featherstone

Member of Parliament for Hornsey and Wood Green

020 8340 5459

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Permalink Reply by Alan Sitkin on October 8, 2013 at 23:58

Sorry Tom, I never reverted on your comment but the flurry of uploads below is a good reason to revisit the thread

 I don't want argy bargy but one of your comments above was kinda harsh and not very accurate. Which may be my fault if I didn't explain properly so please let me try again

Specifically, parking fees/fines cannot be cash cows as you say. Legislation dictates that any money raised from parking must go to parking. If a Council goes astray (as [Tory] Barnet recently did) and allocates the monies to other ends, the courts will intervene and force the Council to reimburse. Certainly Enfield Council respects the law, as I imagine most Councils do. So your accusation that "parking is all about revenue" is not accurate. Legally it can't be!

On the other hand, I don't necessarily disagree with your other comment that free parking might possibly be good for shopping. Having said that, I'm also aware that the opposite position may be just as valid -  if only (as I wrote above) because letting people park for free means they're likely to grab a parking space for hours at end, preventing other shoppers from parking. The reality (again, as I wrote above) is that no one knows the perfect system. If we did, we'd all implement it! I've read numerous studies arguing both sides of the equation. We need to be honest with each other about which decisions are straightforward and which aren't. No use vilifying the other side and pretending we have the perfect solution when no such thing exists.

Lastly, I'm sure you realize how very much your Council wants local business to succeed. Not only because we're viscerally business-friendly, but also because it is totally not in our interest for local businesses not to have customers. Everyone now and again you'll have some party political hack trying to score points by misrepresenting the opposing side's attitude in this respect, but again, that's baloney and also not helping to find a solution.

Take for example Lynne Featherstone's blurb below. She is arguing that Haringey Council should allow free 30 minute parking and then pay for the necessary extra controls out of its own pockets. Well, that might have been possible at a time when Councils had sufficient funds to do things like that. But the swingeing, draconian cuts that Mrs. Featherstone's Government is enacting because of its radical neo-liberal ideology - embodied in her Party's support for George Osborne's policy of cutting multinational tax rates to banana republic levels - means that Councils are more strapped than they've ever been. i.e. your current MP is being quite dishonest with you about Councils' financial ability to withstand the added cost she is suggesting they assume.

Again, politicians should either be honest or say nothing. Unjustified vilification is unworthy of a councillor much less an MP. As Obama says, easy decisions never get talked about because they're sorted out easily. It is only the hard decisions that get debated. And the debate about parking schemes has been running a long long time...

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