a on street parking – comments & objections ......have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors...

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APPENDIX A ON STREET PARKING – COMMENTS & OBJECTIONS SUMMARY Without details

Date Received

Road

Do you support the

scheme

Type of response Objection or a

Comment

Objection/Comment Officer Comment

28.7.09 Larkspur Close No Comment It would be better to enforce the present restrictions. Meters have to be monitored and emptied. Space just have to be monitored. The same enforcement officers could then stop parking on yellow lines - a serious problem since the demise of parking wardens.

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

28.7.09 No Address No Comment If you are not currently enforcing the 30min limit then what difference will charging make. Free short stay bays are very useful to the town but only if they are enforced. Unless you will use the income to pay for both the meters and enforcement then that may work but then is that cost effective. In short either take away the spaces, remove the restriction or enforce them but it has to

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and sl less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to

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be self financing.

encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. It is envisaged that this parking scheme will be self funding.

28.7.09 Hinton Road Twyford

No. Comment To satisfy the business needs and prevent abuse I suggest the following. Require a ticket from a machine with registration provided by the person parking for all parking in these places. The ticket gives 30 or however many minutes free parking. Any additional parking required to be charged up to maximum of say twice the free period at the rate of £1 per hour. No extensions of time beyond this permitted. The use of registration, which can be recorded by the machines would prevent any meter feeding. This registration of the car being parked is used in Horley in Surrey and is I feel a very effective way of dealing with commuters parking all day. The free minutes meets the needs of the local shops whilst the charges allows for short overruns of time fro those who may not be confident that their business can be completed within the period and is more user friendly than a fine. May I also express my frustration at the level of charges for short periods. This feels like a parking fine, not a service and does nothing to encourage me to use local shops for minor purchases. I tend to travel to larger shopping centres able to meet all of my needs for the price of one parking fee, or go of town where parking is usually free. This hardly helps local shops. I addition I would appreciate either being able to get change for excess payments or additional parking time credited in lieu of

The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

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change. The later is surely simple with today’s modern devices and avoids issues with change . The existing charges appear to be deliberately set so as to gather excess funds through overpayment, e.g. 90p per 30 minutes which usually results in £1 being paid with no benefit obtained for the extra 10p

28.7.09 No address No Comment Great idea – it drives me mad to see the same cars taking up these bays every days. Why can’t they pay to park in the proper car parks like everyone else and leave the short stay bays available for people who just want to make a quick visit to buy papers and visit cash points etc. My only concern is what is being done to stop people parking on yellow lines and in bus and taxi bays, etc. People are always parking on the zig-zags by the crossing outside the post office and in the disabled space without a permit

WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

28.7.09 Tiptree Close Comment in part

Comment

I have been forced to selected “yes” for support or not which is wrong. I support in part. I support 1 hour parking but not ½ hour as often someone stops for one thing and then remembers another. I certainly think people should be stopped parking all day. Ideally there should use public transport or, if that is not possible, the car parks. However the charges should be as low as possible with the fees for misuse very high.

The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

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28.7.09 Langborough Rd No Comment This idea is plainly not going to achieve the objective set for it – i.e. to reduce all day parking. The active policing of quick-stop parking with fines for ‘overstaying’ would achieve the same objective, so the main purpose seems to be to raise revenue. Given that the disincentive to shop in Wokingham resulting is likely to deprive private businesses in the town of revenues at least equal to the income earned by the Council from the fees, this proposal is – at best – a means of transferring revenue from small businesses to the council and, therefore, effectively a tax on business. This is patently indefensible.

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. It is hoped that this will be of benefit to local businesses as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit.

28.7.09 Ducketts Mead No Comment If we had traffic wardens you would not have to charge motorists extortionate amounts to stop for half an hour, this is beating the innocent with the supposed reason of preventing the guilty, not the best idea


29.7.09 Glebelands Road Yes Comment Why have you not included the parking bays

in Glebelands Road in this scheme? These A boundary for this scheme had to be chosen and Glebelands Road was considered to be

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bays are used mainly by commuters/workers for all-day parking (free of charge) and should be available for shoppers. There should also be a number of parking bays, say 50, in the station car-park for the use of passengers using the station after 09:30.

outside this area. However it is recognised that there are other areas of the town that could be considered. The station car park is privately owned and managed by the rail authorities and as such we have no jurisdiction over their parking arrangements.

29.7.09 Dolphin House Highfield Close

Yes Comment I am concerned that if the scheme is introduced in Milton Road more shoppers and commuters will park their cars 'illegally' in Highfield Close which is a private road. How could this be prevented as parking in the Close is restricted to residents and their bona fide visitors? Why doesn't the scheme include Glebelands Road? I also wish to point out that during the past year or so more and more cars and commercial vehicles are exiting Milton Road directly into Rectory Road past the old police station. This section of Milton Road is supposed to be one-way except for buses. Appropriate action needs to be taken to enforce this rule in order to stop drivers using this road as a short-cut into town.

It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. A boundary for this scheme had to be chosen and Glebelands Road was considered to be outside this area. However it is recognised that there are other areas of the town that could be considered. The issue of commercial vehicles exiting Milton Road in to Rectory Road falls outside the remit of TRO consultation however we will bring this to the attention of the police as the enforcement agent.

29.7.09 Denton Road No. Official objection Surely the best method for ensuring legal parking is to employ two/three traffic wardens for the town centre as we did have a few years ago when there was not the illegal parking there is today. The public only seem to respond to possible fines etc. Surely it must be cheaper to take on these 2/3 wardens than to install machines which themselves will have to be checked by council employees and fines issued anyway! In Denton Road today ( a 30 minute zone) cars are left all day with no checks made. These wardens could also ensure that illegal parking does not take place in the disabled section on Peach Street which is constantly misused by motorists. Acknowledged 3.8.09.

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town

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centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

29.7.09 Sturges Road Yes Comment Any measures to reduce the amount of illegal parking must be seen as positive. The existing parking provisions would appear not to be enforced. I do not recall seeing a warden at the Murdoch Road end of Sturges Road or indeed any tickets being issued to offending vehicles. The worst offenders in my opinion are not commuters or town centre workers but drivers dropping off and picking up at school times and the congregation at the Corpus Christie Catholic Church. Parking restrictions are totally ignored at the weekend. Vehicles are parked on both the single yellow and double yellow lines and no action ever taken. During church services it is often dangerous to attempt a turn in from Murdoch Road as vehicles are parked on the double yellow lines on both sides of the road. It is also a problem on church service days turning in and out of the joint driveway serving the flats at 70 and 72 Sturges Road as access is often reduced by vehicles parking on the double yellow lines. Presumably any improvements will include extra provision for wardens patrolling seven days a week. The knowledge that a warden will be making regular patrols and issuing tickets all through the day will act as a deterrent.

29.7.09

Waterloo Road

No.

Official objection

I am an occasional (perhaps once per week) user of the "quick stop" bays in Wokingham. I use them when going to the bank, Post Office etc. or incidental shopping. I object to the proposals and make the following points: a. the claim that these spaces are being used for much longer periods than permitted does not match my personal experience. I

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length od time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in

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seldom have any difficulty in finding a place which would suggest that any abuse is limited b. the proposal to charge the many to deal with the alleged misbehaviour of a few is simply unfair c. the proposed charge of £1.00 for half an hour is outrageous. Just what is there in Wokingham Town which makes you think any charge is justifiable? d. implementation of the proposal can only have a detrimental effect on trade in the town. This proposal will encourage shoppers to go elsewhere. Acknowledged 3.8.09

designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. The charge proposed for the 30 minutes is 50p. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

29.7.09 Peach Street No. Official objection I strongly object to the proposal as a shop owner on Peach Street. This would have a negative effect to trade in our parade as customers use these spaces. Surely the council should be encouraging shoppers into Wokingham, not enforcing charges for half hour parking! Can those in charge not see that the town is struggling to keep the public coming into the town. What with the shop closures and increased parking charges, our

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

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customers are all complaining. As a business, we pay our rates and what do those rates cover? Certainly no help from our council! Acknowledged 3.8.09.

29.7.09 Holmewood Close Yes Comment As a local resident, I support this scheme to stop people parking in these bays all day. Often when you just want a quick stop to pop in to a couple of shops you are unable to get parked nearby.

29.7.09 Sturges Road No. Questions to answer

I have some concerns regarding the proposed new parking scheme in Sturges Road. I have space on my drive for 1 car, as we have 2 cars in our household the second car is parked outside the house. Under the new scheme I will not be allowed to park outside my house from Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 6:00pm. This will cause a great deal of inconvenience as I need to park on the road during these times. Could you please outline what I am expected to do with the second car? During a phone conversation with someone at the council I was informed that there weren't any plans to provide parking permits for residents, which is why I would like to know what considerations have been given to residents in the street who will have this issue.

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside there property. Residents parking permits allowing perking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Sturges Road was considered as it fell within a certain walking distance of the town centre and experience on street parking. As Sturges Road already experienced on street parking and was in an area where parking may be displaced to it was included within the scheme.

29.7.09 Rectory Road No. Questions to answer

Thank you for your circular delivered by hand today. I have a range of comments as

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to

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a resident of 22 Rectory Road for 25 years. 1. The first reason you put forward is that the town centre parking spaces are misused by motorists parking for longer than the waiting time indicated. As far as Rectory Road is concerned there is no indication of waiting time permitted. In fact the long term parkers from my own observation do so because they work in the area. For example, the postmen park at around 4am and move on around midday. This seems to me to be a perfectly reasonable use of the marked spaces. Where else would they park, clearly many town centre workers are low paid and cannot afford all day parking charges, yet are essential to the town’s economy. There is nothing irresponsible in this use. 2. I note that your section is responsible for Traffic Management. Rectory Road is a heavily trafficked road and were it not for the artificial restraint to traffic speeds by parking, a strong case could be made to ban street parking altogether. At night when there is less parking, traffic speeds are noticeably higher. However at present, long term parking is far safer to through traffic because the turnover you envisage would be a constant disruption to free traffic flow, and hence the potential for accidents. 3. Turning to your plan, four points. (a) the bays outside the old police station begin too close to the junction. These bays do appear to have a quite frequent turnover and cars attempting to reverse into vacant spaces cause vehicles turning into Rectory Road from the Shute End direction,

determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre was used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents or local employees to park directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents or employees as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. The introduction of pay and display spaces within Rectory Road is not expected to remove all parking from this location, just manage their length of stay. It is therefore not expected that these proposals will have an impact on the traffic speeds. The bays outside the old police station and outside Waitrose already exist. It is not

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which are unsighted, to brake suddenly. (b) Parking in the bays immediately beyond Waitrose exit cause frequent disruption to through traffic in the (wrong) right hand lane and to emerging traffic. The position would be much improved if these bays were removed and the exit re-engineered, a point made at the time of the Waitrose planning application. (It is nice to be proved right) The gaps outside the traffic . . . . . ‘illegible text’ are inaccurately shown, they appear to relate to the dropped kerbs which do not relate to the actual development. (d) I drive down Rectory Road every day. Referring to my earlier point about restraint on traffic speeds, the bend outside No.25 is far sharper than it appears on the plan. The effect of parking on the approach to the bend is that it creates an apparent narrowing of the through lanes, particularly noticeable if the left hand lane is heavily �rafficked. Again the deletion of a couple of spaces on the bend would reduce this problem. 4.These proposals are clearly to create another source of revenue with many traffic management disbenefits and no additional spaces. Have you calculated the cost of managing these charged spaces against the potential revenue? Or perhaps you are relying on the fines to be imposed to salvage the economics. That will go down well with the Council taxpayers and will further deter shoppers to this dilapidated town centre. 5. Would it be a low blow to remind you that when the wisdom of selling off the Rose

proposed to introduce additional spaces in these locations so the introduction of Pay and Display parking would not have an impact on the current situation. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. It is hoped that this will be of benefit to local businesses as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit.

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Street car park to the “failed developer” was questioned, the reply was that the town had ample spaces elsewhere!

29.7.09 Sturgess Road Requested Neil Badley to call this lady on

31.7.09 - 01189 781068 – Called 3.8.09; no reply; a message was left.

29.7.09 The Conifers Crowthorne

No. Official objection Our Council is determined to keep shoppers out of Wokingham and parking meters are just the latest ploy to collect money from local residents. All paying parking areas should be monitored so what is different about 30 minute parking apart from the new proposed 50p charge? Who is going to monitor those and what happens to the offenders? If the end result was a new pedestrianised town centre and lively new shops, offices, etc., I would agree. But parking meters do not help or change anything. They just antagonise folks. Acknowledged 3.8.09

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

29.7.09 Milton Road Yes Comment Good idea in principle, but..... 1. The hours for residents has been reduced by 2 hours in the morning, 1 hour in the evening and all day Saturday. 2. The restrictions are not managed - cars

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the

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abuse residents parking bays, often from 08.30 - 18.00, and some cars every day. 3. We have asked many times that the current restrictions are enforced, but I believe that no enforcement has been carried out for a year. 4 Unless there is enforcement no one will purchase tickets. 5. What steps are to be taken in the meantime to enforce current restrictions?

Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

29.7.09 and 11.8.09

Sturges Road . Questions need answering

I have received your letter regarding plans for new parking schemes in Wokingham and have since gone to your website looking for clarification. It appears from what I can see on the plans that Sturges Road is planned for 1 hour pay and display parking. It also appears that Sturges Road will not benefit from residential parking permits. I would like you to explain the logic regarding parking permits please and help me to understand why one area will have permit and another not.

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property.

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My initial reaction is that I will strongly object to these plans, unless I am advised that we will be receiving permits. 1. Your paperwork suggests that you are trying to stop improper use of town centre restricted parking. However, Sturges Road does not have such restricted parking currently so why is it being pulled into this scheme? 2. As you will see if you call by, I have a small driveway large enough for one car and about an extra ½ space. I need access to additional parking. 3. I have no issue with people parking outside of my house whilst they go to work during the day (sometimes I will of course park there too). There is plenty of pay and display parking in the town centre much closer to the shops than that outside of my house so what problems are these “all day parkers” causing? – None that I can see. Please advise I have tried to get clarification on the phone but unfortunately the lady who tried her best to help was misinformed herself. She advised that only areas that currently have restricted parking are affected (which appears not to be the case given your plans)! So I need your response to my questions/comments before mid August so that I can subsequently provide my formal feedback. First, my objection: I object to pay & display in Sturges Road (and others) without resident parking

Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Sturges Road was considered as it fell within a certain walking distance of the town centre and experience on street parking. As Sturges Road already experienced on street parking and was in an area where parking may be displaced to it was included within the scheme.

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permits. My partner and I have a car each and not enough off street parking. If this scheme goes ahead, I will need to modify the layout at the front of my house to I 2 cars. Also, this scheme will make it extremely difficult and expensive for visitors to our house. Not all houses in Sturges Road have significant off street parking! 2nd, I have a comment regarding the planning: I was advised by one your engineers via email: “I believe that Sturges Road was included in the original feasibility study for this on-street parking scheme because of a history of residents’ complaints about difficulties of parking in the road”. This comment may be correct (although I have never complained and don’t know anyone that has), but your proposal is illogical. If residents have complained about parking availability, then moving to a 1 hour maximum pay and display does not solve the problem. Residents will still not be able to park at the front of their own house! I urge you to reconsider and provide resident parking permits.

29.7.09 Milton Road No. Official objection If motorists have to pay to park in the parking bays in Milton Road, one obvious consequence will be that they will park illegally instead in the private, unadopted road/track between nos. 23 and 25, currently used as resident parking for people who live in the terraced houses without any individual off-street parking. If the Council is truly concerned about stopping people from breaking the rules, then please do something about the many motorists who drive straight through the no entry signs at the town end of Milton Road. Acknowledged 3.8.09

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space.

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29.7.09 Sturges Road No Official objection In the proposed scheme the parking space in front of my house will become an enforced one hour waiting slot. I believe this initiative is not needed. Wokingham is a depressed town with empty shops and high rates. Why prevent people from coming here? It will cause disruption, is costly – I believe hundreds of thousands of pounds are being spent – I would rather this money be spent on cleaning up the town. The catholic church on Sturges Rd and the catholic school (St Teresa’s) are the only factors that cause traffic problems on our road – this will not help on street parking charges from having the desired effect – which is to make more people use the Rose car park – 3 pounds a day and the the other pay and displays at the top of the road. People I park down here for short periods of time – the walk to town is too far. People who work in the town park here – and now they will be penalised – by having to pay. I walked down the rd with Councillor Wyatt at 2.30 today (Tuesday) and there were three spaces – the park cars caused no problems and the road was peaceful as always. What happens when my family and friends come over – will they have to park up town and walk down!! This is not London – we don not have a parking problem at all – please leave our road alone and spend the money on something that will actually benefit the rate payers and residents.

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre was used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Sturges Road was considered as it fell within

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Your map of Sturges Rd is out of date by the way. Can I find out the cost of this project please – can you inform me where I can go to view this? Acknowledged 3.8.09 + Email 31.7.09.

a certain walking distance of the town centre and experience on street parking. As Sturges Road already experienced on street parking and was in an area where parking may be displaced to it was included within the scheme.

29.7.09 Sturges Road No. Official objection I do not see any need to introduce pay and display parking in Sturges Road, it is not needed. There is a car park at the end of the road which is never full anyone wishing to shop in the town would surely park there as it is closer. The introduction of the meters will penalise residents, who will no longer be able to park in their own street. Please respond and tell me what you expect residents to do. Acknowledged 3.8.09

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not

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be outside their property. Sturges Road was considered as it fell within a certain walking distance of the town centre and experience on street parking. As Sturges Road already experienced on street parking and was in an area where parking may be displaced to it was included within the scheme.

29.7.09 Sturges Road No. Official objection I fundamentally do not understand the logic of this scheme as explained in the letter dated 29th July. As I understand it, the entire street will be made “Pay and Display” with a 1 hour limit and no residents permits available. Firstly, the implication in the letter is that it is being done with the residents in mind. The initial problem is that we currently have no fundamental issue with the parking in Sturges Road. Yes, people do park there, and probably stay too long, but I rarely have an issue except on Sundays (due to the church), and that’s the day that the parking restrictions do not apply. Those households who own two cars (because we both work) and have only one parking space, have a situation where (apart from Sunday, when we can’t get a space anyway) we can only park for an hour at a time. When I wake up on a Saturday morning, where do I take my car to ensure I don’t get a ticket ? Whose house do I now have to go and park outside? Or do I need to pay for a days parking in the local car park ? And will that be full because all the other residents with two cars and a single off-road parking bay, have had to do the same ? My wife and I both work from home for a

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre, was used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway

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reasonable proportion of the time, so where do we leave our cars during the day? Is this really for the residents and to stop irresponsible parking or is this to generate revenue for the borough? If you really have the residents in mind you MUST ensure that we have at least 1 permit per household to allow off road parking. It may have escaped your notice, but Sturges Road is a conservation area where unsightly alterations are restricted. I assume, therefore, that your parking meters will be in keeping with the Victorian/Edwardian properties in the road. Please reconsider this ill-thought out and unwanted change. Acknowledged 3.8.09

and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. Sturges Road was considered as it fell within a certain walking distance of the town centre and experience on street parking. As Sturges Road already experienced on street parking and was in an area where parking may be displaced to it was included within the scheme.

29.7.09 Sturges Court No. Official Objection Thank you for sending me the information regarding the proposed on street car parking scheme which would impact parking on Sturges Road. From reading the information above and in the letter you have sent I see very little need for this scheme apart from making the council some extra funds. Particularly when I see that the proposal includes charging for parking on Saturday’s due to motorists abusing the current system, apart from when the church has a service, there are very few cars parked on Sturges Road on Saturday’s. Also, some of us live in flats and don’t have the ‘luxury’ of a drive so when vistors come am I now to tell them they have to pay to park? I would expect this in London but not in Wokingham. Although I don’t use the road to park on myself, I would have thought that in the current economical climate the council would be trying to attract people to the town centre to assist local shops? Acknowledged 3.8.09

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

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29.7.09 Waterloo Crescent No. . Official objection I Object to this whole proposal on the

grounds that there are enough paying car parks in Wokingham already and that if you remove these free short term parking bays it will drive shoppers away from the town and thus lose business. Acknowledged 3.8.09

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre, was used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

29.7.09 Victoria Gardens Wokingham

No. Official objection The council’s plans to start charging for spaces is completely unacceptable and will sound yet another death knell for Wokingham traders/businesses as people will see no benefit to “popping into” Wokingham and perhaps making impulse purchases as well as their original items, and will instead just to go Reading or Bracknell where there is a better range of shops and amenities and shoppers KNOW they will be able to get everything there. This will starve Wokingham businesses even further. Secondly, the plan makes no logical sense. In order to ‘police’ people paying for their

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display

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parking, you will require a manned position to check tickets. This is exactly the same manpower that would be required to check vehicles currently parking on the time limited parking spots anyway. Why are these bays not monitored now – if, as you say, they are being so regularly abused, then the penalty charges you can impose would likely more than pay for the parking inspector! Thirdly, the charges are completely excessive. 50p for 30 minutes? Ok, Wokingham is wealthy but this is not a reason to rip off residents even more. I would like a response as to the planned income projections from these changes and explicitly what it would be used for as I cannot see this in the great multitude of pdfs you have attached to this page. This is a dreadful idea, a cash cow which will certainly drive a lot of people into other towns where they *know* their parking money will be well spent, rather than popping into Wokingham to check, and then being charged for the privilege of shopping in your own town centre. Very bad idea – alienating shoppers even more at a time of recession when traders are desperately relying on continued custom to survive is idiotic. In closing, I would also like to know why this consultation is tucked away in a 4th level sub section; why it is not prominently placed on the website homepage and how you intend to consult with people who don’t regularly browse this website in depth.

spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

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I visited Wokingham last week, in order to visit one shop (local/independent trader) to make an enquiry about a product I was looking for. I parked in Rose Street in the 30 minute bays. I visited the shop and explained/showed them my requirement, and found they were able to assist me (order placed). I also popped into 3 other shops in town and made purchases in each one during the same visit - all of were essentially impulse buys simply because I was passing, and I was back in my car with time to spare on my 30 minutes' free parking. In summary, the existence of the free bays meant I spent approximately £150 in Wokingham on that visit, with small traders and businesses, but if these bays were chargeable I would have gone straight to Reading or Bracknell, because even though I pay for parking there, I KNOW I will be able to get items such as those I bought in Wokingham, rather than just HOPING I might find them in our rapidly dying town centre and wasting money on parking (and time) if I can't. Other examples include visiting town to pick up a parcel from the Post Office and stopping to admire, and subsequently buy, flowers from the shop directly opposite, or spotting that a restaraunt had opened on the site of the old library and then going there for a meal; or going to the bank and then looking round the continental market or buying gifts from the stall/shop which sells old photographs of the area. All of these things would not happen if people cannot

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just pop into town without being charged for the privilege because we will go to towns where we know our primary requirement will be met. It is vital that Wokingham Council support our local businesses, rather than putting more restrictions and obstacles in the way of people wanting to do so. Wokingham may be a wealthy area, but as residents we already pay handsomely to live here and purse strings are tight during this recession, so treating us as the never ending golden goose is simply not acceptable. .Acknowledged 3.8.09

30.7.09 Sturges Road No Official objection Firstly I would want to question the rationale for changing the parking status in our road from a situation with which I expect the majority of residents are comfortable? Parking in our road has never been a significant problem. Redesignating the road will be at a capital cost to the council, will put more obstacles on the pavement and will incur an ongoing revenue cost. Imposing parking restrictions would remove a facility to residents that we have enjoyed and we want to maintain. Although most houses have off road parking, at times we all need to use kerbside parking when we have guests or have people working at our properties. In such circumstances why should we have to park a significant distance from our homes? Both the catholic school and church rely on the current free parking availability which is

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre, was used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the

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used (and sometimes abused) to everyone’s advantage. Parking restrictions, especially if limited to one hour periods, will significantly impact on these facilities. If this misbegotten money raising plan were to implemented, may I politely demand that: 1. Residents be offered ample free parking permits (I believe that we pay more than enough Council Tax for our free parking not to be withdrawn) 2. That parking be allowed for periods

of up to four hours to accommodate the services mentioned above and visitors to the

houses in the road? Acknowledged 3.8.09

Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking.

30.7.09 Hulbert Gate Wokingham

No Comment The last thing Wokingham need is more street furniture clogging up the pavements. It will not help the overall . . . . ‘illegible text’ of the town and I imagine the cost could easily pay for a traffic warden to patrol and enforce the existing parking regulations rather than this approach that while freeing up spaces will probably not encourage, ‘stop and shop’ visitors to the town. Take this opportunity to create a new valid job.

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town

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centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment.

30.7.09 Bell House Gardens

No Official Objection I would like to formally object to the planned changes to Bell House Gardens Parking Limitations. I do agree that commuters are using the area 8-6 Mon-Fri. However, on evenings and weekends, visitors and guests to Bell House Gardens use the area. This works absolutely fine and means that visitors get a space – the majority of residents are happy with this. Under the proposed regulations where will visitors to Bell House Gardens park? They will have to park in a town centre car park/paying significant amounts of money. This will have a detrimental effect to our lives on having friends visit us at a weekend (and on evenings after 6pm). I appreciate that Alderman Willey does have issues (white vans on corners) so why don’t you just increase the double yellow lines on the bends of the road? That would solve much of our concerns. A number of the residents have had workmen improving their houses/gardens of recent and again where would workman now park their vans? From a residents point of view it feels like we will be worse off from the planned changes. If you would like us to arrange a meeting of Bell House Residents with you then please let me know and I will organise.

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre, was used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not

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This matter is extremely concerning and a number of the residents whom I have spoken to yesterday and today feel they have not been asked for practical and sensible ways forward that could meet both council & resident requirements. There are only cir.10 resident houses on Bell House Gardens so I am sure we could have been asked for ideas in advance. Alderman Willey may have issues but please consider the requirements of Bell House Garden residents more thoughtfully. I look forward to hearing your reply. Many thanks in advance . Acknowledged 3.8.09

be outside their property.

30.7.09 Alderman Willey Close No. Official objection My objection refers to the parking spaces in

Alderman Willey Close and Bellhouse Gardens. Being a resident of Alderman willey close without a off street parking space or designated on street parking space these two parking area’s are the only spots close to my home. At present these area are marked for 2 hours with one hour no return during the day. This means that I can switch my van between these 2 parking area’s through the day without too much trouble. I am often in all day due to the fact I work shift work. The new proposal to charge for parking and to limit it to 1 hour would mean a great inconvenience and added up over the coarse of a year would also mean a large cost. These parking area’s are rarely full, my suggestion if you decide to continue with this plan is to do what many of the London borough’s do and have pay and display or permit holders pass spots. I am aware that

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre, was used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not

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most residents in these streets have there own off street parking, but if you are going to grant planning permission for properties such as the one I live in to be converted in to apartments without dedicated parking, please consider the residents when changing the parking situation. Acknowledged 3.8.09

always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property.

30.7.09 Bellhouse Gardens Yes Comment Fantastic Idea. Great Idea. I could not be happier. I am getting so fed up with the cars and two white vans that abuse the road parking system in Alderman Willey Road. So many people park there now and if there isn’t enough room, then they park on the yellow lines even if it means parking right on the corner.

30.7.09 Broad Street No. Official objection I work in the town centre and I park on a road outside town, i.e. outside the area that you are intending to impose parking restrictions. If this proposal proceeds all that will happen is that the people who currently park in the spaces effected will park further out of town, thereby effecting the areas that I currently use. This is exactly what happened a few years ago when the Council put yellow lines to prevent parking on various side roads, I and many others ending up having to park further out of town. One of the roads I tried to park in had no restrictions but the residents of the house (who had off road parking) where I parked, started to abuse me every morning and evening, their son eventually attacking me & my car, just because their view of the road was spoilt by my new car! As I stated above this will not solve your problem but just push it further out of town. .Acknowledged 3.8.09

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all

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located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended.

30.7.09 Bird View Mews Yes Comment The scheme will not effect Bird Mews but should transform Milton Road to two lanes from time to time making access safer, particularly for cyclists. Also what can be done to stop vehicle drivers from parking on double yellow lines? Frequently access to Bird Mews is blocked by cars and commercial vehicles parked on the double yellow lines at the junction with Milton Road. The police have been informed but no action is taken. It needs to be made very clear that parking is not allowed in the narrow road to the Bird Mews cul da sac

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas

30.7.09 Bell House Gardens No Official objection I support the scheme in principle. But, I am very concerned about parking for visitors to my home. Many streets in Wokingham have parking for which a payment is not required. I feel that it would be grossly unfair for visitors to my home to be expected to pay for parking or park miles away from my home. I feel that residents of 5 Bell House Gardens should be given 1 parking permit per home

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a

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for free parking. I note that you propose to charge for parking, does this mean that you will now upkeep the area where the parking is located i.e the bushes and rubbish that non-residents dump? I look forward to hearing from you in due course .Acknowledged 3.8.09

safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. The public highway is maintained by the Council and if you are experiencing problems with rubbish being deposited and overgrown bushes you should bring this to the attention of the Highways Maintenance department, regardless of weather this proposal is progressed.

30.7.09 Woodward Close No Official objection SURELY THIS IS JUST ANOTHER SCHEME TO TRY AND INCREASE REVENUE. As a resident of Wokingham, I object to being asked to pay for short term parking in my own home town. Parking charges in Wokingham are already excessively high and I am sure they are helping to kill off town trade. Although I know that parking fees are substantially less than say Reading, Wokingham can not be categorised in the same league when it comes to the selection of shops. At present, I can park in short term free parking along Rose Street, nip into Wokingham to visit the bank or post office etc, and quickly pick up a few items whilst I am in town. If your proposal goes ahead, I will be inclined to find out-of-town outlets instead. Why should the “abuse” of these designated bays (particularly by non-residents) mean that we have to bear yet more financial burden? Personally I feel that this “abuse” is just a PR excuse because I am always able to find a 30 minute parking space when I need one!! Surely if this is a problem, the answer is for parking wardens to patrol these parking areas more regularly so that 30 minutes means 30 minutes or otherwise there is the strong risk of a fine. Alternatively (or may be

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre, was used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

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as well as) residents of Wokingham could be given “permission to park” permits to display in their cars. If necessary this could have a clock dial (as some disabled permits do) which can be set to the park-up time and permit up to 30 minutes free parking. PLEASE PLAY FAIR TO WOKINGHAM RESIDENTS AND PROTECT TRADE WITHIN WOKINGHAM TOWN CENTRE. Acknowledged 3.8.09


Alderman Willey Close Mr Murphy on 07747774558 or 9891171 regarding the above. He lives in Alderman Willey Close.

Called 3.8.09; no reply; a message was left. Emailed and requested Neil Badley to call 31.7.09.

31.7.09 Bell House Gardens No Official objection I object based on the fact that the short term bays located in Bell House Gardens are not abused. I work from home regularly within the week and have not experienced long term parkers within the road. I also object to the potential installation of an automatic payment machine at the end of my road. It will be ugly and open to vandalism, and therefore has no place in a residential area. If the scheme were to go ahead would there be parking permits for residents? On Saturdays when I have visitors it would be wholly inconvenient as there would be no long term parking facilities available. If the scheme were to be agreed I would expect either a permit system on the Saturday or

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre, was used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are

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the complete removal of parking restrictions during this time. Acknowledged 3.8.09

they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this.

31.7.09 Plover Close No Comment I class myself (and family) as fairly average and typical of Wokingham. Out of principal I never pay to park in the town – and I mean never. If I cannot find a free space I go to Bracknell. Since my fuel for my car is free I am only wasting time by going to Bracknell or elsewhere. Because the shops are being closed down in the town at an astonishing rate what makes the average person want to pay to come here. I have lived in Wokingham for most of my 41 years and like Wokingham but WDC are out of touch with reality and this will be another nail in Wokingham’s coffin. I really worry about the


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shop owners who without us will go and without them we will not come.

31.7.09 Comment only A cheap way to control parking in Wokingham town centre is to ask the motorist to display a paper clock on the windscreen indicating the time the car has been parked. It is then a visible way for a traffic warden to check if the motorist has over stayed the time allowed in the parking bay. This method was used about 40 years ago in France and the paper clock was available to purchase from a newsagent or the Council Offices. This would not take trade away from the town centre but ensure that there was a regular turn over of spaces.

Parking restrictions on the public highway must be in accordance with government rules and regulations and unfortunately this proposal would not be permitted on UK roads.

31.7.09 Evendons Lane No Official Objection I wish to object to the scheme, as I cannot see the logic behind the Council’s thinking. I understand that these spaces may be abused, and that this is a real problem – but it seems to me that charging for the spaces will only disadvantage those who use them for their proper purpose – quickly stopping off in the centre of town. You are not solving a problem, this is simply an excuse to start charging for the spaces, using some very woolly logic. Following this scheme through – charging for the bays, will surely incur the need for someone to monitor the usage and ticket/meter facilities to check that the new system is not being abused – unless you instigate some kind of automatic timed clamp, this scheme will need human input, to enforce the payments. Taking this into account, surely this checking system can just be put in place using the current system, there is no need to have a charge for the spaces. If there is a sufficient

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they

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deterrent, such as a small fine or clamping to deter people from breaking the rules then it seems this would be much more effective at stopping those who are abusing the spaces, and encouraging the people who use them correctly to still use the town. In fact, this charge will only drive I and I people out of the town and into other local areas which are much more pleasant and have much better facilities! Someone nipping into town to quickly buy some milk could go to Tesco or Morrisons and park free of charge. Someone looking to buy clothes could go into Reading, Bracknell or another out-of-town location and pay either a comparable charge, or nothing at all and have an indefinitely better selection of shops. Someone dropping off clothes at a charity shop may think twice about donating to shops in the town, or at all, if they had to pay to park for ten minutes while they generously donate their belongings to charity. I think that considering the amount that the Council currently charge for the paid parking bays in the skeleton town that is Wokingham, is frankly outrageous, and to start charging for people who spend less than 30 minutes in the town (which I would have thought probably accounts for most of the people who use the shops etc these days) is totally counter-productive. All it will serve to do is drive more and more people elsewhere to run their errands, and by the time the Council have FINALLY done something about redeveloping the town (which when the plans first came about there was not a huge need for, but now the town

intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding

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has slowly died due to the uncertainty surrounding the project, is absolutely necessary), nobody will be interested any longer in visiting Wokingham. They will be so used to going to other places, due to factors such as expensive parking, that there will no longer be any need for a business centre to the town. Acknowledged 3.8.09

31.7.09 Hartland Road No Official objection Although I agree and sympathise that these parking bays are being abused by commuters and town-centre workers. This is yet, another blatant revenue-raising scheme which penalises the quick-stop errand runner or short-stay shopper who will be less likely to come into the town because they are confronted by these proportionless charges which will have an adverse affect on the small businesses & local traders trying to stay open and who help to keep town centres like Wokingham alive. This is yet another nail in the coffin for those hard-pressed traders. I assume the governing Tory party won’t be happy until you’ve pushed out the small business holder, suffocated the independent trader and, once again, penalised the car owner. Carry on introducing absurd schemes such as these if you wish our once-thriving centres to become ghost towns frequented only by the homeless and the alcohol/drug-fuelled wasters. I notice also, that this statutory consultation period is running in the middle of the summer holiday season, a time of year when the majority are away and, I presume, you hope to receive the least amount of objections. What a cynical way to conduct a public consultation. Acknowledged 3.8.09

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

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31.7.09 Norreys Avenue No Official objection I object to the proposed meters in Norreys Avenue because they are not needed. There is never an abuse of parking during the hours that they would be metered. The only time that there are too many cars in Norreys are on Sundays for the church goers. Then, people even park on the residents side due to a lack of space. Also the general introduction of these meters around town will only stop even more people visiting Wokingham when the town needs every visitor possible. More free parking is needed. Acknowledged 3.8.09


31.7.09 Norreys Avenue No Comment It not about a fee to park. It’s about enforcement. If someone parks all day in a 30 minute bay make sure they get a ticket, problem solved. How is it fair that the already hard pressed honest over taxed residents pay for other people’s dishonesty?

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to

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encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

31.7.09 Goodchild Road No Official objection The short stay parking is one of the factors that makes Wokingham town centre so convenient and it’s been a feature of the town that I’ve found so refreshing since moving to Wokingham 12 years ago. I’ve always found Wokingham a pragmatic council that puts the benefit of the residents ahead of petty revenue generating schemes and I think this would be a very unwise move, particularly in this economy where the shops are struggling so badly for trade. Acknowledged 3.8.09


31.7.09 Western Avenue No Comment You just have to look at almost every other town the size of Wokingham to see just how much they are already in decline. To add such action as you plan will only increase the decline of Wokingham. Wardens to prevent overstays are better but that would cost. I, like so many, feel this planned action is to increase revenue and is for no other reason. In fact WBC will lose revenue by having more shops close and therefore less Business Rates. More free parking up to 1 or even 2 hours should be provided and in turn the town will start to come back to life. You have already done much damage to Twyford and Woodley with parking limitations but never seem to see the errors of your ways. You drive customers right into

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town

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the hands of Asda and Tesco and others with free out of town parking. I hope you do take into account the comments from the public who pay the council to act in a responsible manner to better all our lives.

centre car parks are still available.

31.7.09 Cumberland Way No Official objection Wokingham already suffers from the ability to attract shoppers to those shops that do exist. Introducing pay and display would simply compound that problem and stop local people popping in to visit the post office or pick-up some lunch etc. I rarely have a problem finding a 30 min parking place when I nip into Wokingham so I am not convinced there is a major problem. However, if there are people abusing the system surely it would be better to employ a traffic warden to issue tickets which would pay for the cost of the traffic warden rather than placing an additional cost on the local people of Wokingham driving them to use alternative places Acknowledged 3.8.09

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display

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spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

31.7.09 Hartigan Place No Official objection The zones extend out beyond the one hour zone to a 2 hour zone in Milton Road (South End). That zone is almost always under utilised. Thus there is no merit in that case for the charging provision based on freeing up that area. Further unless the charging zones are policed; then the introduction of charging will not change the fundamental so called abuse. If the policing has to be implemented has it been effectively costed against the revenue. On what basis is the revenue calculated when there are no precedents within the area to make any judgement. Evidence from other areas can only be at best persuasive as the uptake of use. Acknowledged 3.8.09

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas.

31.7.09 Bell House Gardens Yes Comment Fully support the idea as commuters using the short stops do clog them up. However they already also park on the single yellow lines on the corner of Alderman Willey and Bell House Gardens just beyond the short stop spots making turning left from Bell

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of

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House difficult because you cant see and dangerous because once out there is nowhere to pull in to avoid traffic turning into Alderman Willey from Station Road. There is also parking on the single yellows, with two wheels on the pavement, between the Alderman Willey junction with Bell House Gardens and the left turn into the Bell House cul-de-sac. I therefore would ask that those two areas be upgraded to double yellow lines as I believe the frequency of parking there will increase with the introduction of payment for the short stay areas to avoid payment thus causing more congestion and danger for residents and other road users as well as defeating the object of the pay spaces as it would simply move the illegal parkers on a few yards. Great scheme glad to see it and please hurry it along, thanks.

the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

31.7.09 Denton Place No Official objection Will the residents of Denton Road who do not have off street parking be able to get parking permits to park in the bays proposed on Denton Road? Otherwise they will have nowhere to park. .Acknowledged 3.8.09

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of

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parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this.

31.7.09 Rose Street No Comment In principle the scheme is a good idea, but based on the details I have viewed, I do not feel there is enough parking for residents only. Here is plenty of parking in car parks in the centre of Wokingham and shoppers should be encouraged to use these. When I was in Caversham most of the on street parking was for residents only and only about 10-20% was for visitors and shopper. This seems to me to be a good divide.

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. However two additional length of parking that are currently limited waiting only are proposed to become residents parking or pay and display increasing the provision for residents within Rose Street.

31.7.09 Melrose Gardens No Comment Wokingham needs to compete with other towns for shopping. It doesn’t have as many outlets as Reading, so it needs to encourage impulse shopping with short stays. If there is a problem with enforcement, sort it out – don’t penalise the rest of us.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces

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enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

31.7.09 Suggestion

Comment I hear, via Radio Berkshire, that you are considering proposals to charge for parking in Wokingham because of the prevalence of motorists who overstay in short-stay parking bays. I wondered whether you have considered the scheme which is operated successfully in St Peter Port, Guernsey. Parking everywhere is free. However, motorists need to purchase, for a modest fee, a card by which they display the time/date of arrival in a parking space. The town is divided into zones, and the length of the permitted parking time in each zone is determined by the popularity of parking in that zone, eg town centre 30 mins, outskirts 2/3 hours etc. No return to a zone is permitted, say, within 2 hours. Parking is policed and tickets issued where there is overstay or return parking. The attraction of this scheme is that parking remains free and only those who abuse the scheme are penalised. Any control requires enforcement; in this scheme the motorist displays the time when he entered the parking space therefore there can be no dispute in the case of overstay

The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. For the Council to be able to enforce restrictions on the public highway the parking spaces need to be designated on street pay and display spaces. If another system were to be adopted the Borough would either need to apply for civil enforcement rights from the Government or rely on Thames Valley Police enforcement.

31.7.09 Flamingo Close No Official Objection I believe that WDC have the powers necessary to enforce the current parking restrictions. I work at 3 Rectory Rd and

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police.

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regularly we have cars (not disabled drivers) parked outside our offices for sometimes days at a time. There is currently no enforcement of the current restrictions. Before WDC embarks on an expensive plan to introduce new parking restrictions I believe it would be more economic to enforce the current restrictions. How can WDC possibly say that parking bays are getting ‘clogged up’ if WDC have done nothing to enforce the present restrictions (and this is for years)? As a payer of Council Tax I expect value for money and this proposed scheme does not appear to offer anything new. You will need to employ people to check that your proposed restrictions are enforced then why not use the same resources to enforce the current restrictions? If there is a case for these new restrictions it is ONLY after WDC has properly enforced the current restrictions. I expect a formal response to the points raised above so that I may bring them to the attention of Mr Redwood in due course. Acknowledged 3.8.09

However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

1.8.09 Poppy Place No Official objection This is an . . . . ‘ illegible text’ . . . way to just tax residents more, saying that it is to free up spaces is just an excuse, if motorists are overstaying in bays then they should me fined, this would bring in more revenue that parking charges. Acknowledged 3.8.09

The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to

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enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

1.8.09 Booth Drive No

Official objection We are writing to oppose the introduction of charges to Wokingham town centre parking bays for the following reasons: Having to pay for a car parking will only deter even more people from visiting the town centre for commercial purposes, which will obviously impact an already contracting town centre economy. It will accelerate the decline of Wokingham town centre Recent research and published studies have highlighted and confirmed that having to pay for car parking in town centres, only encourages customers to shop at fringe and out of town retail parks and stores where car parking is free. With the comprehensive range of produce, clothing, toys and electrical goods that supermarkets eg Tescos, Sainsburys etc stock, customers have very little need to go into small town centres, such as Wokingham.


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Customers need to be encouraged to visit Wokingham town centre, not deterred. The council should recognise and understand this and act accordingly by prioritising free car parking to help the future of the town centre rather than the councils revenue receipts. Free car parking should be encouraged in the current economic climate. With the number of retail outlets that have closed down over the past 12months in Wokingham town centre, most local residents shop in Reading and Camberley where they have far higher choice of retail outlets. As a Wokingham resident, we would like to think that our council tax charges would cover the cost of the current free car parking in Wokingham town centre, and would urge the council to rethink this decision before Wokingham becomes another Margate, with 25% of shops having to close down or already vacant. Acknowledged 3.8.09

1.8.09 Arthur Road No Comment 1. I see little evidence of the short term parking bays being abused. I rarely find it difficult to find a free space. 2. A charge is unwelcoming and will discourage short term visitors to the town. Myself included, who will in many instances be able to carry out their business in another nearby location without such punitive charges. This will of course impact on the viability of the town commercially. 3. The availability of free short term parking spaces close to the town centre is an asset which should be retained. 4. Parking at the Tudor House and Rectory

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre, was used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the

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Road surgeries is inadequate and the sick visiting these rely on the free short term parking available nearby.

detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents or visitors to park additional cars directly outside the property they would like to. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside the property they would like to property.

2.8.09 Carters Hill Arborfield

No Official objection Charging a fee will stop people popping into the shops and reduce business to the town. Wokingham needs all the business it can get during the recession. Shops were closed before they recession and more will close now thereby putting more people off from visiting the town. Better to enforce the current parking restrictions than start charging people for short stays. Acknowledged 3.8.09 email did not get through

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display

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spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

2.8.09 Rectory Road No Official objection We are against the proposal because we feel it will have a further negative effect on the trade in Wokingham which is already badly affected by the recession and the empty shops caused by the lack of regeneration in the town. While I appreciate that some people use the short stay spaces improperly, these spaces are still allowing people to ‘pop’ into Wokingham to visit a shop or the bank and as parking in the car parks is already expensive, they may consider going to Crowthorne instead where parking is free and Wokingham will become a ghost town. If the scheme does go ahead, we feel that placing an APM in Rectory Road at the two extremities of the parking area is wrong and that they should be placed 1/3 from the top and 1/3 from the bottom, otherwise those parking in most of the central spaces have a long walk. We do however, think it is extremely sensible to put double yellow lines on the left hand side of Rectory Road whether the scheme goes ahead or not, as it is a very busy road and parking on both sides is dangerous and causes a bottle neck. Acknowledged 3.8.09

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The parking spaces proposed for Rectory Road are in the location where parking is currently permitted. The proposal therefore should not change where vehicles are on street currently.

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3.8.09 Freith Close No Comment If the point is to stop people parking all day, just charging will have no effect. That will only be achieved by monitoring and, if necessary, fining people who break the limit. Surely that should be tied first before spending out on the infrastructure required for ticket machines etc.


3.8.09 Alderman Willey Close No Official objection 1. Dissuades shoppers coming into the town for a quick shop more likely to use a supermarket or bigger town 2. No scheme for residents parking so is of a detriment to those that work shifts and not 9-5 Monday-Friday 3. Current Climate where the council should look at delivering value for money not penny pinching 4. Plenty of car parking in the town centre currently so does not put people off. If brought in to encourage these people no difference as they will have to pay 5. More important to short out traffic (amount of) and congestion at peak times, look at introducing ring road or relief roads 6. Look at schemes to encourage other forms of transport to work i.e. business rates relief for companies that run car sharing or bike schemes. The council should look to

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property.

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implement for their own staff with the amount of parking at the council offices 7. In a time where the town centre retail outlets are suffering and there is a large amount of vacant units this scheme will push shoppers away from the town thus reduce business rates paid to the Council.

Acknowledged 3.8.09

Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. The Council are in discussion with local businesses assisting in introducing green travel plans which will hopefully have the effect of reducing the number of vehicles within the town centre environment.

3.8.09 Wimbushes Finchampstead

No Comment Free half hour parking is the only reason I choose Wokingham for a quick trip to 2 or 3 shops. If you charge for this then I will abandon Wokingham shops in favour of Reading where I can park free for 2 hours. Another death sentence for Wokingham in my opinion


3.8.09 Plough Lane No Official objection At a time when the town centre has numerous vacant shops WBC should be encouraging shoppers not discouraging them. Shops selling small “quick” items such as newsagents will suffer particularly badly. Acknowledged 3.8.09


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3.8.09

Norreys Avenue No Comment Parking meters not the answer leave it as it is. Bring back traffic wardens. Successful in West Berkshire Acknowledged 3.8.09


Sent 3.8.09 Received 3.8.09

Fame 9/11 Denmark Street

No. Letter Parking meters totally wrong. Need to encourage people in to the town. Customers already deterred by high parking prices. My customers are checking their watches and rushing away because of their parking ticket. Charge a basic rate for the evening and reduce the day time prices. People will still come to the town to eat in the evening and businesses in the town would not be penalised. Parking meters will be the final straw and people will go where it is cheaper. Acknowledged 3.8.09


3.8.09 Luckley Wood Yes Comment I 100% approve of the scheme, and wish you well with the endeavour. Moreover I always find I have to use one of the main car parks; as always when I go to town the on-

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street short term parking is totally full. 3.8.09 Rectory Road No Comment Postmen park their cars in Rectory Rd early

in the morning to force them in to car parks where they have to pay I feel is unreasonable. They do not earn a great deal of money. There should be some free parking in Wokingham.

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for employees to park cars in the vicinity of their place of employment. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for employees as the public highway is for the use by the general public for passing and re-passing. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property.

3.8.09 Luckley Road No Official Objection Background: 37 years old male, I am an irregular user of the on-street car park spaces, e.g. once a week. I use them to go and drop off or pick up something, quickly. By quick, I do mean within the current enforced 30 minutes. I use the Post Office, the Dry Cleaners, the HSBC Bank (which no longer offers 24-hour access), sometimes Boots, WH Smith, Clinton’s Card. I do respect the 30 minute because if I have anything longer to do, I usually couple it with a visit to Waitrose supermarket, which allows longer car parking against purchases at its store. I do find the car park spaces convenient and manage to always find a space. It works: this is my experience for now 8 years in the County. About his proposal: 1. There should be proper enforcement: the Council has no excuse if it is not enforcing the current regulation. It will be no better when one will have to pay. It will actually be worse, as people will just not pay, since

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to

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nobody is there to enforce! So the Council can avoid a costly and useless capital expense of pay machines, service plan, new line painting and new street panels. The Council should put the money towards the salary of a part-time person checking at irregular times of the day/week the current enforcement. It will create a job and be more eco friendly. Do even better by choosing a pensioner who needs the extra income and score a few points with voters. 2. If the Council is looking to raise more money, it will not help you generate funds for the foreseeable future. Plus just like the fees imposed in country parks like California, people will not pay, just because nobody ever enforces those regulations. 3. The Council should think scrupulously at what signal it is sending the community visiting the town and shop owners (independent and chains). This scheme will not increase the number of pedestrians, or make people come to Wokingham town centre by foot. Au contraire, it will increase the flux away from Wokingham: other places are free. Already the town is at best a ghost town and is currently and for many years now a desert in terms of shop diversity, so much so, that the only form of shops are banks or Italian restaurants. People will leave and turn their back away with such a strategy. Do not underestimate the impact, if even very small of such a policy: it will send another negative signal to visitors and more importantly voters. It is all about the drop in the water that will tip the vase... just like the housing plans on the table... One wonders how much is the Council doing to stay the best place in Britain... those little

ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

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things make part of the feel good factor. Acknowledged 4.8.09

4.8.09 Easthampstead Road No Comment On you website, you say that the short term parking bays... “are designed for 30 minute quick stops and 1 hour short stays, but are being used as all-day parking spaces for many commuters and town centre workers.” But do you not use Traffic Wardens? It is clearly absurd if you don’t since that would solve the problem plus generate some income. Instead, you will price everyone out with this absurd proposal for meters. I am totally opposed.


4.8.09 Newbury Building Society 19 Broad Street

No Comment I find it strange that a scheme putting more obstacles in way of town centre visitation is to be brought in when consumer confidence and spending power is very low, and the evidence of decline manifested through out the town in empty units. The scheme appears to me to be a thinly veiled money-raising exercise. If the intention was to stop improper use and also to enforce those remaining longer than stipulated periods, one has to ask why is the enforcement not occurring currently and what will change when the meters are put in? Are you suggesting that the meters will pay for a traffic warden, or that their appearance will suddenly revolutionise the complete lack of enforcement which is

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display

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currently in place? As I am sure you are aware, those who are improperly using the spaces are repeat offenders who are easily enforced and many of whom the local retailers could identify if asked.


4.8.09 Wokingham Borough Council – Blue Badge Team

Comment Understand from the website that there is currently a consultation underway to look at the possible introduction of parking meters in Wokingham. As the manager of the team that deals with the issue of the Blue Disabled Parking Badges for Wokingham please can I ask that they be taken into account if changes are being made to the parking regulations in the town centre? We currently receive a lot of complaints from Badge holders regarding a person who holds a badge and who works in the town centre. His employers do not provide him with a parking space so he parks in the designated disabled parking bay outside the Post Office all day. This causes real problems for clients who need to pop in there for a short visit and is obviously not what the bay is actually intended for. Perhaps this is something that could be looked at when changes are being considered.

Provision for the disabled has been considered within the proposal. Indeed, all the existing on street disabled provisions remains unchanged. In addition, drivers displaying a valid blue budge and associated parking timing disk are entitled to park in the pay and display spaces without charge. On the specific matter of the use of disabled parking spaces, it is not possible within currently government legislation to introduce time limited disabled parking spaces.

4.8.09 Waterloo Road Yes Comment With the lack of police enforcement in the town, this is the only way to ensure that ‘short stay’ means ‘short stay’, that problems


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with congestion are tackled and that sufficient revenue is generated to improve things in the future.

However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas1

Sent 3.8.09 Received 4.8.09

Shefford Crescent No Comment Will change the character of town, loose country atmosphere, look dreadful, nuisance of parking out of town, drive more shoppers away. Only coffee and restaurant culture in the town, charging exorbitant parking fees, if you have to install ticket machines, less damage to the ambience of the town and cheaper. We are a small town if you hadn’t noticed. Acknowledged 4.8.09

The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. The number and location of each machine will obviously be assessed and located as sympathetically as possible within the constraints

4.8.09 Development Control No Comment In towns I’ve been to like Windsor and Southampton, the way they deal with this is to put normal pay and display meters in but to only charge 20p for a stay up to 30 mins/hour, then significantly more for stays over a couple of hours. The presence of tickets means its then enforceable to ticket cars abusing the bays and the token charge helps cover the costs and ensure quick rotation of vehicles. Any charge for short stay in my opinion

The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

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should only be very low level. 4.8.09 Montague Close No Comment Free parking must be maintained to allow

residents to pop into shops/ services in the Town Centre. There are already too many empty premises – do not put another nail in the coffin of Wokingham enterprise. Tackle the problem head-on with Traffic Wardens.


5.8.09 Heath Close No Comment I feel that you are only going to make Wokingham Town an even more no-go area. People aren’t shopping here any more because there are no shops and parking charges are ridiculously high. Why do you have to charge parking in places that at the moment are unrestricted parking spaces. People who work in this town need to park and we, the shop workers, cannot afford to pay £80 a month to

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to

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park in your car parks for the pleasure of working here. You will only transfer the parking problems to the housing estates. No new shops will want to open if they cannot get employees. If you have parking meters, who is going to check them? If you have to employ someone to do that job, why can you not employ someone to check the 30 min bays and leave things as they are.

determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

5.8.09 Croft Road No Comment I would much rather see the current system enforced. I was shocked to hear that this is

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions.

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not already being done. Enforce the existing system and don’t introduce deterrents to (and penalise) people to use Wokingham for running small errands.

This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

5.8.09 Thames Valley Police Comment Conclusion WBC is not an SPA but has the powers through the appointment of its own wardens to implement on street parking charges. However the council does not have the powers to enforce parking restrictions through the use of TRO’s such as double yellow lines and this currently falls upon TVP local officers. The introduction of the on street parking charges without WBC becoming an SPA will add a further burden to the local Neighbourhood Team to ensure that highways located near to the proposed restrictions are kept clear and not compromised. As parking is a low priority for TVP it is unlikely that enforcement will take place on a regular basis. Recommendation Confirmation of the enforcement of the on street parking bays by WBC own staff is required.

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks.

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The introduction of on street parking will displace some vehicles to adjoining streets and the onus on ensuring the Highways are not obstructed will fall upon TVP which is not an area of high priority within the force. WBC need to consider the implications of displacing vehicles to other areas and how this will be enforced.

However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

Dated 4.8.09 Received 5.8.09

Rectory Road No Official objection Penalise those who obey in order to penalise those who do not. Another form of taxation and nothing to do with enforcing parking regulations. Current parking should be enforced by the police or the council. Police or the Council are failing in their duty. Acknowledged 6.8.09


Letter dated 31st July Received 3.8.09

Southwood Wokingham

No Official objection Accept that short term parking is abused in the absence of wardens but agreed continue free short term parking should continue to help Wokingham survive and flourish, Short term charges will drive potential users of the towns facilities away to Bracknell, Reading and Camberley. Also drive users away to the local out of town supermarkets. Further concern that council is proposing to invest a lot of money in new meters and the income will be lower than expected because people

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring

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5.8.09 De Vitre Green No Comment Poorly thought out idea. This will stop shoppers visiting wokingham for just a few items and they will go elsewhere. If drivers are parking too long in the spaces then you should charge them and not the rest of the drivers.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking

won’t park and pay. Employ a warden and keep existing parking arrangements. Long stayers would then be obliged to use the car parks for longer stays. Acknowledged 7.8.09

authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

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attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

5.8.09 Yew Corner Bracknell

No Official Objection I always use the bays in Denton Road to pop and get a coffee in the afternoon. Buy putting in pay and display do you not think that its going to stop people if they just want to get something that cost £2 and then have to spend money on Pay and Display as well, my coffee costs enough in the first place ;) . I was under the assumption that traffic wardens checked how long people have stayed and the Denton road parking bays always seem to be very fluid. Would the best option not be to use a traffic warden to police the areas.


6.8.09 Chatsworth Avenue No Official Objection It will deter shoppers from coming to Wokingham – you are killing the town. Employ a traffic warden to ticket the offenders!!!!

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions.

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6.8.09 Rose Street Yes Comment Please please please introduce a pay scheme for parking on Rose Street! I live on Rose Street and we pay for a parking permit, yet more . . . . illegible text . . . than not have to pay to park elsewhere as non residents are taking up all the spaces. Hopefully this will be enough of a deterrent to allow us to use the spaces that are rightfully ours?

6.8.09 Milton Road No Official objection As residents of Milton Road, We thoroughly object to your proposal for metered parking. This proposal would convert a residential street into an official Wokingham BC car park, not acceptable. Because of their age most of the houses on Milton Road have limited or no off road parking. We have quests and friends who regularly visit our home, these quests and friends will now have to pay to visit us socially. This is not acceptable! To enforce this you will obviously have to have a parking warden patrolling. If the parking warden is patrolling anyway and an

It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking

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offender exceeds the current 2 hours they should receive the penalty. Under this proposal you are clearly admitting your failure to enforce current restrictions, electing instead to penalize the residents and their quests for this failure! If you are determined to persist with this illogical scheme, then each address on Milton Road must be given a pass to loan to their visitors to display, entitling the visitor to 2 hours free parking. This appears to be an attempt to extract money from people conducting their normal social, residential activities. It will also incentivize the undesirable, further conversion of front gardens into parking bays. Also, visitors to the Tudor House and Rectory Road doctors’ surgeries frequently use the parking in Milton Road. The proposal effectively levies a tax on folk who need access to the facilities at these surgeries. Again this is not acceptable! Milton Road is an historic residential road within the central Wokingham conservation area. The road is narrow with narrow pavements with only one side is available for residents/restricted parking. Adding additional street furniture – meters to the roadside will further restrict the space available for pedestrians as well as creating an unnecessary eye sore and an opportunity for vandals to create havoc by wrecking the meters. This is a clear attempt to extract money from people conducting their normal social, and residential activities. It is a blatant revenue raising scheme for the BC. Please think

attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. The number and location of each machine will obviously be assessed and located as

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again! sympathetically as possible within the constraints.

6.8.09 Milton Road No Comment Firstly, I am pleased to hear that you are reviewing the parking within Wokingham Town Center. I used to live in Rose Street and sent a few letters requesting a review of the Residents Parking for this street. Now I live in Milton Road, I have the same queries. In summary, I do not believe there are sufficient Resident Parking spaces for the numbers of properties and permits that are allocated each year. I often return from work unable to park in a Residents spot and question where I am meant to park. My objection to the proposal is because there are no additional Residents parking spots being allocated in Milton Road. Why can’t all the spaces be Residents? (I would like Residents only – but I assume you have a reason for wanting to keep them available to non-Residents too so accept this may be asking too much.) Personally I believe there is sufficient car parking spaces in the town center that are reasonably priced so people should be encouraged to park there and leave the spaces in residential areas to the residents that have no-one else to park (as I do not have a garage). I applauded the fact that you are reviewing this – but would request that you also consider how you can make the proposal more effective for current residents.

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this.

6.8.09 Sturgess Road No Comment I am unsure as to how the planned use of parking meters will achieve the stated aim of freeing up spaces for residents and stopping longer term parking. I am in agreement with parking meters but would have thought


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these should be accompanied by residents permits for residents (enabling them to park) and the first 30 – 60 mins of any stay should be free. This would enable “proper”; users of the parking to continue to use the parking as intended (i.e for short stays) and only penalise those who are taking advantage of the parking areas.

Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

6.8.09 Foxborough Swallowfield

No Official Objection Please don’t start charging for these amenities – we live in Swallowfield and we use the Quick Stop bays in Wokingham so that we can drop things off or pop into the Main Post Office etc., etc.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they

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If the Council is honestly aware that motorists are abusing the Quick Stop Bays then, by default, it must know which those motorists are – so why not fine them for being in that Parking Bay all day and leave the rest of us alone? Name, Shame and Fine the errant motorists if you truly know that they are abusing these amenities. Wokingham is already extremely ‘Customer Unfriendly’ .........why make it worse?

intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

6.8.09 Wokingham No Official Objection Parking Plan for Norreys Avenue – I have relatives who live here and visit them weekly. At present, there is a 3 hour parking limit opposite their home which is acceptable. To change this to a one hour limit (chargeable) will make it difficult for myself and other relatives to visit – particularly when those who live in the North of England come down to stay. I think this will also encourage people to attempt to park on the ‘permit holders’ side of the avenue. You state that this should prevent problem parking (what problem parking?) but surely this would cost more to police – at the expense of the council tax payer.

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in

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A one hour parking limit will not give sufficient time for visitors who wish to take the opportunity to shop in Wokingham. There is a 15 minute walk into town (therefore 30 minutes return) leaving just 30 minutes to browse and pay. I thought the intention was to encourage visitors to shop in Wokingham? Although there are car parks in the town centre, during the week these spaces are taken up with those who choose to work in Wokingham. The Corner Stone at the top of Norreys Avenue also has daily activities. Although there is a car park opposite, this is not sufficient for those attending these meetings. And what about church services, particularly funerals and weddings, at All Saints Church? I see this as an income exercise on behalf of Wokingham Borough Council, and at the expense of the residents and visitors.

these areas. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available.

6.8.09 Starling Close No Comment It would be the death knell to many already struggling retailers to charge so much to those who just want to pop in to Wokingham . I write as a disabled driver who does not have to pay to park. It was a big mistake to get rid of the last traffic warden in Wokingham. It might take some time to set up, but why not allow PCSO’s to issue tickets, or if this is not possible, re-employ a traffic warden? I think WBC is going too far with controlling council tax levels sometimes when a consequence of its cost-cutting of a traffic warden is that residents can’t pop into town because all the nearby spaces are long-term occupied and a short pop then becomes a major effort involving a time-


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consuming walk. Who is it who is patrolling Denmark St car park and ticketing the people who have a Euro car parks ticket (though it more often happens the other way round)? Can’t his duties be extended to the streets, even if only part time? It would be a deterrent if no-one knew when he would swoop. I have a friend who pops in to Wokingham several times a week because she buys little things for elderly people who can’t get to the shops and she has already said she won’t visit Wokingham if on-street parking charging is introduced.


6.8.09 Broad Street Tavern Official Objection

I am the licensee of the Broad Street Tavern, 29 Broad Street. I recently received your letter regarding the change to the parking regulations along the street. We have been here for 11 years, and park regularly outside as we have no parking available to us. You are making residential streets permit holders only, so why not ours? We live here, regardless of it being a business, and having to pay as well as move our car all day will definitely effect the day to day running of our pub. We feel that it is unfair, because of our location, we are having our parking taken away, where as more rural streets are getting a better deal. We have only just signed up to the local loo scheme with the council, and now feel it is unfair you are treating us this way. As we have helped you, and supported you, with this scheme, is there any chance we could have a permit for our business? I look forward to hearing from you.

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Vehicles should not be currently parking in this part of Broad Street for more than 30 minutes during the day time, Mon-Sat; and it would probably not be feasible to introduce a residents’ parking scheme in such a ‘high’

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street location (which permits residents to have unlimited parking) whilst also allowing adequate provision for shoppers/business users to make short stops.

6.8.09 Highfield Close Yes Comment Good idea but I am very concerned as to what this will mean for unauthorised parking in our ‘private’ road. How can such parking be monitored? Will we have to have resident parking disks and what of our guests? Also have our management agency- Solitaire- for the houses been notified of these proposed changes. The Council appear to be totally removed from reality when it comes to planning for Wokingham Town Centre. This is just the latest example. Unless it is easier for shoppers to visit the town it will become more of a no-go area for casual shoppers such as myself.

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

7.8.09 Payley Drive No Official objection Surely the only way of combating the long term parkers is to actual make them pay the costs – ie give them parking tickets. An occasional visit by a traffic warden will soon put them off – it doesn’t have to be an hourly or daily thing, but a weekly visit, at random times etc, will soon stop them using the spaces. If it becomes more expensive to

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking

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park on the streets than use car parks they will soon change their habits. This has to be a lower cost than paying for all the ticket machines, road markings, signs etc and then have to pay a warden to monitor them anyway. Don’t kill off our town centre any more than you have done so already!

attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

8.8.09 Denton Road No Official Objection Wokingham requires some town centre free parking in order to keep people coming into the town. This should in turn lead people to come back for more extended stays when they are not trying to run quick errands. In particular on Denton Road it does not seem to make sense as here is a huge pay and display car park at the end of the road – rather than pay for parking on Denton Road, motorists are much more likely to park in the car park as there is easier access, and it is relatively cheap anyway without having to be so concerned with the time limit.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

8.8.09 Middlefields Ruscombe

No Official Objection There has not been an Equality Impact assessment of the scheme. This Scheme could increase theft of blue badges from disabled cars, and then sold on for £100 plus, the police will not enforce the law and there fore Blue Badge fraud would

An Equality Impact Assessment has been completed for this scheme. However, it is worth remembering that this is a working document and as such, is continuously being updated.

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go UN punished. There are also Disabled residential parking bays in the streets affected and would need protecting from this scheme plus safety issues.

The issue of theft and fraud falls outside the scope of this proposal and would need to be addressed with Thames Valley Police

9.8.09 Pine Drive Yes Comment Charging an annual fee for use of the parking bays will deter long-term parking but allow short-term parking facilities for persons wishing to make short visits to shops and businesses. I support a more rigorous approach to parking access in these bays. However, the fee needs to be affordable and fair compared to alternative parking charges in the town’s other car parks.


9.8.09 Old Row Court No Comment I have read with interest the measures intended. The town centre is demonstrably dying. There are for all to see empty shops and the replacement of retail by restaurant and charity shop. The redevelopment scheme has obviously run into the buffers however completely unwise the conception was at the beginning. There seems to be no overall plan to arrest the decline. It is self evident that there needs to be a more friendly approach to car parking for those all too few people who would venture into the centre. The plan under consideration sends negative signals and underscores that there is a total absence of ideas and perhaps no


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willingness to even attempt to bring the town back to life

10.8.09 Whitebeam Close No Official Objection Given the current economic climate, the increasing numbers of empty trading premises and the attractions of other local centres such as Reading, Windsor and Camberley WDC should be encouraging local residents and visitors rather than introducing schemes which will have the opposite effect and which will dissuade people from visiting the town centre. The Council has clearly identified the cause of the current problem i.e. improper use of the existing facilities such as all day parking by commuters and town centre workers. Rather than penalise all visitors to the town centre the Council should first apply a more high profile approach to the enforcement of the existing facilities. How can it work so well in Reading where there are a significant number of free for two hours parking slots close to the town centre? Maybe one answer might be that they also have a number of parking attendants who regularly patrol to monitor compliance. (An additional bi-product of this approach is that it also provides employment – again needed in these economic times) From a personal viewpoint I would say that the 30 minute free bays in both Rose Street and Shute End are very convenient and actively encourage me to “pop into” town. Final thought – I could perhaps take a more sceptical view and suggest that this proposal from the Council is motivated more by the prospect of revenue raising rather than a desire to “do what is right for the local residents and traders”.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

Letter dated 6th

Sturges Road No Comment I would think that the employment of say two traffic wardens would soon overcome the

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions.

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August received 10th August

present problems in the town. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

Letter dated 4th August received 10th August

Canopy Services Ltd Peach Street

No Official Objection My office is opposite the free parking bays in Peach Street and although some abuse the parking the majority do not. Useful for loading and unloading without having to incur parking charges. Fail to understand why the council considers spending council tax and business ratepayers money on solving a problem that already has a solution. Council should be encouraging the police to carry out their duties. If it is the Councils responsibility then the parking attendants should be enforcing. Either of the above is a solution with minimal costs.

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so

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less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

Letter dated 1st August received 10th August

Rectory Road No Comment 1 hr parking is insufficient time for queuing in the Post Office, getting prescriptions and waiting in doctors surgeries. We suggest 2 hours. Rectory Road is a fast busy road it is dangerous to get in and out of parking spaces therefore 2 hour sessions would be much better. If the reason is not to raise money then keep the charges low otherwise it will deter people coming to Wokingham.

The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

Letter received 15th April

Rose Street Residents Association

No Official Objection We do not believe the need for parking meters is justified. The police should be enforcing and then there would be no cost to tax payers. Employing parking wardens would be a costly exercise with overheads.

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town

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Please ask them to get on with the job. We would not wish to see the proliferationo of street furniture. Additional costs will only serve to weaken the trading position fo the town centre shops. Parking for 30 minutes is a positive incentive. This society wish to retain their 16 designated spaces and be able to display a valid parking permit. The general public would benefit from an increase of parking from 30 to 45 minutes.

centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Reply from Cllr. Baker sent on 10th August. Representative of the Rose Street Residents Association attended Scrutiny Committee.

Letter received 11th August

Denton Road Yes Comment Congestion in road due to large vehicles using it to gain access to Peach Street Shops additional parking will make this worse. Suggest that parking should be banned during the day and made available for residents during the night.

The proposed pay and display parking in Denton Road is within the existing on street parking places. The issue of large vehicles gaining access to Peach Street through Denton Road has not previously been brought to our attention and so has not been considered within the scope of these works.

Letter received 11th August

Rectory Road No Comment Rectory Road is already busy if you allow parking for short periods it will slow traffic and cause additional congestion or it will not be used at all for parking. Police and ambulance need access to Rectory road on a daily basis. Will also not help our

The parking spaces proposed for Rectory Road are in the location where parking is currently permitted. The proposal therefore should not change where vehicles are on street currently. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the

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struggling town centre shops if the bonus of free parking was lost.

detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

11.8.09 Rayner Drive No Comment Why not employ a traffic warden to enforce the existing system? One will be needed to enforce the new payment system so why waste money on parking machines? Given the current financial climate, surely it would make more sense to raise additional funds to pay for the traffic warden by charging for parking in the evenings - I find it incredible that I have to pay when I want to visit the limited range of shops but it's free when I come in to the far better selection of restaurants in the evening.

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. The implementation of on street charging during the day is to encourage drivers not to abandon their vehicles all day to enable quick stop parking by visitors into the town centre. This is an issue during the shop opening hours of the day.

11.8.09 Piggott Road No Official Objection What I don't understand is why with declining shops and shoppers the council wants to take away the free 30 minute parking space and charge a pound!!! another nail in the coffin for Wokingham and it's shops! Also another way to make money by WBC!! We no longer have a parking warden and now people are spending too


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long in the 30 minute space ‘allegedly’ and you want to introduce a charge! Well what difference will that make if it's only the Police or PCSO’s who can issue a ticket! Why would I spend time shopping in Wokingham when I can go to Bracknell and pay 1.20 for 3 hours shopping and visit many different shops. Wokingham used to offer a scheme where local shops offered you your parking money back if you showed them your ticket and if you spent so much with them. Why isn't this scheme re-introduced. Also back in the 90's someone lead a campaign to 'Reduce Wokingham Parking Charges NOW!' I think we should re start this campaign and get the people of Wokingham behind this, lets reignite Wokingham shopping interest because after 15 years talk about regeneration I think people have lost interest and the council doesn't seem to be helping - I will be starting a petition to stop this ridiculous idea off charging at the 30 minute parking bays.

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

11.8.09 Chair, Wokingham Town Centre Retail Forum c/o Waitrose Rectory Road Wokingham RG40 1BB

No Official objection Please find my original letter sent to the scrutiny committee and Mr Jacob on the 2nd July 2009. The revised proposals were discussed at the latest Wokingham Town Centre Retail Forum, held on 10th August, and our objection and comments still stand. All of those I have consulted were delighted that part of the report’s purpose was to ‘support the vitality and commerce’ in Wokingham’s town centre. With regard to recommendation 1, we would like the scrutiny committee to consider the


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following observations:

1. We agree with the report’s observations made in Supporting Information, point 1.2 that, since the withdrawal of a Traffic Warden from the town centre, some short stay free parking spaces are being repeatedly abused by individuals and used a free long stay parking to the detriment of local commerce. We believe that to remove the persistent abuse of short stay parking would improve the opportunity of attracting new custom and potentially new business to the town centre.

2. We believe though that, of the 187 spaces highlighted for consideration, only sixty-one spaces located on Peach Street, Rose Street and Broad Street have a direct correlation to footfall in the town centre. Businesses consulted saw the remaining one hundred and twenty six spaces as having only a link to parking for the town centre workforce and commuters, with no direct impact upon footfall or growth of commerce. Indeed, it is believed that the change from free all day on street parking to metered parking along roads such as Rectory Road and Milton Road would result in the displacement of users such as post office workers to more residential areas. The introduction may also impact upon the ability of business to recruit the right caliber of staff, as employee out of pocket expenses

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for employees to park cars in the vicinity of their place of employment. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for employees as the public highway is for the use by the general public for passing and re-

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would rise significantly. In addition, we would like to see greater clarity as to the revenue stream attributed to each group of parking bays, especially those along Norreys Avenue, Milton Road and Alderman Willey Close. As stated earlier, retailers do not believe these spaces will attract passing consumers wishing to find convenient town centre parking, hence we do not believe these spaces will achieve the 50% occupancy rate as described in the notes of point 3.

3. Businesses consider that to attract consumer confidence in Wokingham town centre as a shopping destination, any attribute that forms a barrier to the consumer’s freedom and ease of shopping experience must be reduced and preferably removed. With numerous shopping destinations competing for custom within our catchment area, the removal of free town centre on-street parking would, in our opinion, become a significant barrier for a consumer. Our belief is that one of our town’s ‘points of difference’ is that free parking is available. If this facility is removed, there is a high possibility that footfall will decline. This is further compounded by the proposed pricing stricture suggested to be £` for half and hour’s parking. The report itself acknowledges that consumers will see the on-street parking meters and £1 fee as a deterrent rather than an attractive proposition.

passing. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

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4. Both Marks & Spencer and Waitrose operate privately owned car parks within the town centre, both with independent managers and separate pricing structures. Both retailers have commented that if the on street parking recommendation were to go ahead, they foresee the need to change their car park management models. Marks and Spencer are currently the cheapest short stay pay and display car park within the town centre, whereas Waitrose operates a two hour free stay for those making a minimum purchase of £5. Both retailers foresee the potential abuse of their car parks if the recommendation is implemented. This abuse is likely to come from those seeking medium to long term parking, together with commuters. If this was found to be the case it is likely to result in on, or both, of the retailers; car parks being locked and secured at the close of trade to minimize abuse. It goes without saying that this will impact on Wokingham’s vibrant restaurant trade.

11.8.09 Bishops Drive No Official objection The detail of the scheme clearly highlights that car parking spaces are being abused, yet no evidence has been provided to the public, to my knowledge, to qualify this statement. The proposal would deter myself and others from quickly stopping and shopping in the town as the proposed fee is above that of any similar sized town in our area (most of which, like Marlow, still offer free parking). I

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre, was used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in

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understand that trade and business is struggling within the town centre, would it not make more sense to in some way ensure our shopping proposition is more attractive rather than adding another barrier. My concern as a local resident is that the introduction of on street parking charges will also displace those workers using existing free long stay spaces along Rectory Road etc into residential areas. This is not acceptable and would have an impact on traffic flow, congestion and safety. Is it not the case that the Town and Borough Council both pay for a town centre PCSO between them? If this is the case surely the two councils could look to influence the Police to allow this officer to target those who are abusing the parking limits? A more cost effective way of assisting the shops and customers, rather than using this as a way of increasing Councils funds.

general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town

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11.8.09 Stanley Road No Official Objection Whilst the proposal may reduce the number of people abusing certain quick stop bays, surely the same people will continue to abuse on-street parking further out of town instead. In other words this won't prevent current problems, it will merely move them elsewhere and increase congestion on narrow residential roads. The meters will create an unwelcoming first impression to visitors, at the same time allowing no concessions for tax-paying locals. Windsor's Advantage Card scheme is far more intelligently thought through in this respect. If the measures are to be introduced, then it would be wise to wait until the town centre redevelopment is completed and the town is made more appealing to day trippers. The Council should be doing more to support a dwindling number of local independent shops, attracting people to the town rather than sending them away to out-of-town supermarkets and retail parks. This could be the final nail in the coffin for many town centre retailers, resulting in yet more empty shops and even fewer visitors. It also seems that daytime visitors to places such as the Cornerstone, Bradbury Centre, town centre churches and doctors' surgeries will be penalised, whereas evening visitors to the town's pubs and restaurants can continue to park for free all night. Please reconsider this proposal with appropriate concessions for local residents, and due consideration for town-centre retailers.

It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. The number and location of each machine will obviously be assessed and located as sympathetically as possible within the constraints It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

11.8.09 Rectory Road No Official Objection The idea that the town centre will be surrounded by parking meters is not

The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council

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something that will appeal to either residents or visitors. We are not a tourist area like Henley or Windsor. Before any payment schemes are even proposed it is necessary to improve the shopping facilities in order to attract more people. Parking meters are not liked therefore people will go somewhere else. Surely the object is to attract people into the town and not drive them away. If the council had retained the traffic wardens instead of short sightedly doing a cost cutting exercise then the problem would not exist. The amount of money wasted on fruitless 'regeneration' schemes over the years could have been put to better use. How this is going to be of benefit to residents living in these proposed areas is beyond my understanding. One hour parking means constant movement of traffic, therefore increased noise and more disruption. It also means that any visitors will be unable to park outside residents properties so will then be taking 'valuable' car park spaces in the town centre. With reference to Rectory Road parking we do not have a time limit at present so you would be altering the whole complexion of the road. Spaces are often taken by postal workers very early in the morning but then become free by lunchtime. It would be a pity to penalise local workers in order to install meters. The whole scheme unfortunately smacks of another revenue collecting exercise. Wokingham town council really should be aware of the image it is sending out yet

within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. The number and location of each machine will obviously be assessed and located as sympathetically as possible within the constraints It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for employees to park cars in the vicinity of their place of employment.

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again. What they really need to do is get on and actually complete a regeneration scheme which will bring new life back into the town. A final point of interest. Why is this proposal being published in the school holiday season when hundreds of residents are away on holiday? The final date for comments is August 21st and many people will still be away. Either I am very cynical or the council was not aware that this might have some bearing or the number of comments they receive. Again it gives impression of something being sneaked in quietly when least resistance would be forthcoming. If you are going to make a proposal at least do it openly at a time when most residents will be in the town.

Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for employees as the public highway is for the use by the general public for passing and re-passing. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property.

11.8.09 Rances Lane No Official Objection I write to object to your plans to limit the parking in Norreys Avenue to only one hour and to charge for this. My interest in this is not as a regular parking bay user or resident of Norreys, though I am a Wokingham resident (Rances Lane) but as a worshipper at All Saints’ Church and perhaps, more significantly, as the person responsible not just for getting The Cornerstone Community Centre built but also doing this with strong support from the Council, including a very welcome contribution to the cost. As the Council hoped, The Cornerstone has become an important part of community life in Wokingham and its users use the car park opposite (church property) AND Norreys Avenue. Whilst we might all know that it would be healthier to walk, people just don’t.

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to

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The plan, particularly in relation to the time restriction, seems to have been put together with little knowledge of the town – or at least this part of it - how many of the WSP staff who have compiled the plans for you really know what goes on in The Cornerstone? What sort of survey was done before the plans were drawn up? Time limit The limit to one hour is just unacceptable. The Cornerstone is extensively used during the day – the hours planned for your restriction - and almost all activities in The Cornerstone last more than an hour. There are plenty of church services during the week and they may not last more than an hour but for weddings and funerals people come early and do not rush away. When the original restriction was suggested the Council discussed this with the church and the three hour limit was agreed. Saturday Parking Do you really need to apply the limit on a Saturday? If you dropped this part of the proposal it would be easier for people coming to weddings. Payment This is the more difficult one. Should we be asking people who come to a community facility to pay? As with all spending taxes this is regressive. Please put my council tax up before you charge people for parking in Norreys Avenue. Council tax is not an ideal way of raising revenue, but it is a very much better way of raising money to pay for a traffic warden to patrol the existing parking

enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

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restrictions – something which I agree is needed. It also gives a very bad image to the town to find that you have to pay to park for a visit to the church. Likely affect of the restriction and charge The people living in Essame Close, Elizabeth Square and Milne Square will all suffer from people parking there instead of Norreys Avenue. These roads are not designed for this and the residents (far more in number than Norreys Avenue) will suffer. More people will use the private church and Cornerstone car park, even when not using the facility, making it even more difficult for the users to park there. And most important of all, many users of The Cornerstone will simply stop going to its activities. This will be a shame and a waste of the Council’s earlier, excellent support. I object to the plan.

12.8.09 Milton Road No Official Objection While there may be cases of motorists overstaying their time in the present parking spaces (though you provide no evidence in support of your claim), this can surely be remedied simply by stricter enforcement without the necessity of introducing charging. The likely consequence of charging is to drive all motorists away, including those short stay shoppers who will benefit local traders. In west London, where I used to live, local traders gained a great boost in trade when the council changed some paying spaces into short term free spaces - the exact opposite of what you are

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the

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proposing. One completely predictable consequence of the proposed changes is that motorists will quickly start leaving their cars in private roads rather than pay for parking. This will affect us in Milton Road, where the private road between nos. 23 and 25 will quickly become jammed with cars. This road is of great use to the residents of the neighbouring blocks as they are able to leave cars there and avoid putting extra pressure on the very limited number of Resident Permit spaces in Milton Road. (There are only nine resident permit spaces for the whole of Milton Road, and of these eight are also open to short term public parking.) The changes you are proposing will therefore significantly worsen the situation for Resident Permit holders in Milton Road. Taken with the 500% increase in the cost of a permit this year, this strongly suggests that the whole proposal is simply a money raising exercise for the council with little or no thought for the good of council tax payers.

town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

12.8.09 Kesteven Way No Official Objection Those who abuse the system and park all day when they are only entitled to half hours will still abuse the system even if they have to pay a small ticket fee. Unless the Council pays for ticket inspectors then this scheme will be ineffective and will only burden those who wish to make a five minute stop to post a letter (for example), for whom these quick-stop parking bays were originally intended. The real solution is surely to employ inspectors who can issue tickets if motorists park somewhere for longer than they ought to (with a sufficient fine to cover costs of the inspectors!).


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12.8.09 Marks Road No Official Objection What a silly suggestion. It is right to control and enforce parking restrictions but the suggestion to use parking meters is one ridiculous and two not cost effective. Currently there are parking restrictions, these need to be enforced, traffic wardens or similar. If parking meters are introduced they will still need to be enforced otherwise they just add to street ornaments hence the need to employ wardens or similar anyway. SO Do not proceed with this plan employ traffic wardens or similar and enforce existing restrictions. Also expand the scope of enforcement otherwise the problem of parking will just move further out of the centre of Wokingham


12.8.09 Goldthorpe Gardens No Official Objection I pop into Wokingham in my lunch hour for quick shopping tasks (e.g. getting photos processed). The free bays are very useful for this and encourage me to use the shops there. If the proposed charges were introduced then I would be forced to take my custom elsewhere as the overall increase in costs would be disproportionate. This would then lead to me being less likely to shop in Wokingham for other items as I would not see what the shops have to offer on my lunchtime trips. The existing regulations should be enforced properly and the money from fines used to pay for this enforcement. The new


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regulations seem to be aimed at increasing council revenue at the expense of trade in the town centre, and if not enforced, will do little to change the situation anyway.


Innovation House Molly Millars Close

No Comment I think this would be totally inappropriate and would suggest traffic wardens as I think this would deter people parking over excess time.


12.8.09 London Road Twyford No Official Objection Why discourage potential visitors (including me) when particularly right now we should be looking to encourage additional retail trade to boost the speed of the recovery of the local economy.


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12.8.09 New Mill Lane No Comment I cannot understand the mentality of the council. Wokingham is like a ghost town and 70p per hour parking costs are enough to discourage most people to pop into town. The proposed parking meters are just obscene and one further step to reduce trade and make money. Where have all the small individual shops gone, and all we have are restaurants/coffee shops and banks. 16 empty shops last time I counted. We should have free parking certain times of the day and on Saturday's to help trade.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. The 30 minute charge is proposed at 50p.

12.8.09 Newbery Close Charvil No Comment I think a £1 charge for 30 minutes of parking is excessive and not necessary - and do believe that wardens monitoring abusers will be far more practical. People will still abuse a metered system as they won't put money into the meter for 30 minutes and you will still have to have wardens in place to “catch” the offenders. Save money by avoiding the cost of installing the meters and just make the wardens more effective.

The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available.

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The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. The 30 minute charge is proposed at 50p. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

12.8.09 Dowles Green No Official Objection Completely not suited to Wokingham's image. Will affect an already lacking trade.


12.8.09 Milton Road No Official Objection The principle of introducing pay and display parking has some merits to counter the mis-use of the current situation where due to the lack of any control, office workers and others are parking all day and creating difficulties


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for residents and their guests. I had a residents' parking permit for 7-8 years but was denied renewal in July 2008 following review of the parking and the change to the scheme now in operation. This was on the basis that I had on site parking. However, although I have a garage space, my driveway is of insufficient length to accommodate anything other that a very small car without encroaching upon the footpath and causing potential danger to pedestrians and the visually impaired. I wish to challenge that denial of a Residents permit which is impacting on me as I work from home and make frequent journeys away from Milton Road. Three spaces are normally required under Planning requirements for a four bed property. The problem is further compounded as visitors including friends and family with young children and all that entails (Buggies etc) to my house will be unable to park for any length of time during the day or on Saturdays. With the whole of Milton Road being subjected to the restrictions, I have no viable alternative nearby. Furthermore, my wife runs a small Bed & Breakfast operation from the house and guests will need a permit to overcome the one-hour restrictions proposed. I would have no objection to making a reasonable annual payment for a residents permit and for a voucher system or open permit for visitors to overcome the difficulties that would be created by the latest proposals and I request that the Council consider this

Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this.

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as a sensible solution to the problem. The proposals indicate Residents Permit use outside my house which would with a permit provide a degree of security for our visitors etc. I trust the Council will consider the broader implications and adverse effect on residents.

12.8.09 Globe Farm Lane Camberley

No Official Objection I work in Wokingham and do regularly pop into Wokingham town for bits for work. I often use the free short stop bays. If I'm going to be charged £1 to park then I'll take my business out of town say Winnersh where I can park for nothing. If the Town council want to help the town they should be looking at how to provide more free short term parking bays. If they feel they are being abused why not have a warden patrol the areas to catch offenders? If the offence is as wide spread as they feel it is then the wardens expenses could be funded from fines imposed.

The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. The 30 minute charge is proposed at 50p It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police.

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However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

12.8.09 Kelton Close No Official Objection £1.00 CHARGE FOR 30 MINUTES PARKING WILL STOP SHOPPERS GOING TO WOKINGHAM IT IS SCANDELOUS CHARGE. IN A RECESSION BUT THE MOTORIST IS EXPECTED TO PAY MORE PARKING FEES THIS WILL LEAD TO MORE UNEMPLOYMENT AS TRADERS WILL NOT GET TRADE

The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. The 30 minute charge is proposed at 50p It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more

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easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

12.8.09 Tangley Drive No Official Objection As a regular user of those spaces to drop something at the post office or pop into the bank I rarely find that I am unable to squeeze in somewhere, which suggests that most people are not abusing the system. This does not need a permanent warden to man, just one day a month will discover any constant users and provide enough disencentive to outstaying their welcome. There is ample paid parking for people who need to stay a bit longer and even then you need to have the correct change on you in the credit card age. For people who have not found a new system there will be no-where someone without some change can stop off an buy lunch or drop somewhere at the post office, or even stop to get some change. The system as I can see it, as a regular user, is not broken and therefore not in need of any radical alteration such as this.


12.8.09 Burnt Oak No Official Objection This is a joke. Are you trying to turn Wokingham in to a graveyard? If parking is a problem, employ a traffic warden and allow him/her to do their job properly. Make sure it is an all week job not a Tuesday only one.


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12.8.09 Clifton Ingram No Comment There are so many empty shops in Wokingham that the town is not as inviting to shoppers as it was, we need more shops and enticements to bring people to Wokingham, to introduce parking meters would just keep shoppers away. I do not think the 30 parking is abused and use it often myself. Meters are ugly on the sidewalk, don’t do this!

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that

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users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. The number and location of each machine will obviously be assessed and located as sympathetically as possible within the constraints.

12.8.09 London Road No Official Objection I object to the scheme as I do not see the benefit of this form of enforcement and think that the scheme overall will impact residents who live in the area where the council has not made a provision for parking. WDC has constantly ignored the parking capacity for residents in the London Road area, up to and including ignoring the parking restrictions in front of 47-53 London Road. The parking at Norrey's avenue which is under this scheme serves as overflow parking for residents in this and other central locations. It appears the only benefit is for residents at Rose Street and other locations. If the council insists on implementing this scheme, I would hope they would consult with residents in the town centre area to extend provision of parking permits similar to Rose Street and Wescott Lane.

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas.

12.8.09 Piggott Road No Official Objection I wish to make the point that the “pay & display” parking regulations proposed for the South East side of Norreys Avenue should

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as

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not be implemented. This is because many vulnerable people would be affected. This kerbside parking serves The Cornerstone. The Cornerstone is the home of the Wokingham Job Support Centre. This is a registered charity (supported by Wokingham Borough Council), which is dedicated to helping unemployed people get back to work. This service is especially important in the present economic climate. In the first 6 months of this year people seeking work made 2,370 visits to the Centre in their efforts to find employment. Many of these visits would need a parking space and to charge such people to park would only add to the burden they are currently bearing. Additionally, to restrict such parking to one hour only with no return within an hour would be an extra burden, as job-search sessions frequently need more than a single hour. Another organisation that uses the Cornerstone is the Berkshire Counselling Centre. They also seek to help vulnerable people for whom such limited paid parking would be an extra burden. If you add to this the number of other activities that take place at the Cornerstone, many of them serving older people, then you will appreciate why such parking restrictions would be inappropriate in Norreys Avenue. I have been following the debate about Wokingham Town Centre parking meters in the local press and have seen your detailed proposals under the heading of pay & display. I wholly endorse Mr Redwood’s views published recently the Wokingham Times.

visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. The number and location of each machine will obviously be assessed and located as sympathetically as possible within the constraints.

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I think that the whole scheme is wrong in three areas, financial, environmental & concerned with trade. 1. Financial. I have not seen the full breakdown of costs, but the whole thing seems flawed. In order to service the meters wardens will be needed. There are apparently none at present. Surely simply employing wardens to monitor parking will be much simpler and more cost effective. 2. Environmental. Rose St, one of the roads to have meters is a conservation area (of which Wokingham Borough Council seems very proud). Imagine the mess that a series of meters will make in this area. 3. Trade. This will suffer. At present people can park in an empty space for a short (less than 30 min) period just to pop into one shop. They will be far less likely to do this if they have to pay £1. I hope that the whole scheme will be abandoned.

12.8.09 Northway No Official Objection I can see no logic for this whatsoever, in the middle of a recession, we can't keep the town centre shops full, yet the council, in their great wisdom, decide to make 240 spaces, pay and display. I sincerely hope that people boycott these spaces and indeed the town until this is reversed. This plan represents the removal of all the free parking spaces in the town, which is used by people popping in to go to run errands or do a spot of shopping. This will hit the local businesses and


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certainly won't help fill the empty shops in town. I hope the council sees sense and does not go ahead with these plans,

12.8.09 The Junipers No Official Objection I am a local Wokingham based Business Coach who is helping local SME's improve their businesses. I have seen an outline of the parking meter proposals for Wokingham and felt I should give you some feedback. The trading circumstances of Wokingham Town are not good as you already know as the evidence is blindingly obvious. The success of Wokingham will depend on attracting more high quality retail businesses and thereby making the town an attractive experience for visitors and shoppers. The ease and cost of parking is a consideration that will impact on both of these objectives. Wokingham has to compete with other local towns and in doing so has to make itself different and more appealing. In the current climate making it cheaper and easier for people to park in Wokingham should be the focus for the traffic management team. Managing and policing parking restrictions and limits can be achieved without parking meters. Parking meters do not fit with the Market Town image that Wokingham should be preserving and building on and will certainly discourage visitors to the town centre. The topic of parking must be discussed within the overall framework of how can Wokingham become a more attractive destination for independent retailers and visitors and shoppers.


12.8.09 Crail Close No Official Objection This approach to town centre management will further discourage Wokingham town centre usage and impact economic activity. Officers should consider the long term

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more

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impacts of this plan against the very short term monetary gains it may drive.


12.8.09 Buckthorne Close No Comment My comment relates to Norrey's Avenue proposal for charging for parking - I can see that people park here to go into the town, but they also park here to visit the cemetery & I don't think it is right that they should pay to do this. My proposal would be to either: 1. have better signage and publicise the use of the church car park (but this may then become full of shoppers parking) or 2. not to charge here, but still have parking restrictions and ensure that the parking wardens patrol here (I assume that the other parking bays would generate enough revenue to allow them to patrol Norrey's Avenue, or 3. charge here, but patrol the free church car park to ensure this is not abused (though I am uncertain who owns this car park).

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

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12.8.09 Frogall Drive No Comment I object most strongly to the proposal to put these in many central roads in Wokingham. Many of us are very concerned that they will reduce the footfall in the town centre and will do nothing to increase the customers using our shops. Long before the credit crunch shops were closing and we have far too many empty shops in the town. Strangely the only expansion seems to be in restaurants whose main clientele arrive outside the hours when one would have to pay. As I can see it you will merely boost Waitrose custom since one gets 2hrs free parking there if one spends £5 - not very difficult. I have been concerned with the efforts Cllr Matt Deegan is doing to improve things in Wokingham. What is his attitude to this scheme? As it is almost certain there will be a substantial vote against their installation was it really worth the waste of money in the planning and consultation that this effort has needed. A few talks with those most affected by their installation would have soon made it clear that if there is a democratic vote the answer would be known in advance. We need to save money in Wokingham not waste in on dead ducks.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

12.8.09 No address No Comment If parking meters are introduced into the town, people will not be encouraged to use the town for shopping. As it is I have to pay 70p to go to the Bank, which takes me 10 minutes. Do you want Wokingham town centre to die?

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and

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1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available.

I am horrified to hear about the proposal to charge for short term parking in Wokingham I run a small business and therefore need to go to the post office for larger letters, and small parcels as they do not always fit in the letter box and we have to pay for postage. This is also the case for signed for and next day letters. Since the closure of the Post Office on Barkham Road, it costs me time and therefore money to drive into town and find parking. In the case of larger parcels, I sometimes struggle from where I park to the post office. If you are now proposing charges for parking, it will cost me an additional £3 plus a week to do my banking and use the Post Office, both essential to the running on my business. If these charges are applied, I will end up driving to Finchampstead or Barkham as this will be cheaper and quicker than parking in Wokingham. I have used both these over the last 5 days rather than fight my way into Wokingham, so I know what they offer and how long it takes.


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This extra driving is not good for the environment or the local shops

12.8.09 Wellington Consulting Ltd No Official Objection I am horrified to hear about the proposal to charge for short term parking in Wokingham I run a small business and therefore need to go to the post office for larger letters, and small parcels as they do not always fit in the letter box and we have to pay for postage. This is also the case for signed for and next day letters. Since the closure of the Post Office on Barkham Road, it costs me time and therefore money to drive into town and find parking. In the case of larger parcels, I sometimes struggle from where I park to the post office. If you are now proposing charges for parking, it will cost me an additional £3 plus a week to do my banking and use the Post Office, both essential to the running on my business. If these charges are applied, I will end up driving to Finchampstead or Barkham as this will be cheaper and quicker than parking in Wokingham. I have used both these over the last 5 days rather than fight my way into Wokingham, so I know what they offer and how long it takes. This extra driving is not good for the environment or the local shops.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available.

12.8.09 Ashton Road No Comment This is a ridiculous idea. If it goes ahead it will deter people coming into the town centre for small purchases, or to visit the coffee shops. To consider doing something that will deter shoppers whilst so many shops are empty and a multimillion pound scheme to

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by

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revitalise the centre is ludicrous. There are other ways to solve the alleged problem of people over-staying their time in the free parking bays, and some research on how this is dealt with elsewhere will offer up options for consideration

workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

13.8.09 Denton Road No Comment I am alarmed to read that the council is planning to impose charges for on-street parking in Denton Road. Whilst I believe that this is inappropriate for Wokingham as a whole, I speak primarily of my immediate surroundings of which I have intimate acquaintance, namely: - Denton Road - Goatley Lane (The service road at the back of the old Woolworths building) My points are these: 1) The primary "parking problem" that needs to be addressed in this area is the Cowboy Clampers who work in Denton Lane. They extort over £300 from folk who's only crime is to park in some spare space near the unused loading bay when the shops are shut. The shouting and arguing that inevitably results is most unwelcome and drives trade away from the town. Any action that the council can take to address this should be a priority. 2) As a general rule, parking isn't as bad in Denton Road as you suggest. There are, indeed, some people who exceed their stay but in general, when I want a parking space, I can find one. 3) The imposition of parking charges is an

Unfortunately, the Council have no legal recourse with which to control clamping, as this falls under a civil jurisdiction. As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces

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excessively expensive way to solve the problem. The Parking charges must pay for a parking warden, plus the installation, running costs and maintenance of a number of ticket machines. A considerable burden to place on visiting motorists in order to address a marginal problem. 4) I object to the charges in principle. Not only do charges drive visitors away but I want Wokingham to remain somewhere that welcomes visitors, not somewhere which charges them for the privilage. 5) If you do want to address the parking, may I suggest the technique that they use in Regent's Park, in London? They simply pick the quietest part of the day, say 11:00 to 11:30 and ban all parking at that time. A parking warden can then spend a mere 30 minutes sweeping the empty streets and book anything that is parked. In this way, you get no all-day parking and the reality is that most people who are not staying all day are staying for only a short time. Note that this scheme requires only the minimum of enforcement effort, preserves free parking and doesn't need expensive ticket machines.

enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

13.8.09 Richmond Rise No Comment The ability to park for free for quick errands in the town centre is one of the best things about Wokingham. Stopping this by charging £1 for the shortest stop is utterly idiotic, and can only serve to accelerate the gradual death of the town centre. I will only shop where parking is free, and there are plenty of such options. In 15 years I have never failed to find a space in Wokingham centre, so the problems with the system are being over-

The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop

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stated. Occasional enforcement of the present rules would surely increase compliance, but please penalise the offenders by fining them rather than charging the law-abiding.

any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The proposed charges are 50p for 30 minutes. As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from

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being displaced in to illegal parking areas. 13.8.09 Moles Close No Comment It would be nice if the council also concerned

themselves with the illegal parking that goes on in many roads around the town centre. For example, Moles Close is supposed to be no parking between 8-10am however most school days the road is full of parents parking not only on the single yellow line but on double yellow lines and blocking residents drives. Residents in Easthampstead Road that pay for permits often cannot park due to cars left there all day long.


13.8.09 Hudson Bay Denmark Street

No Official Objection You state that the main reason for your proposal is to control the current abuse of the existing unregulated regime of free parking. I am aware from the first Scrutiny Panel meeting that the level of existing abuse is merely anecdotal and I trust that any data collected since that meeting will be made available before the end of the consultation process. Assuming there is actually a level of abuse which requires action, I propose that the Council consider two alternative courses of action. Firstly, as the Council contributes to the funding of the PCSO’s as part of its Partnership role it should discuss with the Police how some activity can be focused on the regulating the existing free parking regime. The Neighbourhood Action Group


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and associated Neighbourhood Forum are ideally placed to implement the appropriate activity. The occasional issue of penalty tickets may well prove to be a sufficient deterrent to those drivers who abuse the existing time limits. Secondly, the Council could introduce a parking disc scheme as operated in Ambleside and, as noted in the letters page of the Times, places such as York and Harrogate. These schemes are self- financing as costs are covered by the income from penalty notices. In both cases the parking remains free and only those who abuse the system make a financial contribution. This is fair and equitable and does not impose upon the Town Centre’s daytime economy through the imposition of another negative proposal. A further attack on daytime customers is unwarranted, unhelpful and counter-productive. The Council’s preferred proposal will not, repeat not, benefit the retailers in the Town Centre. The proposed scheme has an additional aim: income generation. Yet again the Council is coming back to the well of customers of the daytime economy. Two and a half years ago off street parking charges were doubled. Six months ago they were increased by a further 20%. Now a further cost is being proposed. It is the Council’s accepted view, and of the Council’s own consultants, that the daytime economy is fragile and the evening economy is vibrant. The Council must decide which of the two could realistically bear the burden of a revenue raising exercise and remain sustainable. Who would you ask to carry a weight: a fit young man or a frail sickly man?

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

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Whatever concerns the Council has about imposing a charge on the evening economy customers it applies equally, and probably more so, to those customers who visit the Town Centre during the day. A flat parking fee of £1 when set against the cost of a restaurant bill of £50 or £60 is a mere bagatelle. Operating costs for an evening charge would be covered by penalties, thus leaving the parking charges as pure income. I have no argument against the Council raising revenue, but not to charge for car parks in the evening is to leave a valuable resource idle and unproductive. 200 tickets purchased each evening would generate around £60,000 per annum. My guess is that there are more than 200 cars in the Council’s off-street car parks after 6pm each night. I am not aware of anyone outside of the ruling group on the Council who shares any enthusiasm for your on-street charging proposal. I realise that a consultation is not a vote but I would be surprised if this consultation finds anyone expressing support. I firmly believe that your proposal should be rejected and alternatives considered to alleviate any abuse of the current system and to raise revenue for the Council.

13.8.09 Spencers Close No Comment 1. I believe that most people use the current arrangements as intended - to use the local facilities and shops for short periods. If there is excessive abuse then various enforcement options have been suggested to date. 2. Given the lack of any alternative [we moved to the town in 1986 when the specific route of the IDR was about to be decided!]

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars

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crawling through the town is off-putting enough already. Any lucky visitor gets plenty of time in the town - with lots of convenient stops at pedestrian crossings [generally ignored because the traffic is often stationary anyway] to see how many shops are closed. Compound this with the sight of lines of parking meters and the effect should be clear to all [except councillors?]. 3. The farmer's market is representative of the town as a whole, in that it's in decline [judging by this month's] and needs encouragement not fewer visitors. - I go regularly and find nearby parking at no cost for 30 minutes is ideal. This benefit should continue for the good of the town in general 4. It is of no great surprise that Wokingham decides to consider parking meters just after the last coin operated meter is removed from Central London - May 7 2009 - see Sky News website for details, rationale etc.

parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. There will not be lines of these machines as one machine can service many spaces. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

13.8.090 Sturges Road No Official Objection I would like to add a further comment to those given by Dean Martin (my partner, who objected to the scheme earlier in the week). Having checked your plans, I see no reference to Crescent Road in them at all. Crescent Road is closer to the town centre than Sturges Road and after checking, I see more than half of the road has open parking without restriction. This is exactly what you have in Sturges Road and yet you propose pay and display in Sturges and not in Crescent. This is clearly inconsistent and I

A boundary for this scheme had to be chosen and The Crescent was considered to be outside this area. However it is recognised that there are other areas of the town that could be considered. Sturges Road was considered as it fell within a certain walking distance of the town centre and experience on street parking. As Sturges Road already experienced on street parking and was in an area where parking may be displaced to it was included within the scheme. Unfortunately parking is a premium

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would urge you to reconsider this. Furthermore, are you aware that there are no “;quick stop”; bays in Sturges Road? Above, in your justification for the scheme, you cite abuse of such bays as the prime reason for the scheme. If there are no such bays in Sturges Road, then how can it be subject to new restrictions? Finally, to reiterate what my partner suggested, our issue relates to residential permits. We have small off street parking and need to park on the road. With this scheme and without resident parking, we have no options.

throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property.

13.8.09 Rectory Road No Comment The cost for 30 minutes is excessive and will deter shoppers. In certain areas 30 minutes is not long enough to walk into the town centre and do one's shopping. The disabled parking areas should not be included - they appear to be used sensibly though some checking would be a good idea. I am a holder of a disabled blue badge as is my husband. In Rectory Road white lines should be extended slightly in front of entries to flats, houses, on the right hand side of the road (this being a one way street) as those parking their cars sometimes overshoot the white lines making it difficult and dangerous to turn into and out of one's home. Street parking permits should also be available to owners of homes in the affected roads. One parking warden will have a hard time covering all the suggested areas plus disabled bays. It would be better to employ extra wardens than spending the money on meters.

The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Provision for the disabled has been considered within the proposal. Indeed, all the existing on street disabled provisions remains unchanged. In addition, drivers displaying a valid blue budge and associated parking

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timing disk are entitled to park in the pay and display spaces without charge. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

13.8.09 Barkham Road No Comment The proposed scheme is too expensive to run, as well as deterring people from using the services in town. Quick-stop parking is very important to customers as well as traders (post office, bank, dry-cleaners etc) and should not be prohibitively expensive. Why not introduce blue parking disks that drivers display, which state time of arrival and advise them when they have to leave. This is easily checked by one/two traffic warden(s). This scheme is very successfully employed on the continent.


13.8.09 Manor Park Drive No Comment The pricing level needs to be set carefully. It is already very expensive to park in Wokingham's car parks and if you want to encourage people to come into the town centre to do their small errands, please don't overcharge. The local businesses will suffer, and the town centre is already pretty empty

The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly

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of shops/businesses. outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available.

13.8.09 Buckthorn Close No Comment My comment relates to Norrey's Avenue proposal for charging for parking - I can see that people park here to go into the town, but they also park here to visit the cemetery & I don't think it is right that they should pay to do this. My proposal would be to either: 1. have better signage and publicise the use of the church car park (but this may then become full of shoppers parking) or 2. not to charge here, but still have parking restrictions and ensure that the parking wardens patrol here (I assume that the other parking bays would generate enough revenue to allow them to patrol Norrey's Avenue, or 3. charge here, but patrol the free church car park to ensure this is not abused (though I am uncertain who owns this car park).

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

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13.8.09 Thorpe Close No Official Objection There are already ample “;pay and display”; car parks for extended stays for those needing to park for more than the quick stop bays allow. In addition, the Waitrose and Marks & Spencer car parks and the Council car park at weekends also allow reasonable proximity to the town centre. The quick stop bays should be enforced as just that, with a fine to discourage all-day use (I'm staggered to hear that they have been abused in this way, does this mean you haven't been enforcing via traffic wardens?). But now I'm not surprised that I find it difficult to find a bay for a quick visit to the chemist, bank or post office. For these 3 reasons alone we need to preserve the existing free quick stop bays, particularly on Broad Street, Rose Street and Peach Street, but ensure they are used only for their stated duration.


13.8.09 No Address No Official Objection Please include my comments in the 'consultation process'. The issue of raising charges for the Wokingham Council coffers from motorists again and again is not a surprise. Many years ago I was involved in discussions, representing local businessmen, in the early stages of increasing car park charges. Common sense did not prevail and the Council, despite comments from the Lib Dems to the contrary, did raise the charges. I am aware that several businesses relocated their business from the Town Centre to the outskirts of Wokingham, some even going out as far as Green Park in Reading.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to

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Increased footfall into Wokingham Town is a priority. Putting barriers to achieving that objective is madness. If abuse of the free parking is an issue, it can be tackled by the employment of a warden, whose pay/benefits can be funded by infringement penalties. It is possible that this could almost be a break even situation rather than considering the huge cost in setting up metres etc Even if metres are installed, I suspect Wardens will be required to 'police' the system. So why not consider the least cost route? The cost implications, even at £1 per 30 minutes, is a major deterrent to the consumer and random visitor to the Town. This avenue of revenue generation MUST NOT be considered. If the this Council is serious on raising revenue and not afraid to take on, perhaps, Employment Unions, they should consider charging for day use of Shute End Car Parks. In a stroke they will have considerable revenue. Continued excuses about employee rights are lame. Council employees enjoy numerous benefits that employees in the private sector do not enjoy any longer. All employee benefits can be changed in the interest of the Employer, provided they are reasonable and there is a business case for it. It is just a case of Council being bold and acting in the interest of all rather than being protective of a few. Retailers and local businesses are suffering. Wokingham Town Centre is, sadly, in urgent need of a boost to

encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for employees to park cars in the vicinity of their place of employment. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for employees as the public highway is for the use by the general public for passing and re-passing. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property.

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rejuvenate and the last thing it needs is further charges and a barrier to commercial success. RETHINK your priorities

13.8.09 Twycross Road No Official Objection I absolutely do not support the idea of introducing pay and display fees for the short stay car park spaces in Wokingham. As a resident of the town I think that the current off-street parking charges are too high and discourage short visits to town to shop. Currently, if I go into Wokingham to shop I will look for one of the free short stay slots. Wokingham shopping has deteriorated to such a level that there is rarely enough to do in town to warrant a stay of more than 30 minutes. This is an issue which should be addressed. If a fee were to be imposed on theses bays I would actively look for other places to shop. For instance where I may have popped into Wokingham to purchase an item in Robert Dyas or Wokingham Décor I would head to B&Q or Wicks as it will be both convenient and cheaper to shop there. I believe making the currently free bays fee paying will exacerbate problems which already exist in Wokingham such as stopping on yellow lines (which is a frequent problem) and town centre users parking in resident’s bays. The answer to people staying too long in the free slots is not to make them fee paying but to use Traffic Wardens patrol the current

The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display

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slots and be rigorous in issuing parking fines for misuse (as well as for parking in resident spaces and on yellow lines). I do hope that as a resident of Wokingham you will take my views into account as I believe introducing parking fees for these spaces will put even more pressure on an already beleaguered town centre.


12.08.09 Smile2o Dental Practice No Comment Our staff and patients have indicated to us that this will significantlyl impact on their daily use of these areas for parking and access to our services. We would welcome suggestions from the Council on alternative options for parking for our staff; particularly as the car parks in the area will cost members of staff as much as £720 per year for parking and with a limited number of spaces. We would like to put forward a suggestion that staff members be issued with parking concessions for local car parks, without time limits, as they have a 9-hour working day. We are concerned about the effect that parking meters in Denton Road will have on our practice and we are sure that you will agree that there is a growing concern about the loss of businesses along the High Street. We trust that you will support us in this consideration and we look forward to receiving your reply.

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for employees to park cars in the vicinity of their place of employment. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for employees as the public highway is for the use by the general public for passing and re-passing. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

12.08.09 Poppy Place, Wokingham

No Comment Thank you for your letter of 29th July regarding the problems with on street parking. Whilst I agree that there is a need


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to stop motorists from abusing the use of town centre parking spaces, I cannot agree with your proposed plans to resolve the matter due to the costs that would be involved when there is another much simpler solution that would cost next to nothing to implement and would still bring revenue to the Borough. Apart from the capital cost of installing the meters and new signs there will be an ongoing cost of employing people to empty the machines, bank and account for the money, issue parking tickets to those motorists violating the regulations (eg a traffic warden) and someone to manage the whole system. The regular annual costs will be considerable. Surely it would be far more economical simply to employ a traffic warden to ensure that the existing parking regulations are adhered to. We never used to have problems when we had a traffic warden patrolling the town centre regularly. Specifically regarding Milton Road, there is a babies’ and small children’s play group that meets weekly at the Baptist Church and regular auctions at the Auction Rooms. Current two hour parking restrictions seem sufficient for their needs. If you reduce the time allowed to one hour, where are these people going to park? I think this is a very ill considered proposal which not only, in the present economic climate, we can ill afford, but it could have a very serious impact upon attracting much needed shoppers to the town centre.

However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents and visitors to park additional cars directly outside their property or place they are visiting. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property or place of visit. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

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12.08/09 The Cornerstone, Norreys Avenue

No Official Objection The Cornerstone was opened some five years ago with the mission of ‘enriching the lives of the people of Wokingham and to deepen their spirit of community’. The Cornerstone is not just a building; it is about making a difference for good in our community, reaching out to everyone and respecting all, especially those who are excluded or disadvantaged, helping people to find a way to take part and feel valued. To this end, the management have forged partnerships with the Berkshire Counselling Centre and with the Wokingham Job Support Centre and both organisations have set up offices in the building. The management has set up a system of letting the facilities that gives preference to charitable organisations and it is used for a wide range of activities. The Berkshire Counselling Centre’s offices are open five days a week from 1000 – 1600h and counselling, by appointment, usually takes place on six mornings, four afternoons and four evenings. The counselling sessions usually last for one hour, up to four counsellors are working at any one time and counsellors generally conduct several consecutive sessions. The Wokingham job support centre office is open five days a week from 1000 – 1400h. Clients can ‘drop in’ to discuss their problems with an advisor and to review job prospects in published information and online. The Cornerstone Management let the rest of the building for a range of activities from about 0900 to 2200h. These activities

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents and visitors to park additional cars directly outside their property or place they are visiting. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property or place of visit.

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involve all age ranges and the upper limit of the occupancy of the rooms is 205 people. Also the All Saints’ Parish Office is situated in the building and is open three mornings a week. Likewise, the Cornerstone Administrator’s office is open four afternoons a week. Our objective in providing this level of detail is to substantiate for the authorities the number of people using the building, a large proportion of whom would need access to parking and have been able to be accommodated under the current parking regime. We submit that any change in the parking regulations will adversely affect the vulnerable and disadvantaged members of our community who wish to use the facilities available in the Cornerstone.

13.08.09 Sturges Road No Official objection In the second paragraph of your letter, you say that one of the main reasons Wokingham Borough Council wants to introduce the scheme is to stop motorists from improper use of town centre parking spaces. We feel that this is not the case in Sturges Road, as no ‘parking spaces’ exist on our road. There are no marked parking spaces with signage saying how long you can park; the parking in Sturges Road is purely for residents only. Although we do get motorists parking here all day while they work somewhere in town, this has little effect on us as it is mainly our own cars parked outside our houses. We do get the odd person parking here and doing a bit of shopping in town, but not many as most find it is more convenient to park in the car parks which are close to the shops. You say that many drivers are blocking up spaces designed for quick stops around the town

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. Sturges Road was considered as it fell within a certain walking distance of the town centre

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centre – there are no spaces designed for quick stops in Sturges Road. If the ‘on street’ parking charges go ahead this would seriously affect us. We have two cars so we would have to park on car across our drive which would mean we would have to move this car every time we wanted to get off the drive. Also if we parked in the marked spacing overnight, we would have to get up early to move it before the charges came in at 8 am. Also there would be nowhere for visitors to park for free, and if they did pay, they would only be able to stay for an hour. We could potentially make our drive bigger, but obviously we would have to pay for this ourselves. Also there is an environmental impact if we did this – we currently have a lovely patch of grass with a very pretty rose hedge which would have to be dug up. We would also like to know (and look forward to receiving and answer to this question) why Crescent Road isn’t included in this scheme. Although we wouldn’t want these residents to have this scheme either. What is the difference between Crescent Road and Sturges Road? It is just as close (if not closer) to town and in fact the houses there have bigger drives. If WBC does go ahead with this scheme we will be extremely disappointed. In fact the scheme will encourage people to park here. We would say the majority of motorists don’t park in this road as they know it is a residential road. We think the type of motorists who park in our road would not pay for parking. They would just find another

and experience on street parking. As Sturges Road already experienced on street parking and was in an area where parking may be displaced to it was included within the scheme. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. A boundary for this scheme had to be chosen and Crescent Road was considered to be outside this area. However it is recognised that there are other areas of the town that could be considered.

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local road to park on. 14.08.09 Sturges Road,

Wokingham No Official objection Currently free parking is allowed at

designated spots along Sturges Road. These are used largely by town centre workers who leave their cars from approx 8.00 – 6.00. This has the effect of calming traffic and preventing speeding. With the introduction of parking meters these cars will park further away from the town to avoid the high cost of parking (also very few others will pay), thus creating a rat run in a residential street that has a junior school and a church. I also suspect that driveways in Sturges Road will be used by parents dropping or collecting children from school. The cost of erecting and maintaining these meters will far outway any revenue generated as few will pay the high cost to use them in Sturges Road. In a conservation area they will be an unsightly and unnecessary addition. As a resident of Stuges Road for 35 years I do from time to time enjoy the few existing free ½ hour parking spaces and have found no problem. Shopkeepers I’m sure will not be happy.

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for employees to park cars in the vicinity of their place of employment. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for employees as the public highway is for the use by the general public for passing and re-passing. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that

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users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

13.08.09 No address No Comment I live in Finchampstead and shop occasionally in Wokingham. One of the annoyances is the level of charge for what is indifferent shopping – you have a lot of shops boarded up and unoccupied. I understand you now propose to charge for the few 30 min parking spots in town All you will achieve is encouraging us to go elsewhere – why pay £1 for a poor choice I hope you will re-consider this


13.08.09 Pinecroft Road, Wokingham

No Comment Those of us who obey the rules will be penalised because of selfish people who break the rules. The parking spaces bring in people when they only want to buy a few items or (say) use the library. If the rules are being broken, either look at parking disk systems or hire traffic wardens - and make sure the penalties are substantial to cover the wardens' costs and deter people from doing it again.


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14.08.09 No address No Comment I would be a little concerned about the

introduction of meters. I think it would appear ugly and threatening and tend to change the character from market town to more like an industrial city.

The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. The number of the machines is limited as one machine can service a number of spaces. It sis not proposed to have one machine per space.

14.08.09 Sewell Avenue, Wokingham

No Comment In view of the number of empty shops in the town this is yet another money making exercise rather than encouraging shoppers into the town. I have just come back from holiday in Christchurch, Dorset, where their parking costs the same as Wokingham but the number of shops, parks, places of interest far out number those of Wokingham. Once the Town centre is worthy of the ridiculous fees charged then relook at the scheme.

The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by

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14.08.09 Wiltshire Road, Wokingham

No Comment First I wish to question the reasoning behind the proposal. Is it to a) Control parking in the Town Centre or b) To encourage people to come to the Town to shop or c) To raise revenue for the Borough Council I would like an answer to this question from the responsible executive. Next, taking each option in turn. a) If it is to control parking there are cheaper ways of doing this without the installation of meters. 1. The obvious one it to employ parking attendants to enforce the restrictions that are already in place. These are going to be required in any case to enforce the proper use of the meters so why not do so without the capital and ongoing maintenance costs of meters. 2. The use of parking discs. These are in use in many parts of Europe and also in other UK towns. They are purchased at local shops/garages and used to display the time of arrival. They are easily and quickly checked by the enforcing attendants. No tickets, no litter, no cost. b) If the proposals are intended to encourage shoppers to come to Wokingham they are I suggest doomed to failure. How many people are going to pay 50p-£1 to pay a quick visit to a shop. Very few, I would suggest. They are far more likely to go elsewhere where the parking charges are lower, or use the internet. This is not going to help local shops, already struggling with high rents and the recession. You may have seen a recent TV documentary which was investigating dying

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town

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towns, using Tewksbury and Dunstable as examples. Although Tewksbury was considered to be on the edge but could possibly be saved, it was suggested that Dunstable was beyond saving. As shops in parts of Dunstable closed, footfall in that street decreased with the result that other shops in that street also closed leading to a spiral was that killing the town. One specific reason given for the decline was high parking charges. I suggest that before the Borough Council embarks on this ridiculous scheme you take a visit to Dunstable to see for yourself the possible results of the Council's actions. c) If it is a revenue-raising plan for the Borough Council, I strongly urge you to not even consider it. Your Council is already disliked by large groups of the Community for other misguided actions such as: 1.The crazy plan to prohibit traffic from Shute End from entering Broad Street. Abandoned, but cost council-tax payers a great deal in all the planning and consultation. 2.The Peach Place scheme which looked attractive when shown-off in shop window displays, being completely changed by the developer and eventually abandoned when M&S understandably wouldn't play ball. Enormous expense to tax-payers again. 3. The plan for much of Elms Field to be covered with housing, completely against the obvious wishes of many residents, who value the small amount of green land we still have. Big, expensive consultation exercise with exhibition. Abandoned. 4.The abolition of dog-poo bins and the really hygienic idea to put the mess into the same waste bins where children put their

centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

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lolly sticks. 5.The plan to close the Town's two public toilets whilst trying to find suitable alternatives amongst local businesses. How these will be found by visitors to the Town is anyone's guess. 6.In these days of recession, when many people are losing their jobs and just after the biggest scandal of expenses for the MPs. our Councillors decide to award themselves an increase in their expenses. When will they ever learn? Installation of parking meters will cost a great deal, ongoing maintenance no doubt even more. To put meters all around the town, even in Rose Street, is environmental vandalism. A great deal has been spent on this street over the years to maintain its appearance and character. The Council claims Wokingham to be 'an historic market town' with street furniture deliberately chosen to be in character. Yet by the action of planting parking meters through this 'historic market town' you will ruin all the good work that has gone before. The architects of the 1960s left Wokingham with a terrible legacy of dreadful buildings that you have spent years trying to get rid of. The proposed installation of parking meters will leave the town with a similar legacy for which you too will be remembered and blamed.

14.08.09 Seaford Road No Comment I would like to comment on the above proposal to introduce on street parking charges. As a local resident who lives in the centre of town I am flabbergasted that you are even considering this as an option. It is extremely apparent that Wokingham like many towns is suffering from the recession with so many shops shutting and many of


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those that remain are struggling to survive. I would have thought that as a town we would want to encourage people to visit Wokingham to doing their shopping and spend, however by placing parking meters you would be positively discouraging them.

I live on a street with parking permits which does not even allow for us to have visitors for the weekend without the fear of receiving a ticket. The town is all ways undergoing roadworks which again discourage people from entering the town as it is such an effort.

I can not believe that you are even considering another action that will once again hinder Wokingham in its recovery.

14.08.09 Bell House Gardens No Official Objection I officially object to use of parking meters in Bell House Gardens unless current residents (or guests) are catered for as we could be left with no parking area for visitors or our own cars on occasion (some are two car families). I believe it would be unacceptable for residents to have to pay for either their own cars or those of visitors within the designated time frames. As an example, I have elderly parents who are visiting currently and, if this scheme went ahead, I would want to ensure that visitors to Bell House Gardens residents were exempt. I also don't think that Bell House Gardens is a good exammple of parking spaces being used for town centre parking spaces although I do believe, on occasion, cars are left as an alternative to using train station car park. I trust you will take these comments on board and find a equitable solution to overall parking issues in Wokingham town centre.


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14.08.09 Payley Drive, Wokingham

No Official objection This scheme will stifle the town businesses. People who just want to park quickly and get a few things from the shops will go elsewhere. The official line of stopping people from parking all day in these'quick-stop' bays will be no less expensive to enforce than if wardens came by twice a day and noted all-day parkers at present. In Norreys Avenue especially, there is a community centre next to All Saints church that hosts a number of courses, job centre activities and the like. Community work like this requires the three hour parking facility nearby (in Norreys Avenue). It does not require the users of this facility to be made to pay to visit it- nor have their waiting time limited to one hour. How will limited time parking be enforced for church visitors during the week - for example weddings and funerals? This is a badly thought-out scheme and will have disastrous results for the town's community - both business and people. I object most strongly.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for employees to park cars in the vicinity of their place of employment. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for employees as the public highway is for the use by the general public for passing and re-passing. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property.

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15.08.09 Linden Close, Wokingham

No Official objection I am a regular (every week) short term user of parking in Milton Road for the purpose of visiting the Doctor's Surgery at Tudor House (for which there is no visitor parking). I regularly drop off, wait and collect my mother who has difficulty walking (at 90). I regularly drop off, wait and collect my wife who apart from ill health is on medication necessitating regular monitoring. I am also on medication necessitating regular monitoring. Installation of parking meters in Milton Road will effectively place a ‘tax’ on visiting the doctor. For this reason i am submitting an official objection.


15.08.09 Langborough Road, Wokingham

No Comment 1. The key to this whole scheme is effective enforcement and one traffic warden does not seem to fit that definition. Unless this is enforced rigorously and people parking out of time or on double yellow lines fined, then this scheme is pointless and on this basis alone we would oppose it. Until parking is de-criminalised and cost effective parking management across the town is in place, there is little point investing heavily in a meter based system.

2. Assuming that this scheme is installed and enforced there will be a direct impact on neighbouring roads. In particular people already park (quite legally) in Langborough


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Road to avoid car park fees when they go shopping or use the train. If Sturges Road and Denton Road have paid car parking then this will displace more cars to Crescent Road and Langborough Road.

3. Last year we proposed that Langborough Road should be classified for permit parking like Howard Road to maximise the chance for local residents to park. Occasional users can still use the car parks off Denmark Street. We would therefore like to see permit parking considered at the same time as metered parking so that a more holistic approach can be made to parking in Wokingham. We would not support picking off individual elements like metered parking without seeing the greater picture.

4. As far as the town centre is concerned the waiting on most sites is already limited to one hour and therefore point 1) on enforcement applies.

5. Is there provision for motorcycle parking in this scheme? Active encouragement of two wheeled transport is an important aspect of town planning these days to minimise car usage. This is usually free and is done by using small or awkward spots in car parks and on road which are too small for cars. As far as I know, the only two slots in Wokingham specifically for

It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

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motorbikes are at the far end of Peach Street and further provision needs to be made.

6. I have some concern at the nature of this consultation and whether it’s just a box ticking exercise. The plans have already been developed in detail for immediate implementation including a full TRO and notices posted on lamp posts. The consultation period has been set for three weeks in August when many people are on holiday and unless one is prepared to dig into the WBC website it has not been made easy for people to comment. At the very least I would have thought that a display and comment forms in Shute End would have been desirable. Is this really consultation or a fait accompli?

16.08.09 Westmorland Close No Comment This is an unnecessary approach to a problem that can be easily solved by better policing of the bays. This appears to be orientated to generation of additional revenue and not to solve a real problem

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the

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rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

16.08.09 Murdoch Road No Comment The information on the Council website does not give full details of the scheme, notably it does not say anything about charging, despite the fact that charging in car parks motivates some people to indulge in long term on-road parking, and that charging for the use of short term parking bays will in fact act as a disincentive for some people to use them, and thus reduce their ‘availability’ in practice. The biggest single disadvantage is that it imposes a charge for legitimate short term use, where there was no charge previously. It also disproportionally charges for very short term use, compared with the full time allowed. Thus to use a space in Norreys Avenue while making a 10 minute visit to The Cornerstone would cost the same as someone parking there to avoid paying the charge in a car park while doing a couple of hours shopping. Without knowing the fee proposed it is impossible to comment further on the effect that it would have. Does there need to be a fee? The stated policy behind the proposal is to free up the bays for short term use. That could be achieved by any mechanism that made effective time of stay enforcement possible. A ticket machine with zero charge would do that. No doubt someone will rule out a zero charge machine, because it doesn’t make any revenue (though making money out of parking charges is hardly a vote winner in

The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town

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Wokingham). A very good compromise, certainly for the 2 hour bays, would be to use machine that gave a half hour ticket free, or a 2 hour ticket for the designated charge. That would be, and would be seen to be, a much fairer system. The genuine short stops, where the charge is least justified, and which will cause the most resentment, would be free, whereas some revenue would be raised from people using the full 2 hours (who may well be using it as an alternative to one of the car parks). An alternative would be to introduce ‘disc parking’, as used in some other parts of the country and abroad, and as mentioned in recent letters to Wokingham Times. That would avoid the cost and maintenance of ticket machines. Any scheme (disc, paid ticket or free ticket) relies on inspection for enforcement. The cost of enforcement patrols should be less with any ticket or disc scheme, since the wardens will only have to check for expired times, and will not have to write down registration numbers for later checking. The proposal seems to represent a major increase in the restricted area, so it will increase the cost of enforcement, possibly above current levels. The case for inclusion of each peripheral set of bays should therefore be scrutinised carefully to decide whether it is really necessary. This scrutiny should take into account the charging (or non-charging) system to be employed, since pressure on peripheral areas will depend on the extent of the motivation to avoid payment in other, maybe more suitable places.


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My own experience of parking in public spaces in the town is limited, since I am a town resident, but I do periodically use Norreys Avenue if I need to take something to All Saints church that is too big or heavy to carry from home. I generally use the church car park, but if I have a lot to carry, I park in one of the bays near the Cornerstone. I never recall being unable to find a space, which suggests that there may not be too much of a problem.

17.08.09 Gorrick Square, Wokingham

No Official objection I quite often pop in to Wokingham Town to grab prescriptions or go to the post office and the 1/2 hour free parking is a godsend. I believe they should be policed better as I have often seen people leaving cars in them for over 1/2 hour. However, I object to paying for what can sometimes a 10 minute stop - times are hard enough as it is!

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a

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longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

17.08.09 Ashton Road, Wokingham

No Official objection This is a terrible idea. The stated objective is to deter people from parking for longer than the permitted period. To do that it would be easier just to enforce the existing regulations. How do you know it happens, if the current rules are not enforced? Why penalise people who do obey the rules instead of those who do not? Pay and display is a real pain in the neck. It would mean having to find the right money for the meter all the time. It will deter people from parking at all in Wokingham, to the detriment of the shops and businesses - there are pleny of other places people can go to shop. This will be a real nuisance to me. Nearly evey morning my wife drops me off in Alderman Willey close so I can walk to the station. We are not going to pay 50p to stop for 2 minutes. Other times I park in Milton Road for the Wokingham shops, and I am careful to observe the time limit (currently 2 hours, by the way). This will make shopping in Wokingham more difficult. In brief, just enforce the current rules and forget about charging.


17.08.09 Rookswood, Bracknell No Comment Parking is hard enough without the new plans. As I work in wokingham I do not think it is fair I should have to pay to park and I

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for employees to park cars in

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can not afford to pay for parking the vicinity of their place of employment. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for employees as the public highway is for the use by the general public for passing and re-passing. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property.

17.08.09 Waterloo Road, Wokingham

No Official objection I agree with the intent to stop people abusing the short stay nature of the spaces. However, for those who are prepared to pay surely this just exacerbates the problem. Just enforce the current limits with traffic wardens.


17.08.09 Waterloo Road, Wokingham

No Official objection This is an ill-thought revenue grab by the council and will in no way enhance the prospects of the already desperate traders in town. If anything people need to be encouraged into spending more time in the town and charging for parking is NOT going to achieve this. The scheme will in addition be a huge expense to install and maintain. Why are you even considering this? Scrap all paid for parking and I am sure more people will be encouraged to spend more

The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more

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time and therefore money in town and we'll see less boarded up and closed shop fronts.


17.08.09 Mill Lane, Calcot, Reading

No Official objection I object to this scheme, because the cost to me for parking will be over £1000 a year and that is almost 10% of what i have a year after tax.also it is not possable for me to get to work for 6am as there is no pubblic transport at this time so i and im shore meany others will be forced to leve wokingham to work elsewere,this happening in a town witch is already going down hill.also we all ready have to larg and form what i can see sucessfull pay and display car parks.waitrose (were i work)is already used by people going in to town rather than to our shop and if this scheme were to be put in to effect you would be takeing away spaces from our shopers and staff and effecting wokeingham in an advers way.i fell we pay for enuth in this country as it i already pay my road tax and all the duty on my fuel.i just think its a step to far i hope you take in to consideration what i and meany others feel the same.it mite make it more palitable if you were to put hour long parking meters in at the council!?thank you


17.08.09 Broadwater Road, Twyford

No Comment As a resident of Twyford I am able to visit several shopping areas relatively easily :Woodley, Henley, Reading, Maidenhead and Wokingham. Currently I frequently come to Wokingham for quick visits eg bank, quick specific purchases. If I had to pay £1 for these quick visits I would go somewhere else.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and

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are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

17.08.09 Aggisters Lane, Barkham No Official objection I strongly object to the proposal of taking away the few car parking areas close to the town centre and replacing them with parking meter one hour slots. This is because working in the retail section I work unsocial hours which mean I sometimes start as early as 6am and finish as late 10pm when there is no public transport available so I am forced to use my car as my only means of getting safely to and from work. For the same reason as a woman I do not consider it safe to park my car some distance away from the town centre as, especially at night there are unsavoury characters lurking about the streets which make me feel uneasy. Unfortunately as I only earn a mere pittance being in the lowest paid area of commerce I cannot afford a thousand pounds a year to park in the multi storey car park, besides as a woman I feel these parking areas are unsafe at night, which makes me declined to use them. So if you go ahead with your ideas, not only will you make it difficult for those working

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for employees to park cars in the vicinity of their place of employment. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for employees as the public highway is for the use by the general public for passing and re-passing. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more

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here to continue, you will put off anyone who is seeking to become employed in the town centre, an area already run down with empty shops. So please reconsider you plans as everything seems to work as it is, so why upset everyone for the sake of it.


17.08.09 Duncan Drive No Comment Why start charging for parking? Why not employ a traffic warden to enforce the waiting times and generate money through fines? The traffic warden could also enforce other parking areas such as the double yellow lines on Seaford Road. Or are we no longer enforcing the law?


17.08.09 Enstone Road, Woodley No Official objection It will cost about a thousand pounds a year to park in a car park. I also start at 6am and public transport is very poor. I also finish late some days 8pm and do not feel safe walking back to a car park in the dark.

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for employees to park cars in the vicinity of their place of employment. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for employees as the public highway is for the use by the general public for passing and re-passing. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally

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parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

17.08.09 Doddington Close, Lower Earley

No Official objection the vast amount of people who work in wokingham town centre use on street parking as they are unable to afford weekly parking fees. The cars that park on rectory road for example are not ‘mis-using’ bays as there are no marked bays down this road. So if this is the case here, how many other roads that do not have marked bays now will the council decide to give them short term parking bays, thus forcing workers into expensive car parks they cannot really afford. The town centre has a number of empty units that detract from the attractiveness of the town centre already, this strategy could very well lead to many people seeking jobs elsewhere therefore not enabling shops to fill jobs and therefore not offer a good shopping experience thus pushing shoppers away elsewhere leading to less takings,more closures etc.This is blatently another money making exercise by the council at the expense of the people that they are meant to cater for!

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for employees to park cars in the vicinity of their place of employment. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for employees as the public highway is for the use by the general public for passing and re-passing. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

17.08.09 No address given No Official objection I very strongly object to these proposed charges. There is a lack of small business's shops etc in Wokingham. Your idea is if I go to the Libraries You Charge Me. Go to the Post Office you charge me. Go to the Doctor's you charge me. Go to the Dentist


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you charge me. Go to the Opticians you charge me. Go to the Charity Shops you charge me. Plus Go to the Wokingham Train Station and pay their new inflated Car Parking Charges. You will spoil a very attractive Market Town. We are not all on or have £30,000 plus a year jobs. Wokingham Town will become a ghost town in the future. If you want to save money cut your own costs, do not keep putting the burden on the the Local Council Tax Payers, even more of them are becoming retired people with fixed incomes who have increased costs which have to come from a lower, largely static, income base. Be democratic cancel this idea, 'NOW'

workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

17.08.09 Broom Grove, Wokingham

No Official objection I object to the scheme as a whole and in particular down the Rectory Road. By removing these parking bays there would be no where for the people who work in wokingham everyday to park. I object having to pay for parking when working 5 days a week, in the centre of Wokingham, as this would be a considerable cost to myself. I believe those who work in the centre of wokingham should be entitaled to park there, I have noticed there is suffient parking for the council offices themselves. I also believe this would cause people to search for spaces in other areas such as smaller streets and outside people’s houses.

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for employees to park cars in the vicinity of their place of employment. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for employees as the public highway is for the use by the general public for passing and re-passing. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

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17.08.09 Hawkedon Way, Lower Earley

No Official objection I believe this proposal to be bad for the trade in the wokingham town. I currently often visit the town using these spaces for short periods of time. If this happens I will stop visiting Wokingham.


17.08.09 Rose Street Residents’ Society

No Comment Although we have submitted our opinions to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee we feel it is necessary to add to our comments based on more up-to-date and relevant information. One of the handouts available to the committee and attendees at the meeting of July 16th was a document that was supplied by Neil Badley which set out the results of research undertaken for Yorkshire market towns. One of the most relevant findings on the first page of Section 2 under the heading When greater management could be a bad thing...when the town's economy is weak. This we submit is the current case for Wokingham. The six points listed were:

• when there is no overall shortage of car parking spaces;

• where parking does not appear to be the number one local transport issue;

• the town performs a local role, without a significant rural catchment;

• the town's economy is weak (for example retail vacancies are high and there are few 'higher order' shops;

• the town has a nearby competitor

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee were provided with a car parking research study by the West Yorkshire Forward Development Agency. This report identified that it is beneficial for a town to manage its parking. It also indentifies that the linkage between charging and usage is not significant and, while a weak retail offer will impact on a town’s vitality, there is no need to ensure that the vitality that comes with town centre regeneration is not eroded by unmanaged parking and the lack of kerbside turnover that results. Indeed, the report states that “parking is not the primary factor affecting performance, rather it is what the town has to offer” and, further “you should manage parking to suit your town rather than letting it manage you.” It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of

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with a better retail offer; or • the town has a nearby competitor

with a similar retail offer and free or cheaper parking.

The Rose Street Residents Society submits that all of the above points currently apply to Wokingham Town centre. Regarding issues specific to Rose Street and the town in general we would reiterate the following:

• The scheme will actively discourage visitors to Wokingham Town and therefore will not help retail trade.

• The proposed five meters in Rose Street will add to street clutter in the most historic and oldest street in the town.

• Rose Street is a conservation area. • The different areas marked on the

map are confusing (pay and display shared with residents).

• Rose Street only gains 10 shared spaces which is minimal in relation to the number of permits issued.

• Additional new builds scheduled for Rose Street will increase the car parking problem.

If the scheme is approved then in view of the final two points noted above we state that it is necessary for the Council to amend the proposed Order so that residents displaying a valid permit are enabled to park anywhere in the street. Anything less would be an additional financial burden on residents -

time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre, was used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that

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form of stealth tax in fact. users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. The number of the machines is limited as one machine can service a number of spaces. It sis not proposed to have one machine per space. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this.

17.08.09 Dean Grove, Wokingham No Comment I support the retention of free parking spaces within the town centre - they are important for local people. Although I can and do walk into the town centre I also sometimes use the car and park in Rose Street for a short visit or Norrey's Avenue for a longer visit into town. I will not pay to park in my home town. If all day parking is taking place in bays designated for only 30 minutes or 1 hour these drivers should be fined. What has happened to the traffic wardens we used to have to control this? The motorists abusing the current free system they will still be able

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more

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to abuse the proposed paying system. easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

17.08.09 Rose Street, Wokingham No Comment In addition to comments submitted on behalf of the Rose street Residents Society I would point out that the map for Rose Street is inaccurate. The Yellow lines outside our property, No 78, were over painted in grey by your contractors as they are no longer required. The garage entrance that they once protected was removed when the garage was replaced by living accommodation circa 1981. The grey over painting is being worn way and as the parking spaces here are somewhat foreshortened then the proper removal of the yellow lines would be helpful. I can see that someone some time will issue a ticket for straying into the superfluous yellow line area.


17.08.09 Rose Street, Wokingham No Comment I think that for an issue as important as ‘on street parking charges’, which will have long term consequences, a three week consultation period is too short, particularly during a recognised holiday period. No cognisance seems to have been taken that Rose Street is a historic residential street in a declared conservation area. The proposal to install five automatic payment machines on the pavement, plus no doubt large explanatory notices, in this historic street is appalling. Was the conservation officer consulted about this visual intrusion on the street scene, and if so, what were his

The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. The number of the machines is limited as one machine can service a number of spaces. It is not proposed to have one machine per space. The conservation consultant was consulted and advised that he would input into the scheme at the detail design phase. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions.

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views? I find the statement that ‘one of the main reasons why the Council wants to introduce this is to stop motorists from improper use of town centre parking places’ laughable. Parking was always to be a problem in the town centre and in the past the issue was contained by having traffic wardens who visited the street regularly to ensure that the rules were followed. However, I have not observed any traffic wardens in Rose Street for several years. Why their regulatory services were withdrawn is not known to me – I assume that the Council had ceased employing them on some cost cutting exercise? Certainly, after the cessation of their regulatory activities, the observance of the parking rules declined. I have no doubt that if the services of the traffic wardens had been retained then the parking irregularities would have been cheaply and effectively maintained. Clearly the Council had relaxed its responsibilities regarding car parking arrangements and has itself created the present position, and it is not acceptable that the Council should now portray themselves as the champions of better parking. For some years, I have considered the 30 minutes limited waiting time to be ill though out. For a motorist from out of town to arrive in Rose Street, park the car, then walk to the centre of town, conduct his business, and then return in thirty minutes is a virtual impossibility. I myself have walked from Rose Street to purchase stamps and post letters in the main Broad Street Post Office and have had to join queues. Do the Council’s officers not walk around the town


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and observe that it would be impossible to use the limited time parking spaces within the time allotted? Under the circumstance it would seem that an hour would be a more logical waiting time. Obviously for any town centre to thrive there must be good parking facilities for the clients. Observing the number of shops empty in the town centre it would appear that the businesses, including the historic Woolworths shop, cannot be thriving and a proposal by the Council to increase parking charges would be counter productive. The Council and its officers must be aware that a few minutes drive away Bracknell there is free parking for two hours within easy walking distance of Bentalls and the walking precinct of Bracknell. In the Daily Telegraph of 10th August 2009 I read that ‘car parking charges will overtake Council tax as a source of revenue for many local authorities as they raise prices to counter the recession, experts predict’. It is noted that in the case of Westminster City Council parking revenue has already overtaken Council tax, with on street parking bringing in £81.5 million a year. Against £80 million from taxpayers. Such reports make one rather cynical about Wokingham Council’s main reason for introducing change!. I cannot think why any resident would wish to avail of the right to park his car for thirty minutes in a limited waiting space, if displaying a Residents Parking Disc. Remember that there are some sixty to seventy Residents Parking Permits issued

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for sixteen parking places. Maybe the residents should pop in and make a quick cup of tea! As stated earlier, Rose Street is a residential street, but no mention is made to the position with regard to service vehicles. The residences are frequently and regularly visited by artisans providing services and they invariably have vehicles which require parking space arrangements. Are they expected to complete their work in thirty minutes?

17.08.09 Bowyer Crescent, Wokingham

No Comment I do object to the limited waiting being done away with in Norreys Avenue. People attending funerals and weddings need parking and the church car park is often not big enough to accommodate them all. The town seems to be dying at the moment with a dearth of new businesses coming in and anything which deters visitors should be avoided. If people can park for a short time to look around, they may come back another time. Why are people abusing the present system what has happened to the traffic wardens?

Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. However, provision is made within the TRO for wedding and funeral parties to be exempt. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more

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easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

17.08.09 Snowberry Close, Wokingham

No Official objection I find these parking bays very useful for dropping off articles for the charity shops, going to the bank, chemist or small errands and object to paying for such a short time. The town is badly affected already by the disaster of Peach Street and this plan will put off even more people from coming in. There are far too many street signs and furniture already and this historic town will be blemished even more by parking meters.

The Parking restriction do not prohibit loading and unloading and so stopping to drop of a box to a charity shop, so long as you then didn’t stop to shop would be considered unloading. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. The number of the machines is limited as one machine can service a number of spaces. It sis not proposed to have one machine per space.

17.08.09 Highfield Close, Wokingham

No Comment Living in Highfield Close, I have grave concerns over the effects that they will bring about in Milton Road. My main area of concern is the section between Poppy Place and Milton Gardens. Currently, there is a two hour limit in this section, and I have to say there are vehicles parked there all day, every day with seeming impunity. I cannot remember when I last saw a Traffic Warden going about his/her


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business. This in itself is not a bad thing as it minimises the number of cars backing in and out of those spaces during the day, but bearing in mind that this is the narrowest section of Milton Road, it presents a very real danger and I have had several near misses. Buses and lorries present a particularly great hazard. A rigorously policed parking meter regime will certainly increase these risks greatly as it will cause a vast increase in the movement of vehicles in and out of the spaces, and probably in the bane of our lives, illegal parking in Highfield Close. I appreciate that parking in Wokingham is a problem, but there is in my mind a slight suspicion that this, like speed cameras, might just be a revenue raising exercise. Parking meters have to be patrolled and emptied, does Wokingham currently have sufficient Traffic Wardens to carry out these extra tasks or are new posts being created?

encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. The proposed parking spaces are in the locations where parking is currently permitted and so changing the restriction to pay and display should not have an impact on the manoeuvres carried out by vehicles in the road. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

17.08.09 Wokingham Baptist Church

No Official objection Currently there are some free short term spaces directly opposite the Baptist Church, which itself has only has a couple of spaces on its grounds. During the week at daytimes, there are various visitors to the church for a host of reasons, typically for less than 2 hours. Currently they can easily park in the free bays and be gone within the appropriate time. With the new scheme this will no longer be possible, which will seriously impede the 'accessibility' of the church and the various mid-week activities that take place there.

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for visitors to facilities to park their cars directly outside the location they are visiting. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for these facilities as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside the location they intend to visit. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative

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safe and legal on street parking.

17.08.09 Gorse Ride North, Wokingham

No Official objection Charging for these short-stay spaces will give people still less incentive to drop into the town centre. If people are overstaying, penalties should be enforced.


17.08.09 Gorse Ride North, Wokingham

No Official objection This is a silly idea! Your comments are noted

17.08.09 Woosehill Lane No Official objection I wish to object on the basis, amongst others, that the basis of the proposal has not been identified. What alternative solutions have been looked at? If this proposal is implemented what will be the implication for the existing Council car parks? Recognising that the offices at Shute End have the largest private car park in the town will consideration be given to implementing an

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be

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employee car park charge? to stop employees and members parking all day

some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas.

18.08.09 Shetland Way, Fleet No Comment A ridiculous idea, we need to encourage shoppers and business into the town. While some bays may be abused the majority are able to be used by those wishing to pop in to town. The way to tackle abusers is surely to have parking wardens who monitor the use of the bays on a regular basis, not to penalise the majority, who wish to visit the town and aid its financial recovery.


18.08.09 No address given No Comment At present I am unemployed and use the job support centre in Norreys Avenue on a regular basis, I am there between at least 1

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for visitors to facilities to park

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and 2 hours a couple of times a week.Also my mother and various other family members are buried within All Saints churchyard and there is no way that I can walk there from my home with flowers,gardening tools,and other items I require just to get the car off the roads. I don't see why I should be charged to pay my respects to the dead. I also attend the Tudor House Surgery and park down Milton Road and like any time with an appointment you never know how long you will be in the surgery for,therefore not knowing how much money to put in if a meter is placed. I was reading in the local newspaper not so long ago about all the empty shop premises within the town centre and companies closing down. If parking charges plus other things the council want to impose on Wokingham Town Centre takes place then be sure it will send away the general public, plus the shops we have at present away.

their cars directly outside the location they are visiting. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for these facilities as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside the location they intend to visit. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

18.08.09 Dorset Way, Wokingham No Official objection The bays are very handy for quick errands indeed and I always use them as such, as many other people. The new proposed scheme is inconvenient and very likely to impair local businesses further. Thus I would like to oppose it.


18.08.09 Bramblegate, Crowthorne No Official objection Charging for parking will have a detrimental effect on trade for the town. I live in Crowthorne and often visit Wokingham to use the bank, post office and other shops. If I have to pay for parking, I will reconsider my trips and probably go to Bracknell instead (where there is 2 hours free parking at the Peel Centre) or Camberley, combining


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shopping trips with a visit to The Meadows. If people are parking in these bays all day, why not crack down on it and fine people - employ someone part time to make irregular patrols around the town.


18.08.09 Hart Dyke Close, Wokingham

No Official objection To place same time limitation but to charge for parking is a furter disincentive for local residents to visit the town for short term shopping or errands. This will simply drive more custom to supermarkets with car parks.


18.08.09 Kiln Ride, Finchampstead No Official objection Charging for these spaces won't stop people from abusing it in the first place. Would make more sense to monitor them and penalise those with fines. Surely the fines would take care of the cost of monitoring? - This gives of the wrong signal about the council. Given the economic climate and how empty the town is, this will send more people elsewhere to the likes of Tesco where there is free parking. Would be better to see the council taking some measures to increase town use - eg: free parking if you

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces

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have a receipt from a shop. - if there is an issue with commuters abusing the parking bays, does that mean there is an issue with long term parking that needs to be addressed instead of being ignored?

enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

18.08.09 Norreys Avenue – All Saints Parish Church

No Official objection There is no parking directly outside All Saints Parish Church, so the area designated for the proposed parking regulations in Norreys Avenue is used. We do, however, have a small car park off Norreys Avenue, behind the Piggott Court flats. The church and churchyard are in continual use. As All Saints is the largest church in Wokingham, and can hold over 400 people, it is used for Civic Services, St George’s Day parades and other large events. We would like to stress that people attending the non-Sunday services and activities, especially funerals and weddings, need more than an hour of parking, as apart from the small car park, the only alternative is Easthampstead Road car park which requires the crossing of dangerous roads or a very long walk using pedestrian crossings. It has come to light that when parking restrictions were first proposed for Norreys

Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking.

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about 15-20 years ago, All Saints objected to the proposal for one hour maximum and the Council did change its mind, hence the three hour restriction that currently exists. The Council would, therefore, be changing its mind, reverting back from a lengthening decision it previously took, to the one hour that is now currently proposed. We ask also that this is taken into consideration. We feel that we would not be fulfilling our Parish Vision of serving community and being community if car users were asked to have to pay to come and attend services, visit or volunteer their time to their local church. We therefore submit that any change in the parking regulations will adversely affect members of our community who wish to use the facilities available at All Saints.

18.08.09 Barkham Ride, Wokingham

No Comment I do not support the scheme. Your comments are noted

18.08.09 Keephatch Road, Wokingham

No Comment Living in Keephatch Rd I find it convenient to use the Norreys Ave parking bay several times a week (typically 1.5 hrs ) to meet friends in town. The proposed charges would cost me approx £7.00 per week!. Further, I often find a space which suggests that the area is not unduly used by ‘all day’ parkers. The proposed charges are too high. Bracknell charges are 60p for 2 hrs or in the multi story park 60p for 1hr. Please can we have wardens to police the present arrangement?

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as

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drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the

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rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

18.08.09 Milton Road, Wokingham No Official objection 1. As far as Milton Road is concerned, having on street parking charges will push the parking problem to other roads off shooting Milton Road, namely Poppy Place, The unadopted road opposite Poppy Place, Highfield Close, the footpath at the base of Bird Mews and Milton Gardens. These are already used by people when Milton Road is busy – What plans do you have to ensure that this does not happen? This will affect the quality of life of many of our neighbours. Will your policing cover these roads? They must, or again you will succeed in raising revenue at the expense of the quality of life of the people living and residing in the area

2. Will the proposed parking attendants afforded by the plan be able to give tickets to motorists abusing the “permit holders only” bays on Milton Road, or will these not be policed? If they are not policed then this proposal will not improve the quality of the residents lives, and will be only for the benefit of the council coffers.

3. Do you propose to issue (paid for) temporary permits for Milton Road Residents to issue to guests, especially at the weekend ( many London boroughs eg Kingston do this)

4. I can understand the desire to stop

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will

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motorists from the improper use of town centre parking. What Wokingham town centre parking research survey are you basing your information on? Can you please publish the research for public consultation?. My point is that if only a few people on a regular basis are abusing the system in the town centre, then regular co-ordinated campaigns that issue tickets or clamping will soon put a stop to this – I expect most of the motorists doing this are the same serial offenders. They need to get the message and this may give you the result you need without needing to install paid bays.

5. Finally, and most sadly, I think that this is just a revenue raising idea – if the council really cared about the town centre and other shoppers and residents, they would have tackled this issue a long time ago – it is only the chance to generate more revenue (maybe at the expense of shoppers coming into Wokingham to support local trade) that I think has motivated this initiative

Thanks for the chance to comment

be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as

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drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

18.08.09 Common Road, Wokingham

No Comment The problem of people parking for longer than the allocated period would appear to be as a result of the council’s removal of traffic wardens in the town, the proposed charging is the wrong solution discouraging people from using the town shops.


18.08.09 Opal Way, Wokingham No Comment I think more frequent traffic wardens who do their jobs efficiently should deter abuse of these spaces. Maybe focussing on making money by filling some of the empty shops, than making money from parking. Therefore offering more for the motorists' money if there is charging for these spaces!


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encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

18.08.09 Mylne Square, Wokingham

No Official objection Objection - the parking bays are vital to stay free otherwise there is an inconvience when dropping off items in town. All more expense!


18.08.09 Flamingo Close, Wokingham

No Comment With new legislation set to be introduced whereby parking spaces provided by employers will be taxed it would make sense to convert all of the council car park spaces at Shute End into 'Pay and Display'. Presumably there would only be a marginal cost involved in providing the additional 'pay

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for employees to park cars in the vicinity of their place of employment. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for employees as the public highway is for the

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points' and the necessary periodic monitoring to ensure the scheme is enforced. This could be done instead of, or as well as, the proposed car parking restriction measures. The provision could be linked with ample free cycle spaces for use by both council employees and the general public Looking forward, I would object to effectively having 'Benefits in Kind' for council employees financed through the Council Tax.

use by the general public for passing and re-passing. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

18.08.09 Tangley Drive, Wokingham

No Official objection Objection - yet again we the majority are being penalised for the actions of a selfish few. How about you employ a few more traffic wardens to police the parking bays which are being abused.


19.08.09 Bird Mews No Comment We get cars parked at the entrance of Bird Mews and at times they have stopped the refuse collections and delivery vehicles obtaining access to our houses. They could also deny access to emergency vehicles. We also get cars parked which interfere with access to our garages. These problems will

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display

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get worse if the new automatic payment meters are installed and more drivers will be looking for free parking


19.08.09 Priest Avenue No Comment The town centre of Wokingham is dying bit by bit, as the retailers succumb to competition from Bracknell and Reading. The rows of empty shops, year after year, bear testimony to that. By taxing the ‘drop in’ motorist like this, you are simply putting a knife into the already wounded corpse. I am very aware of the green movement and the fact that more people ought to walk to town, but you will not change people’s behaviour by this measure. You will simply encourage them to go elsewhere. How will you deal with a town centre when it is finally absolutely dead? As a member of All Saints’ Church, I am very aware of the use made of Norreys Avenue by visitors to the Cornerstone and to the church. This tax will severely damage the work of All Saints and the Cornerstone to the community. More especially, the limit of one hour is crazy. A wedding takes more than an hour and that is just one example of the longer duration activity that provision is needed for.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of

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When yellow lines and parking areas were first proposed for Norreys Avenue, 15 or 20 years ago, WDC responded to appeals and lengthened their proposed one hour maximum to three hours. I cannot understand why you now want to change your mind back again. Why the inconsistency? I urge you that the least action you should do is to set a three hour limit again.

parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be

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self funding.

19.08.09 Wiltshire Road, Wokingham

No Comment I can’t imagine why you think this is necessary, but I suppose you have thought it through, especially with the likelihood of a forthcoming general election looming. However, I would draw your attention to the fact that one hour simply isn’t long enough when people are attending weddings in the church, school functions in the week and quite often civic functions etc etc, not to mention funerals. There is a very small car park by Piggott Court which has been proved to be inadequate in general and so many residents in Wokingham who attend All Saints Church are elderly and/or disabled. I most earnestly ask you to reconsider this proposal and either abolish the idea of parking meters altogether or at the very least extend the time allowd.


19.09.09 Buttercup Close, Wokingham

No Comment I feel that charging people for these parking spaces will further reduce the number of customers for Wokingham shops. Surely it would be beter to spend time and effort policing the current system, imposing fines on the people abusing it and leaving the free bays for the real shoppers who are keeping Wokingham alive.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars

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parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

19.08.09 No address given No Comment Please do not introduce charging for these bays. Our town is already feeling very sad and beginning to lose it's appeal. I think adding a charge will make local people use it even less and just increase profit still further for the supermarkets. We need to do everything we can to encourage shops to come into the town.


19.08.09 Rayner Drive, Arborfield No Official objection Some are outside churches and doctors so people will have to pay to collect prescriptions and visit graves. There are already over 8 shops in a row empty in the high street - how many more do we want by making it more difficult to get to town. I have to stop at petrol stations to draw cash and get change to park in town already which is a pain with baby in the car


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Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

19.08.09 Crescent Road, Wokingham

No Comment In considering any changes to parking arrangements, the Wokingham Borough Council has to tread a fine line, balancing the needs of: • Electors, by raising revenue through means supplementary to Council Tax Retailers, attracting shoppers and making it easy for those coming from out of town to park Local residents, ensuring that their own parking facilities are not impaired Business employees, requiring whole-day parking within reasonable walking distance of the town

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking

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Parking arrangements suggested by Wokingham Borough Council in this proposal and elsewhere are of concern on the following grounds: Application of on-street parking charges in the town centre without widespread use of resident permits is likely to displace parking into neighbouring residential roads rather than car parks; overall revenues from parking meters and the established car parks may not increase and the capital investment of perhaps £200k will fall on electors. On-street parking charges will deter those shoppers looking for free, short-stay parking, impacting retailers at a time when they are already hard hit by the current economic situation. Piecemeal imposition of restrictions such as those proposed for Tanhouse Lane, Fairvlew Road and St Pauls Gate, deal with individual instances of parking abuse and as such are only part of what should be a broader parking strategy. Those working in the town already compete with residents for full-day parking, a situation which will become worse with short-term and abusers' parking displaced from town centre to residential roads. Councillor Singleton raised the supplementary question at the Scrutiny Meeting of 16-Jul-09 on the ability of the "WSP Model" to predict displacement of parking from charged space to residential areas; it apparently does not. Before Wokingham Borough Council implements the proposed on-street parking programme, the following 5-point plan is proposed: • Enforce parking restrictions in the town

within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for visitors to facilities to park their cars directly outside the location they are visiting. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for

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centre with PCSOs, leading to greater use of existing chargeable spaces • Assess parking demand for short-term, long-term and whole-day stays in the broader town area • Structure parking areas and charging per area in each car park to optimise revenue from all categories of users • Implement widespread, low-cost, residential parking permits within the broader town area • Enforce widespread parking restrictions in the broader town area to the benefit of residents with further increased revenues It is believed that in this way, Wokingham Borough Council's revenue raising objective may be met without excessive capital investment or adverse impact on residents' and business employees' parking or retailers' revenues.

these facilities as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside the location they intend to visit. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

19.08.09 Ashton Road, Wokingham

No Comment I completely disagree with this proposal. I have heard that the initial implementation cost and maintenance cost for ticket machines is ludicrous and I believe it would be more rational to employ a patrol officer to ensure no one stays longer than the allotted free time. I use the free short-stay parking spaces regularly for tasks such as dropping material donations into charity shops, purchasing one item etc, and if these spaces were to be

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more

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become charged far then I would not bother coming into town to do this, therefore taking business away from the town centre.

easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

19.08.09 Yarnold Close, Wokingham

No Comment I do not believe many motorists abuse the spaces as I often use the free spaces at different times of day during the week and weekends and seldom can't find a space. If motorists are abusing the spaces then traffic wardens could solve this problem. This will stop me popping into Wokingham and encourage me to shop in Bracknell instead where free parking is available close to the town centre.

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as

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drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

19.08.09 Scotts Drive No Official objection Free short-stay street parking is an amenity of the town and should stay that way. Charging for these parking spaces will not FREE them up for people wanting to run small errands - it will merely extend the car-park charges into the street parking spaces. If street parking cannot be entirely free it should be always cheaper than the car parks.

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be

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some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas.

19.08.09 Sheridan Way, Wokingham

No Official objection I am a mother of two small children and often pop into Wokingham to run errands including visiting the post office and shopping. I am sure I am not alone in that I would be much less likely to pop into Wokingham if I had to pay to park. This would be very detrimental to the businesses in the town centre. I am sure the way I shop in Wokingham is common in that I usually have a specific purpose rather than wanting to just browse and therefore I will do my errands elsewhere where I do not have to pay to park. Additionally in order to stop people abusing the short stay spaces it is not necessary to charge people to park, it is merely necessary to police the current rules and tickets cars as appropriate. Your rationale for introducing the proposed scheme is not logical and does not stand up to even light scrutiny.


19.08.09 Valley Crescent, Wokingham

No Official objection I use the parking bays close to Tudor House Doctor's surgery when I have an

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not

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appointment. The last thing I need when I am anxious about attending the Doctor is finding change for a parking machine, and I certainly don't want the stress of sitting in the surgery hoping my appointment will finish in time to get back to my car before the time limit runs out. I also use the 30 minute bays in Rose street when I need to collect items from town shopping, and sometimes drop DVDs back to Blockbuster and park in front of there to do so. Wokingham is a fine town which I am proud to live in, but I see these proposals as another nail in the coffin for the town centre. If I start to think about paying for parking to nip in and out of town then I will start to think about where else I need to go and do all my shopping in one place, eg. Reading/Bracknell/M&amdS complex in Camberley. If you believe there is a problem with people staying too long in the bays at present, then employ a parking warden to give them tickets, and surely if the problem is big enough then the revenue form the tickets will fund the parking warden's salary. If you go ahead with these proposals will I get a reduction in the charge because I am a Wokingham resident? Why should I pay for something tomorrow which I am not paying for today?

always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is

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believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

19.08.09 Attwood Drive, Arborfield No Official objection We pay enough council tax as it is. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

19.08.09 Sewell Avenue, Wokingham

No Official objection I wish to register my objection to the proposal to introduce "pay and display" parking in Norreys Avenue and to limit the length of parking to one hour. I am an associate priest at All Saints'

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use

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Church, and my concern is at the impact on users of the church and churchyard. I am aware of the submissions made by the Parochial Church Council and The Cornerstone Management Committee, which I support. However, I am writing here on my own account and not in a representative capacity. Many people may imagine that the church only really functions on Sundays and will therefore not be affected by the new proposals. This is a fallacy. The church is open and in use for a variety of purposes seven days a week. The churchyard is constantly open and graves are visited by the families and friends of the deceased every day during the hours of daylight. Weddings most commonly take place on Saturdays, although increasingly also on Fridays. Other services are held in church regularly on certain weekdays and potentially on any day of the week. Notable among these are funerals at which the people attending are often elderly and frail and generally in a state of distress. Parking limited to one hour is simply not adequate to meet their needs. It is true that the church has its own small car park on the opposite side of Norreys Avenue. However, a number of places there are for the use of the residents of Piggott Court, and the arrival of The Cornerstone with its intense use by a wide variety of members of the community has rendered it insufficient to our needs. Many of those coming to activities in the church or The

by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly

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Cornerstone need to bring heavy and cumbersome equipment. Even with the current use of on street parking in Norreys Avenue we can barely cope. The most important objection to the new proposals is to the time limit of one hour. I understand that such a proposal was made some years ago, but that the Council listened to the views of the church and allowed the three hours' waiting time. I profoundly hope that those making the decision on this occasion will be persuaded to follow that precedent. Because of the advent of The Cornerstone the case this time is in fact much stronger that it was then. I need hardly add that the introduction of a parking fee is one to which I also wish to object. Finally, may I place on record my dissatisfaction that the period for consultation on these proposals is in August when so many are away. This strongly suggests pushing the proposals through "when no-one is looking".

outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

19.08.09 Paice Green, Wokingham No Comment You should employ another traffic warden, thus creating employment in this difficult time, the fines he could issue for people abusing the short term parking would pay his salary. Why is there short term parking in Rose St, Norreys Ave, Milton Rd yet Rectory Rd only has restrictions on the bay outside the old Police station all the rest of the bays are full by 8a.m. every day for all of the day by town workers? Waiting restrictions on Rectory


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road but not pay and display would enable people to park for all the doctors surgeries. Also place double yellow lines on the left hand side of Rectory Rd from Glebelands Rd down to Wiltshire Rd to stop people parking in the left hand lane and restricting the traffic flow from the traffic lights.


19.08.09 Ashton Road No Comment Further to my earlier comment, one reason why people park all day could be that parking at the station now costs £5 and the off-peak rate only starts at 4pm (formerly 10am). So if you want to go shopping in Reading (because it costs too much to park in Wokingham) you have to park on-street. Speak to South West Trains about it!

The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

19.08.09 Lowther Close, Emmbrook

No Comment These changes would have a real impact on people who regularly use the short-stay bays to get to appointments with a doctor, dentist or physiotherapist. Collecting parcels from the post-office will be even more of a nightmare than it already is! Traders and service providers will almost certainly lose out as customers go elsewhere, where parking is easier and choice greater.

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks

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within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

19.08.09 Arbery Way, Arborfield No Official objection I wish to officially object to this proposed solution to a problem that has not been proven to exist. This idea put forward and supporting argument are fundamentally flawed, and the information provided does not support the assertion that abuse is taking place, nor lead to the conclusion that charging is needed for all users of these areas to control that abuse. Firstly, I often make use of these short stay spaces on a lunch hour, or on the way home from work and hence are the ‘shoppers running errands’ described. I have yet to

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are

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have an issue finding a space, even in a lunch hour, which I would assume to be the busiest time and hence highest demand on parking in these areas. I have yet to fail to locate a space for 30 minutes use so I can pop to the bank for example. Secondly all the areas you have documented as far as I am aware are covered by maximum stay 2 hours or 30 minutes zones currently and anyone parking outside these restrictions is liable to a penalty. The existing system in place is perfectly suitable for penalising the minority who are abusing the existing system, without impacting the majority who are correctly using the system. I have never seen a car in these areas with a penalty parking notice on the windscreen and so would conclude that the problem is exceptionally small; otherwise numerous cars that are parked all day would be carrying these penalty notices. Should the council wish to support their argument that charging the entire community is the most effective way of dealing with a small number of offenders who can already be penalised under the existing system, they need to present a much more comprehensive argument on this matter. At minimum I would suggest that full statistics on how many fixed penalty notices have been issued to these ‘motorists abusing the spaces by clogging them up all day’ in the areas proposed as needing charging, to provide actual statistical evidence of the scale of the problem.

they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with

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It would seem to me that currently the most cost effective way, beneficial to all short term users of these areas, is to increase the presence of traffic control officers in these areas and penalise the offenders, not drive all short term shoppers away from Wokingham. Removing free parking for all short term shoppers will be a massively detrimental impact on Wokingham, and would be a very severe decision to make on the basis claimed to date which lacks any supporting statistics. I for one would stop visiting Wokingham for short errands such as visiting the bank and travel to another nearby town with street parking such as woodly instead. I am sure I would not be alone, and people running errands such to the bank, will often buy lunch/food and other goods at the same time driving local trade. Please keep me updated on any further public consultations on this matter, as I would rather have to repeatedly voice my objections than have to travel to another town for running errands.

the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

19.08.09 Lowther Close, Wokingham

No Official objection Free short-term parking is essential to the vitality of our town. People will think twice about going into Wokingham if they know that their short visit to the shop, post-office or pharmacy will be penalised with a new parking charge. In my experience the short-term parking is not seriously abused and, when it is, WDC should simply enforce the law. This idea unfairly penalises the law-abiding majority and I hope our councillors

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. As part of the feasibility study into this

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see sense, support the residents and reject this scheme.

proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

19.08.09 Shackleton Way, Woodley

No Comment Wokingham is such a difficult centre to pop into that having free parking for a limited time is extremely useful if you are just running in to pick something up etc. Charging for this will probably dissuade people from using the centre even further.


19.08.09 Longwater Lane, Finchampstead

No Official objection We are currently enduring a credit crunch and a severe economic downturn. At such a time it is important that everything possible be done to support the remaining shops in Wokingham town centre. I’m sure that you would acknowledge that one of the


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attractions to many people of the out of town shopping centres such as Tesco, Asda, Marks and Spencers etc is that they offer large amounts of free parking immediately adjacent to the shops. By contrast, Wokingham currently offers much more limited and time restricted parking and people have to pay for most of it already. To increase the amount which people have to pay to park in Wokingham and to eliminate the remaining free parking spaces is only going to drive more people away from coming to Wokingham. I question the economic viability / sense of the scheme. It appears that the cost of implementing and maintaining it is likely to exceed the amount of revenue which it generates. So in all probability it will become yet another drain on council resources and in the end be paid for by Wokingham residents through their council tax. As a Wokingham council tax payer, I object to my money being spent on a scheme which I neither believe in nor support. I object most strongly to the plans to introduce Pay and Display 1 hour limited parking to many of the residential roads around Wokingham town centre. I was brought up in Sturges Road and my mother has lived at 44 Sturges Road for 47 years. Indeed she has lived there long enough that she had to pay the large amount of money demanded by Wokingham council when they forcibly adopted the road many years ago against the wishes of the residents. I visit her regularly and she has many friends who also visit her. Under your plans we will be restricted to 1 hour parking outside her

workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town

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house and will have to pay to park. I consider it is outrageous to charge people to park when they are visiting a Wokingham resident who has been a council tax payer for 47 years. I totally oppose this scheme but if it is forced through against the wishes of the residents could I suggest that you consider providing affected residents such as my mother with permits to be placed in the window of a visitor’s car to allow them free parking? Alternatively, if the goal is to reduce long term parking in the residential roads by people who work in the town rather than to simply try to use the roads to generate revenue, perhaps it would be more appropriate to designate them as residents only parking? Finally on this subject, if this scheme is forced through, can my mother expect a reduction in her council tax to compensate her for loss of amenity? I’m sure I already know the answer to this question. I also object to the visual impact which will result from the placement of Pay and Display meters in the residential roads. The meters and their associated signs are large and unattractive and I consider that they will be a blot on the appearance of the roads. I also suggest that you are going to face a running battle with residents because I don’t think anybody is going to want a meter to be placed outside their house. To sum up, I totally object to all the planned changes and consider that they indicate that the council is out of touch with the needs of the town, the wishes of the residents and with economic realities. Instead of trying to reduce the amount of free parking, it would

centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. The number of the machines is limited as one machine can service a number of spaces. It is not proposed to have one machine per space.

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be more appropriate to seek to increase the amount of free parking in the town centre and its car parks. Increasing the free parking in the town centre car parks would have the effect of encouraging people to visit Wokingham and would likely reduce the use of residential roads as car parks by people who work in the town centre.

19.08.09 Rose Street, Wokingham No Official objection I have been working in wokingham for 6 years at mimis and my customers have regularly praised and commented upon the usefulness of free parking within a close distance of wokingham town centre. It's my opinion that a great deal of trade for wokingham has been generated by visitors coming into wokingham for short periods of time. With the current economic climate all businesses are suffering a down turn in visitor numbers and the addition of parking meters in rose street and the other proposed sites will further reduce visitor numbers to the town, as people decide not to come into town or worse vest other shopping centres instead. I believe wokingham council and council members must use all their endeavours to increase visitor numbers into wokingham and this proposed policy could threaten the future of many local businesses in the town. It is in none of our interests to see more empty shops on the high street and so I lodge my strong objection to this proposal and urgently ask that this to be rejected.


19.08.09 Sturges Road No Comment We wanted to take this opportunity to make some comments about the Council’s proposed parking scheme for the town centre. We felt that we could not use the e-form provided on the web site as it only gives the

The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly

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option of Yes/No to supporting the scheme. We have distinct concerns over whether the proposed scheme would achieve its aims of making the town more accessible to short term visitors. Points in support of the scheme - • The scheme would generate a

significant amount of revenue for the council and would provide some relief to the financial situation the council currently faces (although this stance is more due to our situation as council employees, rather than as residents).

Concerns and Objections • We believe having to pay £1 to 'pop' into

town will discourage people from coming into the town centre and reduce footfall during the day. This would have an impact on the retail provision by reducing the number of customers as well as the attractiveness of the town to visitors.

• Bar the short stay spaces located next to the Cockpit car park, Sturges Road has at no time been designated as time limited parking. Why is it suddenly being included? Surely this would require a separate consultation exercise to include these areas? Also why have the spaces at the top of Crescent Road not been identified on any plans as there are currently short term spaces located there. Did the council actually look at where the short term spaces actually were before declaring there was an insurmountable problem?

outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within

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• Given the real issue for residents in regards to parking on Sturges Road is the impact of visitors to the church, and parents dropping off/picking up children from the school, it was surprising to see that the proposal scheme did not tackle these issues and retained the existing single yellow lines. Has consideration been given as to how these spaces will be monitored during these periods when the parking is most abused?

• As residents of Sturges Road we often park cars on the road for long periods of time (through the day and the night for up to a week at a time). Many of the other people we meet parking on the road on a regular long term basis are also residents of Sturges Road. If, as you state in your literature, the aim of the scheme is to also improve resident parking it will automatically have a detrimental effect by removing the ability of residents to park during the day on their own street.

• Perhaps the Council is working on the erroneous belief that all houses on Sturges Road have limitless off road parking. Although some of the houses have large drives, several do not and need to park on the road. Certainly we are forced to park on the street when no free spaces are available on the drive.

• National policy has led to higher density development of sites, such as the flats on Denton Road. In addition planning policy recommends that developments within areas such as ours provide less than the recommended parking allowances per unit in order to

the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. Sturges Road was considered as it fell within a certain walking distance of the town centre and experience on street parking. As Sturges Road already experienced on street parking and was in an area where parking may be displaced to it was included within the scheme.

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encourage use of public transport. As such residents in these developments are pushed out into roads such as ours to park long term. Where does the Council suggest they go? As Crescent Road has not been identified as quick-stop parking, we suppose we could park our cars there for days on end, but in itself that would have a detrimental impact on residents of that road and seems somewhat unfair on them.

• We suppose we could be forced to pay to park in a local car park during the day and then move our cars back in the evening. However, due to the location of Town Centre car parking all our local car parks, like Cockpit path and Easthampstead Road, are limited stay and would be unsuitable for regular resident parking.

• Another alternative for long term parking would be Murdoch Road, although given its isolated nature with the houses set back from the road we would be loath to leave our cars there on their own over night in fear of them being broken into or stolen. In addition parking on Murdoch road is again simply pushing the problem onto some other residents’ street.

• One way we could counter the need for parking on my road during the day would be to ensure that we drive everywhere and everyday (bar Sunday). Currently we try to use public transport as much as possible and walk to work/shopping etc. Of course, if necessary, we could give up an attempt to be greener and add my car to those on the road. Given the council has

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carbon reduction targets to hit, it seems a shame to be impacting on those instead.

Suggested Proposals that would allow us to support of the scheme • If the proposal for Sturges Road was

changed from pay and display one hour only, to also include resident permit holders (who we assume would have unlimited parking) then we would support the scheme as a way of generating revenue for the council

• Rather than locating so many quick-stop bays on Sturges Road, would the same results be given by turning the Cockpit Path car park from medium stay to short stay and charging accordingly? It would give a similar increase in revenue and also provided significantly more short stay parking in the town centre for those who just want to pop in. There is certainly sufficient other medium term parking provided elsewhere in the town centre.

• In an ideal world we would also like the scheme to also include restricted parking on the Sunday, forcing people attending the church to park in the Cockpit car park and not block the road, however we doubt the Council would support this stance.

• Perhaps consideration could be given to replacing the single yellow line at the end of Sturges Road with double yellow lines to prevent this contentious parking?

19.08.09 Paice Green, Wokingham No Official objection Better policing of the free parking to maintain The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and

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the 30min, one or two hour free stays would be preferable to more pay & display. A parking disc scheme with the cooperation (and sponsorship) of the local retailers is used by other councils and could also be considered. In my opnion, there is already ample pay & display parking around the town. There is a very fragile balance to be struck with regards to parking. The local economy in Wokingham (which has c.10 empty units including an anchor store - Woolworths) is not in a good position, there is significant competition with surrounding towns and this scheme can only disadvantage Wokingham.

1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

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19.08.09 Market Place, Wokingham

No Comment I'd like to see a reduction in parking charges all around wokingham in an effort to encourage people into the town. For town workers there should be a scheme whereby an employer registers their employees with the council. Those employees can then buy a windscreen sticker to allow them to park regularly in the town car parks for a greatly reduced fee. Employers might even want to purchase these for their staff. For visitors to the town or people wanting to

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for employees to park cars in

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pop to the shops there should be a simple cheap scheme.Eg. 50p for every hour up to 4 hours then £3 for the day ( up to midnight from when they park ) The parking meters should give change or there should be change machines positioned at car parks. This might bring people in to spend money in the town. Please don't find more ways to charge for parking.

the vicinity of their place of employment. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for employees as the public highway is for the use by the general public for passing and re-passing. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

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19.08.09 Oakey Drive, Wokingham No Official objection Suggest the traffic warden could monitor them and charge the offenders, not charge everyone


19.08.09 Alderman Willey Close, Wokingham

No Comments As a resident of Olivia Court in Alderman Willey Close, I believe that some motorists are using the Close for parking in excess of the waiting time indicated on the signs. I therefore understand the case for 'on-street' parking and certainly have some sympathy with it. However, an obvious question is why cannot the current system of parking 'be policed' by traffic wardens? Do the regulations simply need to be tightened up? This would clearly identify those motorists who are abusing the system by giving them a parking ticket - and a fine. I think it is a priority that more shoppers are encouraged to visit Wokingham and vacant shops filled. Peach Street in particular, seems to have been badly 'hit' due to the closure of Woolworth's, but I think it is fair to say that Peach Street has not been in 'good shape' for a number of years. There would

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the

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appear to have been some shops that have been closed for years, rather than months and certainly, before the start of the current recession. Some paving stones need to be replaced and generally, the street generally does not give a good impression for motorists passing through Wokingham. Peach Streets looks rather run down in places. It certainly looks as if it has seen better days. When were the pavements last properly cleaned? Some shops are badly in need of external decoration i.e. they look shabby. I do believe such issues are relevant to the introduction of 'on-street' parking charges and in any reviews of car parking fees. Whether the introduction of 'on-street' parking charges will help improve trade in Wokingham and help to open shops (which are not coffee shops) is therefore an important and relevant question to the proposal. However, I do believe that a comparatively short period of free parking e.g. 30 or 45 minutes, should be allowed generally in town centre car parks. Some other towns manage to do this - why cannot Wokingham? This would help those who want to come into Wokingham to visit just one shop or the library, for example. The block of flats where I live does have a private car park for residents. We have had on occasions motorists using the Olivia Court Car Park, who have no business to be parking there. Whilst this is currently not a major issue, I do have some concerns that with the introduction of 'on-street' parking charges in Alderman Willey Close, this may become more of a problem. In the

detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not

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circumstances, if the current proposal is introduced, I shall be asking our Directors and the company who manages Olivia Court on a day-to-day basis, to see what else we can do to reduce motorists who are attempting to avoid car parking charges, by using our private car park.

be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

19.08.09 Gipsy Lane, Wokingham No Official objection This will severly affect the already flagging business of the town centre. There is currently the right balance of free vs pay parking spaces in wokingham. Rolling out this proposal will simply put more pressure on the residential roads around wokingham which are already used by people working but not living in the town centre.

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are

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currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended.

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It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

19.08.09 Sturges Road No Official objection I am a resident of Sturges Road and live in one of the houses where a parking meter zone is proposed outside the house. I do not disagree with implementing a residents parking scheme in the town centre of Wokingham (such as parking permits) to prevent motorists treating the road as a car park. I do not see, however, why residents will now have to pay to park outside their own houses from Monday to Saturday. A parking permit scheme would surely be more appropriate as under the proposed scheme you are penalising residents for choosing to live in this area.

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally

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parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

19.08.09 Westward Road, Wokingham

No Official objection I object to the scheme as proposed. It will do nothing to bring business to the town's retail shops, the proposed charges are extortionate and this will discourage shoppers further. I realise that something has to be done but not at those prices. A successful scheme used elsewhere is for motorists to display a clock-style blue badge indicating time of arrival which can be judged against the regulation for that particular bay. Has this been considered? A scheme at Hungerford is for one meter per section of parking producing a double ticket, one for display in the vehicle and the other can be offered to participating traders who will refund the parking fee cost if the customer spends £5 or over (and their parking charges are only 40p for an hour and 90p for 2 hours!). I am sure traders would welcome such a scheme, Also the marked taxi bay adjacent to Clifton Ingrams in Broad street is empty during the day. Could this not be brought into general public use? Finally I object to the timing of this consultation period, being in August when many people are on holiday. This smacks of political expediency of a badly thought-out scheme.


19.08.09 Norreys Avenue – All Saints Church

No Comment The potential impact of the changes on accessibility for disabled users, elderly users and small children is notable; especially

Provision for the disabled has been considered within the proposal. Indeed, all the existing on street disabled provisions remains

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where time periods longer than one hour are needed. The alternative longer stay public parking on Easthampstead Road is on the other side of the very busy junction of London Road, Peach Street and Wiltshire Road where there is no provision to assist pedestrians to cross. It is important to note that this parking is adjacent to the large church yard which still functions as a community burial ground; visited by bereaved relations, many elderly, and others coming from outside the town. Visitors often spend more than one hour tending graves and giving voluntary help to maintain the grounds. The Norreys Avenue parking is a community facility and most usage is not for commercial or business purposes. There is no evidence of abuse by town centre shoppers or workers and no evidence of undue pressure on the available spaces. Therefore I submit that no obvious benefits for the residents of this community and those parking will be achieved by changing the regulations of this particular parking area, but on the contrary there will be a significant detrimental impact.

unchanged. In addition, drivers displaying a valid blue budge and associated parking timing disk are entitled to park in the pay and display spaces without charge. On the specific matter of the use of disabled parking spaces, it is not possible within current government legislation to introduce time limited disabled parking spaces. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is

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intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas.

19.08.09 The Terrace, Wokingham Yes Comment As a resident opposite your Shute End offices on The Terrace, I pay an annual fee for 2 parking permits of £70. This does not guarantee a parking space, but if the police were to enforce the regulations of 1 hour parking and removing those who park in resident only bays, I would not have to support this scheme so strongly. Every day there are cars parked for long periods of time -and this makes resident parking somewhat difficult. At times we have to


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drive and park somewhere away and collect our vehicles at a later time. Please go ahead with the parking pay and display scheme - this will surely discourage illegal parking all day, and allow those of us who have to pay for our permits to park in the vicinity of our homes.


19.08.09 No address given No Comment I am, like every other person in Wokingham, most dismayed at your proposal to introduce new parking charges throughout the town. When the town shops are in, as they have been for years, such a sorry state the idea of discouraging people from coming to the town by making them pay seems extraordinary, particularly as parking meters are not an open-ended form of charging - one has to decide in advance how long one might be in a shopping area and will not be tempted to linger longer and spend more. I will be especially affected by any charges or time restrictions that are put on the spaces in Norreys Avenue; the Cornerstone car park is not very large and when large events such as funerals are held at All Saints the spaces along the road are invaluable. I am not always sure how long I will be in the Cornerstone so how will I be able to decide in advance what to pay? It seems to me that your proposals will do little to increase your revenue, as they will be expensive to install and maintain and will do much to make Wokingham an even less agreeable place in which to shop and live

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will

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still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

19.08.09 Bathurst Road, Winnersh No Official objection I object to this proposal. It is nothing more than a revenue-raising exercise (this from a council which increased our council tax by 6% this year). If the idea of charging for on-street parking has indeed been ‘put forward as a way of reducing the number of people abusing the bays’ then Wokingham Council needs to employ someone with better ideas. Charging for short-term, on-street parking will only discourage shoppers and visitors, further disadvantaging Wokingham's shops and businesses. If the current parking regulations are not being observed, then the Council should enforce them! I would welcome this.

The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking

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attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

19.08.09 Lowther Close, Wokingham

No Official objection These changes will make Wokingham less appealing to shoppers.


19.08.09 Alderman Willey Close Yes Comment I broadly support the plan for parking charges around Wokingham town centre; however, I do have a couple of reservations. Firstly, for the scheme to be effective, it requires effective patrolling by Traffic Wardens. From experience, having lived in Wokingham for 15 years, where there has been single yellow line and limited waiting parking restrictions. I can say that I have only ever seen a traffic warden patrolling the parking restrictions in the road where I live a

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces

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handful of times and people blatantly flout the parking restrictions. The scheme will not work unless there is regular and visible patrolling of the locations, currently it is woefully inadequate bordering non-existent. Almost every day I see the current restrictions being ignored and flouted, the patrolling needs to be dramatically improved. Secondly, I can see the situation where private parking spaces are used by people in an attempt to avoid paying the charges. If the issue of effective & visible patrolling can be addressed, I see no reason why the scheme should not be successful.

enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

20.08.09 Northam Close, Lower Earley

No Official objection Charging for parking in Wokingham will only deter shoppers and whilst working in Wokingham I have never seen any major problem with the parking around the Town. Whilst visiting in Caversham last night which has a vibrant village centre only charges 20p for 2 hours in village centre car park.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line

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with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

20.08.09 Rances Lane, Wokingham

No Comment The proposed "Pay and Display" regulations are likely to cause distress and inconvenience to visitors to All Saints' Church and those who come to use The Cornerstone. I refer in particular to the occasional visitor coming mid week to attend for example a funeral or a memorial service when the inability to park nearby will cause particular distress and anxiety for those not familiar with the area. Similar problems may apply to those attending a wedding during the week or on a Saturday and especially those with limited personal mobility. The inconvenience caused is, I submit, disproportionate to the level of revenue that will be raised from this section of the scheme (as that is I am sure the whole purpose of the scheme is to raise money!). The pay and display car parks off Rose Street and elsewhere are already used by many who prefer to park off street so there is little justification for this scheme on parking capacity grounds. In general terms I am sure the whole scheme will have an unfavourable effect on the commercial activity in the town and this at a time when commercial decline is evident already and likely to increase. This is particularly the case for occasions when perhaps just one item is needed and the loss

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks.

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of free parking in Wokingham for the 30 mins necessary may make a trip to the Peel Centre more attractive. Finally the decision to give the period of formal notice of the changes during August many people's summer holiday could be construed as Machiavellian and designed to keep the number of objections down.

However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up

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the ‘quick stop’ parking.

20.08.09 Froghall Drive, Wokingham

No Official objection Since the ludicrous closure of the London Road Post Office I have been obliged to make a daily car trip into Wokingham to use the Post Office for business purposes. I am just able to complete the business within half an hour (if I am lucky in the queue!) and if I have a few minutes to spare will spend money in the local shops. In the event that parking meters are introduced, I shall unhesitatingly begin to drive to Crowthorne, where I can park outside the small post office free of charge, and will do my shopping there also. Another nail in the coffin of Wokingham town centre.


20.08.09 Rayner Drive, Arborfield No Official objection Yet another way for the council to extract money from people to fund their projects rather than going back to grass roots and asking themselves what a council is supposed to provide. (It should not be paid for parking bays). All this will do is make me go somewhere else where it is free or more convenient and sound another death knell to the wokingham town centre. Parking should be free and perhaps more basic. Stop trying to get more money from your residents with more schemes and get on with providing ESSENTIAL services only. You should be working to severly reduce the money required by the council not increasing it in whichever dircetion you can find. You could recoup the cost you hope to get back by removing the council resource you employ (saving the salary) to think up the schemes in the first place!

The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking have been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

20.08.09 Sturges Road, Wokingham

No Comment I object to parking charges in Sturgess road Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property.

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Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

20.08.09 Milton Road No Comment From a personal point of view my concern is that I run a small established B and B which has been running for 9 years. I would need permits for my guests to load and unload. They do not generally stay in the road during


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the day but they do need time to unload. My other concern is when my family visit with small children, push chairs etc, and all the other paraphernalia, it would not be possible for them to park away from the home and there are no car parks in the vicinity. Will I be allocated visitor permits? Without permits I will not be able to operate my B and B business. On a more general note, I do think that you should be encouraging people to come into the town and I would think at least 1 hour free parking would be more beneficial. Wokingham needs all the help it can get at the moment and parking meters may be the last straw for many shoppers. I also feel that this is yet more street furniture to maintain. Looking around the town the street furniture is shabby, Milton Road has rusting Victorian gas vents and these should be a feature! The traffic islands need weeding and generally the town is dirty and shabby. Will these meters be kept in a better condition?

Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they

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intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. The number of the machines is limited as one machine can service a number of spaces. It is not proposed to have one machine per space.

20.08.09 Milton Road No Comment The principle of introducing Pay and Display parking has some merits to counter the misuse of the current situation where, due to lack of any control, office workers and others are parking all day and creating difficulties for residents and their guests. I had a resident’s permit for 7-8 years but was denied renewal in July 2008 following review of the parking and the change to the scheme now in operation. This was on the basis that I had on-site parking. However, although I have a garage space, my driveway is of insufficient length to accommodate anything other than a very small car without encroaching upon the footpath and causing potential danger to pedestrians and the visually impaired. The problem is further compounded as visitors, including friends and family with young children and all that entails (buggies etc) to my house wil be unable to park for any length of time during the day or on Saturdays. With the whole of Milton Road

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking.

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being subjected to the restrictions, I have no viable alternative nearby. Furthermore, my wife runs a small Bed and Breakfast operation from the house and guests will need a permit to overcome the one hour restrictions proposed. I would have no objection to making a reasonable annual payment for a residents’ permit or for a voucher system or open permit for visitors and I request that the Council consider this as a sensible solution to the problem. The proposals indicate residents’ permit use outside my house which would with a permit provide a degree of security for our visitors. I trust the Council will consider the broader implications and adverse affect on residents.

The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

20.08.09 Heath Close, Wokingham No Comment My husband is resting in All Saints Churchyard. I visit him often. Sometimes I have to take old shoes, garden tools. If parking meters get placed along Norreys Avenue and All Saints Car Park is full, when am I to park and carry all those tools? I park at least two hours and when I arrange flowers in All Saints Church, even longer


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Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

20.08.09 Broad Street, Wokingham

No Official objection As residents, we understand the frustration caused by motorists who do not use the town centre parking spaces in the proper manner. We frequently have to park on double yellow lines or drive around town again to locate a vacant space when we get back. What concerns us in regard to your proposal is that you do not make or suggest any plans for how the scheme will affect residents. Our ‘assumption’, as this is all we have, is that you would issues residents with parking permits, without charge, as you will clearly appreciate from studying the properties in Rectory Road, that ours is one where the street parking is the only option available to us. For ourselves, the times in which you propose to make the charges, would not be a concern during the week, as we are at work. But obviously on a Saturday, a problem would arise. For these reasons, we have made these ‘assumptions’ about how you would resolve the residents’


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problems. From another point of view we cannot see how this scheme will solve the problems. The motorists who park here for the long periods, because it is free, clearly do so for this reason. By imposing pay and display charges, these motorists will clearly move to the next free parking area, namely Waitrose car park. We were also surprised that during the current climate of recession, you would consider a scheme which could effectively discourage people from calling into the town, for the quick stops you refer to in your letter.

Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

20.08.09 Headington Drive, Wokingham

No Official objection You indicate that one of the reasons for starting to charge for previously free on-street parking bays is to stop people abusing them by parking all day. Please note that all the parking spaces on the south side of the Rectory Road are not currently time limited, so people using them for all day parking are not 'abusing' them, or breaking the law. As a resident of Wokingham for 29 years I know that several years ago when the time limited spaces were checked by the then traffic wardens, the spaces were not abused. If the aim is to stop the spaces being abused

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre, was used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the

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so that more are available for short term use, then enforcement of the current restrictions would be the easiest solution - even random blitzes would be effective. Introducing charging for these parking bays would discourage people from using them to make short trips into town, it would be just as quick and cheaper to park in the off-street car parks. People may be more encouraged to take their custom elsewhere were parking is free, which would be to the detriment of the town centre shops and traders.

town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

20.08.09 Church Lane, Farley Hill No Official objection I really think that the extent of the proposed changes will deter people from visiting the town and further cause Wokingham town centre to decline. I have lived in Wokingham on and off for over 30 years now and feel that this would be a very backward step. To


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punish law abiding motorists who keep to the normal parking time limits by charging them for the pleasure is tackling the problem from the wrong end. There used to be a traffic warden - why not find a new one? If this plan proceeds, I, and I am sure many others, who generally visit Wokingham for short visits probably won’t bother any more. There are other centres that are equally as accessible as Wokingham to a lot of people, e.g. Woodley, Bracknell, etc that will probably do well out of these proposals. I really hope that sense prevails and these plans are rejected.

workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

20.08.09 Bowyer Crescent No Comment As a resident of some 23 years I would like to make comment on this proposal:

• I am wholly against the installation of parking meters in Wokingham;

• I wish to retain the current 30 minute free parking period;

• If there is a problem for town centre residents parking their cars, the solution is to enforce the current 30 minute free waiting period;

• The council should be aware that Wokingham town is dying on its feet. We have many empty shops and more businesses are failing. The last thing we need, therefore, is

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from

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to create a deterrent for people to come and shop here;

• From correspondence in the Wokingham Times it is clear that the proposal to end the 30 minute free parking facility is opposed by Wokingham residents, Wokingham traders, our MP, and the Liberal Democrats. It seems, therefore, that our current councillors are the only ones in favour of the proposal. As our elected representatives, you should listen to the views and needs of the town and scrap the proposal;

• It does seem that the installation of meters is intended, in fact, not to address parking concerns of residents but to boost council income. News of the heavy increase in allowances paid to our elected councillors and the peak summer timing of this consultation serve only to reinforce that view.

being displaced in to illegal parking areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

20.08.09 Church Street, Old Woking

No Comment How can shop workers afford the cost of all day parking?


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It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

20.08.09 Budges Gardens, Wokingham

No Official objection Short term visitors by car will be dissuaded from going into the town centre. This will have a detrimental effect on local businesses.


20.08.09 Sturges Road Yes Comment Most of the drivers who park in Sturges Road are working in the town and park all day without any restriction. Cockpit Path car park, at the town end of Sturges Road, has a maximum limit of 6 hours and is rarely full. If the maximum time was raised and a maximum time of 1 or 2 hours placed on Sturges Road (none at present) then this should increase the revenue from parking. It would also free up the street parking for quick stops (eg to the dentist and vets and town). The same would have to be done for Crescent Road and Murdoch Road as they are similarly close to the car park. This would hopefully increase the revenue to the council for only a small outlay. Obviously wardens would need to enforce this or the proposed new scheme. Many of my neighbours have given up all or part of their front gardens for parking. There would be a problem for visitors if parking charges were introduced. Would we be given parking permits?

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative

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Finally I have one request. Could consideration be given to changing the south side of Sturges Road from single yellow to double yellow line restriction? It is quite hazardous, on a Sunday in particular, when parking is permitted on both sides of the road, to get into or out of our own driveway. We have widened our driveway but it is still dangerous when high (eg people carrier) vehicles park along the road. I consider myself fortunate to live in the town centre and acknowledge that drivers need to park around the town. I therefore support any changes that will make the parking fairer, particularly to those just wanting free quick stop parking. However I believe more cost effective schemes could be considered and I look forward to following the progress of these changes.

safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

20.08.09 Clifton Road No Official objection This will drive the few remaining loyal town centre shoppers toward Bracknell which has better shops and easier parking. This unwelcome and unnecessary measure will make me join them.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they

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intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

20.8.09 Falcon Way No Official Objection If someone has to check the parking meters to enforce the law, why are the 30 minutes free parking places NOT INSPECTED as the meters will be, if done it will free up the spaces, and give you a income.

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property.

20.8.09 Broad Street No Official objection Appalled at the limited time frame to respond. We live close to Rectory Road and rely on this area to park as all other areas are permit parking or pay and display. It is unfair that those who have moved to Wokingham Town Centre because of the atmosphere and sociality are being penalised. Proposed plans in Rectory Road will leave many living in apartments nowhere to park.

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking

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within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

20.8.09 Plough Lane No Official Objection I have lived in Wokingham nearly all my life and I value what few benefits we have left. (Martin's Pool - need I say more...) The idea of charging for the short stay car parking spaces dismays me. The quick half hour in Rose Street - perfect for town for those quick 10 minute errands. Milton Road for the surgery and Alderman Willy for the dentist. I have never found a problem finding a space for short stay, and if I have, I have never had to wait long for one to come free. I have never heard anyone complaining of people taking advantage. If this scheme goes ahead, I would be less inclined to pop into town for quick errands

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered

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and would probably save up my jobs and take somewhere like Reading. Does the council honestly think that making people pay for parking will help bring trade into the town? And what about town centre workers? Where are they supposed to go from 9-5? Will the Easthampstead Road Car Park be sufficient? Please, reconsider. I don't know anyone who thinks this proposed scheme is a good idea.

because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for employees to park cars in the vicinity of their place of employment. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for employees as the public highway is for the use by the general public for passing and re-passing. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

20.08.09 Froghall Drive No Comment Completely opposed to parking metres/charging for the use of the short stay bays. It must be possible to deter people abusing the bays without penalising those people who have personal integrity

The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to

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ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space.

20.08.09 Copse Drive No Comment I use the free parking regularly and need to do so to visit the local shops and banks. The parking fees will seriously reduce the number of people visiting the town centre in this already difficult time for shopkeepers. I can't see why the bays cannot be supervised and checked regularly.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with

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the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

20.08.09 Murrell Hill Lane, Bracknell

No Comment I regularly pop in and out of Wokingham quickly to buy small value items. If parking charges are imposed I probably wont bother. This will mean less sales for Wokingham shops.


20.08.09 Dunford Place No Official objection As a health-care provider in Wokingham, I fear that this scheme will deter patients from using our services.


20.08.09 Barn Cottage Road No Comment I must state categorically that I am opposed to the introduction of this scheme, for the following reasons. 1 The Town is losing its critical mass, through lack of investment and direction in the redevelopment of the town centre, with more and more shops/ retail outlets closing. 2 We should be encouraging people to come into Wokingham to shop and enjoy the facilities, not introduce charges that will drive them away. Ask any retailer in the town and they will tell you that their footfall is down and they fear for their long term future. 3 Current car parks should be made free to encourage newcomers to come into

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a

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Wokingham, after all is said and done, this is a relatively rich town in a prosperous region of Great Britain.

longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

20.08.09 Lowther Close No Official objection This scheme will act as a disincentive to people using the Town centre for quick visits for convenience shopping to the detriment of the few shops that remain in the Town. It would seem logical that faced with the choice of visiting Wokingham with its limited range of shops and having to pay for the privilege, or driving a few miles further and parking for free at Bracknell with its superior facilities, that Bracknell would be the natural choice. The Council state that they know that the short stay bays are being abused by commuters and Town centre workers. This being the case, why isn't the Council using this knowledge to fine these people and using the income to help finance better enforcement?


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20.08.09 Rayner Drive No Comment If people are abusing limited waiting spaces by parking in them all day, surely you can fine/clamp them? How can metering all these spaces be a solution to that? In earning a few pounds through the proposed parking charges, you will push the majority of people wanting to a quick shop to other towns, or out-of-town retail parks. This will decimate trade in the town centre, and probably reduce your income in Business rates! How totally short sighted of you. This is an absolutely ridiculous proposal, and if you had any idea about the real world, you would pull it immediately.

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

20.08.09 Sturges Road No Comment I do not feel able to support the scheme as it currently stands because: 1) The parking problems experienced in

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property.

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Sturges Road are due to motorists parking on single yellow lines during restricted times and parking inconsiderately across driveways and on the pavements. (Usually when parents are delivering or collecting their children from school). The situation has become worse as traffic wardens no longer patrol the area. The proposed on street parking charges would not address this issue. The only way the situation could possibly be improved by this new scheme would be if the council parking attendants were able to enforce yellow line restrictions (ie Decriminalised Parking Enforcement). 2) Sturges Road is in a conservation area. Can we be assured that any parking meters will be in keeping with this status and will not be environmentally obtrusive? Note - The road outside numbers 27 and 29 Sturges Road is marked with a single yellow line, not as indicated on your diagram.

Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so

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less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. The number of the machines is limited as one machine can service a number of spaces. It is not proposed to have one machine per space.

20.08.09 Lowther Road No Comment Whilst the objective of freeing the spaces and preventing abuse is commendable, the scheme is going to have the opposite effect. A sufficient number of spaces DO turn over to enable most users to find a space. If there are problems with individuals who commute or work in town using them all day the answer is to strengthen the enforcement processes. Employing a warden to impose parking fines should mean that the person earns his/her salary if the abuse is as bad as suggested. One of the best features of Wokingham is that there is short-term free parking.

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre, was used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the

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Charging makes it lose its charm. Your approach is penalising the vast majority of residents because of the behaviour of the minority. The solution should be to find an effective way to penalise that minority so that they desist.

town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

20.08.09 Sewell Avenue No Official objection Whilst I appreciate that these bays are open to abuse, does the Council not employ parking attendants who could monitor usage and impose fines? If not this might be a way to manage the problem without discouraging visitors at a time when the town is not an attractive or exciting place to visit.

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with

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the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

20.08.09 Rose Street No Official objection As a resident within rose street there are not sufficient residents’ bays in easy access of the town end of rose street to meet the demand. We as residents have no choice but to park in the 30 minute bays at times. In addition there is no policing currently of the existing bays so often residents spaces are filled with none residents. The key issue is that more bays are required this would ensure that the 30min bays were abused less. With the new scheme we as residents with permits could easily end up paying for parking especially on a Saturday. There is also no scheme for visitors parking, so currently as a resident visitors can get away with longer than 30 minutes in the bays. In future this would result in visitors having to pay in the town centre car parks. This is not ideal in a residential area. If this scheme is to go ahead I would suggest increasing the number of residents’ bays and having a visitor scheme where a timed pass with say a 2hr limit can be issued to visitors.

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use

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by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

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20.08.09 Chapel Lane, Spemcers Wood

No Official objection I have never had a problem finding a place to park around the town centre, even at Christmas. If commuters and town centre workers are abusing the system why are the council not investing in traffic wardens to regulate the system and fine those who abuse it, rather than imposing charges on those of us who use it correctly? This appears to be a simple case of revenue raising for the council and will put people off coming into a town centre already struggling with several empty shopping outlets.

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

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The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

20.08.09 Rose Street No Comment I am not convinced that charging money for 30-minute parking in the town centre would increase the availability of free spaces. This would not really make the town more attractive for neither ‘short-stop’ or ‘long-stop’ shoppers, but obviously the parking fines for people overstaying their ‘welcome’ could potentially become a nice income for the council. On a more personal note, being a resident of Rose Street on the more central end and not having any off-street parking, I would (if the proposal is accepted) appreciate more flexibility for us residents the suggested parking zones. That some zones are excluded for residents permit holders for the for the full 8am-6pm period is not really convenient for people leaving for work closer to 9am or returning already at 4.30-5pm. For the morning slot, it isn't very practical to have to move the car for 40-50 minute duration.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces

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has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line

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with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

20.08.09 Clifton Road No Official objection I object to this proposal on the following grounds: 1. I do not agree with the justification put forward by the Council; in the nine years I have lived in Wokingham I have never found difficulty in parking in the free spaces, at any time of the day or day of the week. This appears to be a simple revenue-raising scheme; to pretend otherwise is misleading at best, dishonest at worst. 2. If people are abusing the current system, the Council should be enforcing the regulations, not charging law-abiding drivers instead. 3. Maximum proposed parking time is one hour - this is not sufficient for, for example, a doctor's appointment (including waiting time of up to half an hour) followed by a trip to the chemist to fill a prescription, or for people attending Church or other functions. 4. This would make a shopping trip to our already depressed shopping centre even less attractive than it currently is. The effect would be to reduce trade for town centre shops, and adversely affect the proposed redevelopment of the town centre.

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre, was used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display

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spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by

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21.08.09 Highfield Close No Official objection We are concerned with the new scheme as it is very likely to mean that instead of people parking on Milton Road (where there is currently no issue with parking) they will start parking more in Highfield Close, which is a private drive, for free. Currently there is only just enough space for residents, we strongly feel that this scheme would stop Highfield Close residents being able to park outside their homes.

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking

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necessary action if required.

21.08.09 Wescott Road – Councillor for Wescott Ward

No Official objection The scheme would do nothing for the town, apart from discouraging potential shoppers and moving the other parking to roads beyond those covered by charges. I accept that to decriminalise parking would be advantageous and that we should use current resources to police restricted areas.


21.08.09 John Redwood MP No Official objection This proposal, far from reducing costs, will increase them sharply. It requires substantial capital investment in meters and supporting systems and collecting the cash. I fully support reductions in costs and overheads. A suitable start would be to stop proposals and consultations like this, which must be costly to produce.

The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding

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The case against higher and more parking charges is very simple. The town centre of Wokingham has been weakened by the delay of the developer in implementing the planning application granted to him to renovate and improve the town centre, and by the subsequent delay in finding an alternative way forward to improve the shops. There are some good shops and hard working shop keepers in the town, but the empty shops and blank frontage, especially in Peach Street, detracts from the total retail offer. Wokingham also faces stiff competition from Reading, the Meadows and other neighbouring centres. In this situation, Wokingham can still offer something the larger centres cannot offer – shorter journeys and easier to access shops. Most people will come to shop in Wokingham by car. We need to make them feel welcome, and provide free or low cost parking which is easy to use. I have in the past urged the Council to make its own extensive car park available free to Saturday shoppers. I think now we need to go further and to offer free parking for the first couple of hours for shoppers using a couple of the town centre Council owned car parks, with a rebate offered through town centre shops participating in the scheme. The last thing we need is intrusive meters on streets, with a new army of traffic wardens enforcing the rules. Not only will it be dearer for shoppers, but it will change the atmosphere, making people less inclined to come. We need a more welcoming town, not a less welcoming one.


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No Comment I live in Twyford and enjoy short visits to the shops or library in Wokingham, especially when I know that I should be able to park for a 30 minute free parking place without too much trouble. If parking meters are introduced and these free-parking areas disappear, I will not want to visit Wokingham nearly as often. If other people feel the same then shops will become less busy, leading to even more closures than there are already.



No Comment I live in Twyford and occasionally pop in to the shops in Wokingham, making use of the 30-minute free parking spaces. If parking meters are introduced and these free-parking spaces were to disappear, it would probably not be worth coming to Wokingham. It would also probably be much harder to find somewhere to park even if I were prepared to pay at a meter as these would be taken by people parking for much longer periods and ‘feeding’ the meters. I am sure that if other people feel the same then shops will become less busy, leading to even more closures than there are already. As a tax-payer to Wokingham, I think that parking meters would be a drain on the resources. They would probably collect less money than it would take to set up and maintain them.


21.08.09 No address given No Comment I wonder if you would care to justify the proposed annual operating costs against the cost of one – or even two – traffic wardens?

The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have

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From the lack of enforcement currently enjoyed it would seem that we have no regular patrols and although not the most enthusiastic supporter of them I do believe they would at least stop the use of some bays for periods far in excess of their limits. Anyone who regularly walks around town would be familiar with this abuse.

been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

21.08.09 No address given No Comment I use the free ½ hour parking bays in Wokingham once a week. I pop to the bank and into two or three shops to purchase a few items. Then I drive on to Tesco for my weekly shop. If I have to pay to pop into town I will just not bother at all. I do not understand how making people pay for parking will increase trade in the town. If I could park for an hour free, then I would browse the shops and almost certainly spend more! Like many others I’m sure. Why not just bring back the traffic wardens to catch those flouting the time restrictions? I did not realise that we no longer had wardens! Wokingham is already a ghost town, how many more empty shops shall we see?

The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have

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been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

21.08.09 Larkspur Close No Official objection I believe that installing meters will reduce trade in Wokingham shops from people like myself who want to ‘pop in’ to carry out a couple of errands. Part of the attraction of a small town like Wokingham is that one can still find parking convenient to the shops. If the Council is serious about increasing


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trade in the town centre, it should increase the numbers of free parking places available. I would suggest:

1. Making parking free in all of the Council’s car parks on Saturday.

2. There are currently far more taxi spaces in the town centre than necessary. Some of those could be converted to 30 minute bays.

If the Council believes that motorists are exceeding the 30 minute limit on these free bays, then it should hire a traffic warden. The cost of the traffic warden would be offset by the fines collected. I know of other towns that took on traffic wardens as a profit centre, though I am not suggesting that Wokingham does that! I appreciate that the Council is trying to contain its costs. However, I believe that this is the wrong way to do it and I for one would be please to pay a few more pounds on my Council tax to keep the free parking bays.

The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from

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being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

21.08.09 Arbor Lane No Comment I have followed the debate the The Wokingham Times regarding the pro’s and con’s of introducing parking meters to what used to be a lovely market town. There can be no doubt that Wokingham as a shopping centre is suffering severely on two fronts. It is suffering of course because of the recession, but it is also suffering because it is not competitive with neighbouring towns. It really has nothing to offer that is special – so many people now shop in alternative towns. Reading, Bracknell, Camberley, Basingstoke and Guildford for example. Also, many people treat Waitrose as an out of town store – they go there to shop, parking is free and then go home. The Council must work with the businesses – not against them. We all need to find ways to make our books balance – but to charge more is not always the best answer. . Wokingham Councillors and Officers obviously did not engage with the developers hoping to redevelop the town centre and now we are left in a muddle. Each party is equally to blame, although of course, like naughty children, they each blame the other one! Previously there was a ridiculous proposal to introduce a two way road system in the town – there was a public meeting and it became apparent there was support from on Councillor, one planning officer and a businessman whose business was not in town. The elected members are there to represent the electorate, so why not have a public meeting to debate this very important issue? If it is such a good idea to charge people for parking, why not introduce parking restrictions on every road in the


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district and employ a team of vigilant wardens to strictly enforce the law? Of course not because such an idea is ridiculous – but it is also ridiculous to price people out of coming to shop in Wokingham.

21.08.09 No address given No Comment I regularly park in Rose Street, where parking is allowed for half an hour. This enables me to go to the bank and visit a few shops. Other times in Milton Road which gives two hours free parking. If meters were installed I will no longer visit to do business in Wokingham. With today’s society, I would expect that the meters would be great targets for vandals and the maintenance costs therefore high. Public toilets, where are they? I do wonder what sort of Councillors and officials we have in charge of the town and area and would suggest that some of them need their positions reviewed, also staff levels, salaries and if any expenses claimed and paid. Details of expenses claimed should be available for the general public, included on the internet. I do now own my own property and my Council tax for 2009/10 is £2036.28. I receive a 25% rebate which means it costs me £29.37 out of my old age pension each week, approximately 25% of my state pension. Now they want to introduce new parking charges. If they do, Wokingham will not see me for shopping.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The proposed parking spaces are in the locations where parking is currently permitted and so changing the restriction to pay and display should not have an impact on the manoeuvres carried out by vehicles in the road.

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21.08.09 Town Centre Neighbourhood Action Group

No Comment Thankfully there is relatively little crime in the town, and one of the NAG’s objectives is to keep it that way. We feel the best way to do this is to help to maintain a healthy and vibrant town. Thus we have been doing everything we can to increase footfall in the town. We now feel that the proposed charging for the ‘free’ parking bays is detrimental to that cause. Comments on Report

• Section 1 – Background Section 1.1 Enforcement – We have no problem with the basic comments made here but more of that later. Section 1.2 The ‘free’ parking bays may be the subject of abuse. However, as a person frequently using both the free and pay parking in Wokingham, I rarely have a problem finding a space. Section 1.3 The issue of residential ‘on street’ parking permit parking seems to have little to do with the ‘free’ parking issue. If there is a problem then review and simplify. • Section 2 – Analysis of issues Section 2.1 As said above – the issue of residential ‘on street’ permit parking has little or no bearing on the issue of charging for the ‘free’ bays. However, we agree with a review. Sections 2.2 / 2.4 – We feel that assumptions on the usage of proposed 50p / £1 per half an hour bays, and the resulting forecast revenue stream is

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to

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flawed. The public may pay for bays close to the town centre. However, at others they will waste 10 mins of their time walking into and out of town. It is far better for them to use the pay car parks closer in – 70p for one hour. Or are these charges going up as well? Thus we feel that the bays in question will not pick up the 50% rate occupancy used in the financial forecasts in section 3. Section 2.3 This suggests that introducing ‘on street’ charging on the ‘free’ bays will cause and increase the problems elsewhere ie on restricted roads, parking in other residential streets, retail parking areas etc. Does this not imply that it is better to cure the problem at source and concentrate on better policing of the ‘free’ bays? Our conclusions and Recommendations We feel that any charging for the now ‘free’ bays in isolation to an overall review of the town car parking would be detrimental to the wellbeing of the town. We also feel that any review on town parking should be associated with the proposed regeneration of the town. However, we do suggest; a) A review of the residential permit

system. b) Introducing stricter policing of ‘free’

bays. Rather than the present continuous low priority approach, we recommend a policy of random ‘blitz’

encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway

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days. This would be more effective and unlikely to attract any additional charges from the police.

c) An overall review of the car parking in Wokingham to include: The possible reintroduction of traffic wardens as an in-house solution A cascade system of parking where short stay parking for shoppers is close to the town centre and long term parking, designed to attract town workers, further out. A season ticket system for town workers

d) Finally, should the charging for ‘free’ bays go ahead then we strongly suggest that any revenue forthcoming should be ‘ring fenced’ and be used to help the town through the period prior to regeneration.

and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

21/.08.09 Binfield Road No Comment I frequently use the short term parking areas around the town and come to Wokingham town because of them. If these meters were brought in it would deter me from popping into Wokingham. The current system has never been a problem. Councillor Baker’s comments that people are flouting the clear time restrictions beggar belief.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to

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Surely the simple answer is to put in place someone to enforce the time limits that exist and are already enforceable by law. You could give them a uniform, so that they act as a physical determent to anyone thinking of flouting the clear time limits, and possibly even an important sounding job title. A good traffic warden not only enforces parking but is also a valuable asset to a town, acting as an invaluable source of information to residents and visitors alike. I am sure that they would be able to raise a certain amount of revenue from the people that are currently flouting the time limits, they could also assist in keeping the disabled bays free for blue badge holders, the taxi ranks clear for use by the taxis and if they had any time left from these duties they could patrol the town centre roads and stop vehicles loading and unloading during prohibited times and ticket anyone using the double yellow lines. I am sure that if the Council have £140,00 available to spend on employing a traffic warden or two you might find a very long list of applicants. If this ridiculous scheme is given approval, there is still going to be a requirement for somebody to enforce the new clear parking restrictions, so where is the benefit of introducing new bylaws, installing equipment and producing a further tax on people that wish to pop in to town and support the shops that are left and trying to survive these harsh trading times. If the Councillors really did want to encourage the shoppers and help the traders they would make free car parking

determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

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available in their car parks every day. This would also negate the need to spend £140,00 on their proposed scheme. It would appear that the Councillors are trying to solve a problem that doesn’t even exist.

21.08.09 No address given No Official objection The Council appears to be using the proposal as a money raising scheme for its own purposes. It has offered no rational explanation of the cost/benefits expected and this leads me to believe that it has ignored the social costs involved. The proposed scheme is also badly designed. I particularly object to the proposal to levy charges in Norreys Avenue. The street parking in this road is used largely for people making use of the Cornerstone Building. Many of the activities in the Cornerstone exceed two hours so that the spaces will not be suitable for people attending such events. As you may be aware, many of these people are elderly or infirm and cannot walk the distance from other longer term car parks even if they can afford them. Thus by its proposed action the Council would be effectively denying such people the opportunity to participate in activities in the Cornerstone.

The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative

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safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

21.08.09 Kiln Ride, Wokingham No Official objection Sir, common sense suggests that the free slots are useful to residents and local business. Surely if there's a problem with all day parking, then you need a traffic warden to monitor the bays. Waitrose can manage this for its parking, why can't the council? Please let common sense prevail for the sake of the town centre, local business, and residents


21.08.09 Rose Street, Wokingham No Official objection I would like to object to this proposal and plead with the council that they don't introduce this scheme. My reasons for this are as follows: Resident’s bays are frequently full during the day meaning I will have to pay for the


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privilege of parking at my home. I have my own business I often go back to the hous during the day time. The current free 30 minutes allowance serves me very well. There should be more frequent traffic warden inspections to deter frequent offenders -frequent traffic warden inspections would be needed anyway if a parking charge scheme were introduced. Those who disrespect the rules should be punished rather than the residents. Residents permits have risen by 600% this year. I think we already pay enough. If a scheme is introduced, more residents bays should be opened up on Rose Street. We are the ones who are going to suffer under these new rules. Wokingham should be different. Just because other councils are charging to park everywhere, it doesn't mean we have to. We should use this as a differentiator, something to add to the towns attraction. You don't need to pay 60p/£1 to park for quick errands such as picking up a prescription or buying a news paper. We should be proud of this free parking. As I've said back this up with frequent parking warden visits. Please don't make the residents and council tax payers suffer any more financially because of the selfishness of a few motorists.

by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display

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spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

21.08.09 Wokingham Methodist Church

No Comment Wokingham Methodist Church hosts funerals and weddings from time to time. It has been our practice on these occasions, with the past blessing of the town traffic wardens, that we cone off the area on Rose Street to the side of the Church to accommodate official vehicles. It would cause considerable


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difficulties if we were unable to use this parking area on these occasions. Clearly we could not expect wedding or funeral parties to pay parking charges whilst the service was in progress. Incidentally we have no official parking for the Church in any other location. Please could you take this consideration on board as you finalise your plans? Also, we are aware of the considerable opposition to the scheme from local residents and retailers and the report from the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee. As a church we share the concerns that these proposals would harm the town at this time.

by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

21.08.09 Highfield Close No Official objection If parking charges are implemented in all the streets listed it will lead to more parking chaos, it can only be a minority of motorists that flout the rules. The majority of law abiding motorists have to suffer. Where are the Traffic Wardens to issue tickets to theses offenders?

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre, was used to assist in

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designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

21.08.09 Milton Road No Official objection Letter Submitted 21.8.09 & Photos attached of Road usage Re: Milton Road Parking Changes Further to the information supplied regarding the proposed changes to the parking provision in Milton Road I have the following comments.

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre, was used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be

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- The parking down Milton Road in the evening and at weekends is light. I have taken photos last weekend so you can see usage. See attached. - Parking can be busy in the week when some people park here and either go to the railway station or pop into town. - Clearly the Council is seeking to generate an income from the parking down Milton Road. - I am a resident and have applied for a Residents Permit and have been declined despite the previous owners of the property having one. - Whilst my property does have a garage facility the access to it is not practical for daily usage. The garage is actually down a side alley where I have a ‘right of access’ but belongs to the Martin & Pole Auction house, they and their customers need access to this alley throughout the day, so I would not be allowed to park my vehicle outside my garage as it will block access. It is very difficult to get the car into the garage particularly mine – an estate - as the alley ‘dog tails’ fairly steeply. Also I cannot shut the garage door when the vehicle an estate is inside, as the door will not close. I have asked that someone from the Council come and view the situation but they declined. - I am a responsible resident and wanted to take care of my parking hence I came to buy the Permit out the day before I moved.

some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this.

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- I also am a parent (single) to two young children where I am in and out of the car frequently so the day-to-day usage of the garage is impractical. - I am concerned about the proposed changes as undoubtedly this will have a major impact on my ability to park down my road. - I believe the conditions that apply to obtaining a Residents Permit need to be reviewed as part of your parking review process. - I would be happy to pay a sensible amount (more than the £5 current fee) to be able to have a Residents Permit particularly when I can clearly see that there is access to parking.

Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

21.08.09 Alderman Willey Close No Comment Although we appreciate the reasons behind the proposed changes, we do believe that the proposals are unfair to local residents. The restrictions from Monday to Friday from 9 – 6 are unlikely to affect us and most residents adversely , however, the restrictions on a Saturday, we believe are likely to affect us and other local residents negatively. We have two cars and one parking space on our drive, this means that we occasionally park in the proposed restricted areas, particularly at the weekend. During the weekday restricted periods we are typically at work with our cars and therefore this does not affect us. At the weekends the charges of £1 per hour would be prohibitively expensive for ourselves on the occasions that we use the spaces, and equally importantly our friends

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and

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or relatives visiting us on a Saturday morning or an afternoon. As a solution, we would ask that residents’ permits are issued to those living in the immediate vicinity of the proposed charges.

permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

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21.08.09 Shute End No Official objection A traffic warden would do the same job without risking losing town centre trade.


21.08.09 Laburnum Road No Official objection I do not believe charging for parking bays especially in the current economic climate is an incentive for people to come to Wokingham to shop and spend their money. The officials who have managed Wokingham town centre, have over the years not only let it’s residents and traders down but also those wishing to visit Wokingham by offering such a poor town centre. Apart from Banks, Restaurants, Estate Agents and numerous empty shops there is not much to offer today’s shopper or curious visitor. Wokingham’s town centre is an embarrassment, considering it is meant to be one of the wealthiest and most desirable places to live in England. It would help all those concerned such as town centre traders and residents by making Wokingham a vibrant and interesting place to visit and to


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consider the bigger picture rather than sticking a plaster on a gapping wound.

21.08.09 Carters Hill, Wokingham No Official objection I will travel to Twyford to do my banking and visit the post office rather than pay to stop in wokingham (as it is a similar distance for me)


21.08.09 Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce

No Comment Just to confirm that Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce endorses the direct responses you have received from its members. We do not agree with any installation of parking meters, now or in the future. Revenue streams should not be considered. Economic drivers and attracting businesses and shoppers into Wokingham should be the key driver. Especially in these current economic times. Not barriers to this. Other options must be considered.


21.08.09 No address given No Comment This proposal is outrageous. The charges in Council car parks are already excessive and the Council seems hell-bent on discouraging people from visiting our town. Local traders must despair. Perhaps with the money saved by such popular measures as closing public toilets and dispensing with dog waste collection bins the Council could afford to employ someone to enforce the time restrictions on the free parking spaces in the town centre. Parking meters are totally inappropriate for a town like Wokingham and I do not think that anyone in their right mind would favour such a scheme.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of

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the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas.

21.08.09 Twycross Road – also Town Councillor for Sandy Bottom Ward

No Comment I am extremely concerned at the proposals to install parking meters in Wokingham Town Centre. I would strongly oppose such a move. It would be deeply off-putting to shoppers and town visitors and the meters themselves would be aesthetically dreadful. I realize there are problems with people overstaying their welcome in the town centre bays, but a PCSO enforcing the current arrangements would be a lot cheaper, more convenient and surely more appealing to our constituents than installing meters.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. The number of the machines is limited as one machine can service a number of spaces. It is not proposed to have one machine per space. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display

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21.08.09 Town Councillor for Emmbrook South Ward

No Comment Apart from the unsightliness of these meters, I do not feel that they have any place in Wokingham. The town centre businesses are struggling enough without the imposition of this additional deterrent to trade, and if anything we should be looking at a period of grace in official car parks to stimulate trade. I understand that the problem is more one of enforcement than revenue raising, and I hope that is the case. However, if there is a problem with enforcement, I would ask what we are doing employing PCSOs if they are not available to undertake this aspect of their duties. In conclusion, I have met one of my constituents who is in favour of this proposal, and I would urge that it is consigned to the dustbin where it belongs.

The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. The number of the machines is limited as one machine can service a number of spaces. It is not proposed to have one machine per space. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

21/08/09 Thames Valley Police No Comment From the many conversations I have had with members of the public of Wokingham and with those engaged in retail and other commercial interests in the town, I would report as follows. It is clear that there needs to be a balance between supporting the business and commercial sector, encouraging use of the town by residents and visitors and obviously ensuring the town

The proposed parking spaces are in the locations where parking is currently permitted and so changing the restriction to pay and display should not have an impact on the manoeuvres carried out by vehicles in the road. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions.

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remains a safe place with a free flow of traffic. The current situation of parking bays in the town centre is something which can affect the free flow of traffic. The loading and unloading from HGVs in the town is a constant problem, however having spoken with many of the retailers and those delivering to premises in the town, they complain that the access to the shops and restaurants in many cases is not suitable for them to deliver without causing some disruption. It may be prudent to review the current parking arrangements which are available to the stores where this has caused a problem to date in order to reduce many of the problems raised in the correspondence which the Council has received. In terms of on street parking charges. This may lead to drivers parking on double yellow lines, but it’s more likely that they will park in residential streets or other car parks where there is no charge in force; as such it follows that there may be increased calls to the police or Council to deal with inconsiderate parking incidents. In terms of on street parking charge infringements, Thames Valley Police do not have additional resources in place to assist with parking infringements of this nature and it would be desirable to seek decriminalisation of this matter in order that this may be ‘policed’ by the local authority.


21.08.09 First Buses Yes Comment We fully support the proposal for more effective regulation and enforcement of parking restrictions in Wokingham Broad

The proposed parking spaces are in the locations where parking is currently permitted and so changing the restriction to pay and

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Street. We also support the proposed removal of parking from the south side of Broad Street outside Lloyds Bank, which should relieve congestion on the approach to the bus stops. However, the access road at the side of the bank means that the bus sop area will remain inadequate when two full sized buses are there at the same time. We believe that the space allocated to the bus stops in Broad Street should be subject to a wider review, including a site meeting involving the major operators. Congestion is experienced on both sides of Broad Street, partly due to abuse of the existing parking restrictions and partly due to the length of the bus stopping areas being inadequate. The situation on the south side would be alleviated if the bus stopping area could be extended further west into the rear of what I believe is currently a taxi rank.

display should not have an impact on the manoeuvres carried out by vehicles in the road.

21.08/09 Starmead Drive No Comment As all Saints Church members, who also act as sidemen and vergers, we wish to remind the Council that there is a need for short-term parking for funerals, weddings and other weekday services and that charging a minimum of 1 hour’s parking will affect all those needing to park their vehicles in order to attend religious services during the week – by no means does everyone who attends the church live within walking distance. We wish strongly to register our opposition to the plan to introduce 1-hour parking charges in Norreys Avenue on the grounds that it will impose restrictions on a significant number of those wishing to attend worship at All Saints.

Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within

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In addition to the effects upon attendance at the church itself, there is the not inconsiderable impact upon the many, many people who use The Cornerstone. This is an invaluable community amenity – and the financial input from the Council was much appreciated. – but to penalize those, for example, who call to make use of the Berkshire Counseling Service and classes such as Singing for the Brain would appear to be a backward step and detrimental to community provision. On a purely personal level, we would have thought that it would have been more cost-effective and efficient to have employed an occasional traffic warden to control the selfish users of the short stay street parking. Perhaps someone already employed within the transport department of the Council could be given to occasional brief to tour the streets. In this way, the few could be punished rather than the many who wish to visit the town for a short stay. We are of the opinion also that the widespread introduction of parking meters will not only have a disadvantageous effect upon all the streets, including Norreys Avenue, but will also undoubtedly have a damaging effect upon trade within the town.

the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town

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centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

21/08/09 Arthur Road, Wokingham No Comments I strongly oppose the proposals currently being discussed by the Councilors regarding parking charges and the introduction of parking meters in our main streets of Wokingham for the following reasons:

1. We are a market town with responsible citizens, NOT a city. We do not need parking meters. All we need is the traffic warden we used to have who gave a parking ticket to anyone who overstayed the half hour in Broad Street and the allotted time elsewhere. The problem that has arisen is that there is no one now to police the parking bays, so some motorists take advantage of the situation. BRING BACK THE TRAFFIC WARDEN.

2. If the parking proposals as suggested are implemented, with ½ hour parking in Broad Street at £1, why should visitors come to Wokingham to shop? As it is we have far too many empty shops and we should be looking at ways of encouraging people to come to Wokingham, not the reverse. LET US HAVE FREE ½ HOUR

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

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PARKING IN COUNCIL CAR PARKS AND MAIN STREETS BUT POLICE THE TIMING PROPERLY.

3. Wokingham already has far too much street furniture with bollards and the camera installations to negotiate and the road signs around the Town Hall. The pavements are too narrow for comfort and badly maintained.

4. The capital costs of introducing parking meters far outweigh the proposed income. It will take years to pay them off and I thought David Lee, the Leader of the Council, said that the Council was short of money! This will not be an income generator for the Council but a definite increase in our Council Tax.

5. May I bring to your attention that there are at least 4 parking spaces always empty outside the solicitors, Clifton Ingram, in Broad Street. They are labeled TAXI but no taxi ever uses them. Please could these be brought back into the parking scheme in Broad Street of half hour free parking, as it exists at the moment? I hope that you will take notice of this request and act upon it.

The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. The number of the machines is limited as one machine can service a number of spaces. It is not proposed to have one machine per space.

21/08/09 Milton Road No Comment 1. The town is losing its critical mass, through lack of investment and direction in the redevelopment of the town centre, with more and more shops / retail outlets closing.

2. We should be encouraging people to come into Wokingham to shop and enjoy the facilities, not introduce charges that will drive them away.


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Ask any retailer in the town and they will tell you that their footfall is down and they fear for their long term future.

3. Current car parks should be made free to encourage newcomers to come into Wokingham; after all is said and done, this is a relatively rich town in a prosperous region of Great Britain.


21.08.09 Walter Road, Wokingham No Comment This is a retrograde and damaging step which will greatly affect small traders who are already experiencing hard times. It will drive many more shoppers into the arms of the supermarkets with their free parking. No way to help the small shopkeeper who is already suffering from the increased rates and taxes and reduced turnovers. On top of this, the proposed charges are excessive compared with present car park charges and appear to be simply a means of ‘milking’ the out of town shopper, who must either pay up or decide that Wokingham is not for him and feel forced to shop elsewhere without being penalised for so doing.

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town

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centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

21.08.09 Shute End, Wokingham No Official objection If people are parking longer than permitted in the waiting spaces, simply making use of a traffic warden would easily solve the issue without the need to introduce such an extraordinary proposal as to introduce parking meters at extortionate rates. Presumably a traffic warden would need to be employed anyway, to ensure people are still not outstaying the permitted time even after payment, which does raise the question that this scheme is really a money making exercise. As a town centre resident I notice that your letter suggests the scheme having a more positive impact on ‘residents’ parking’. I believe a lot of the cases of people staying longer than permitted simply are town centre residents for whom parking is exceedingly difficult with Wokingham’s current residents’ parking scheme. I feel if this proposal is really intended to aid residents’ parking, a system such as one employed in Reading or Henley whereby a resident has a permit to park in any bay deemed residents’ in the whole town centre would allow residents better ability to park and would possibly be farm easier for the Council to administer. Whether the reason behind the scheme is to raise money for the Council, or to lessen the

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not

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‘impact on residents’ parking’ that it will backfire on Wokingham commerce significantly. You may not raise the money you hope, as many people will not be prepared to pay to stop, shops will suffer; the impact on the town could be catastrophic, as it has in other towns who have introduced similar parking charges. You only need to do a ‘Google’ search on the internet to be inundated with hundreds of other examples of such a scheme destroying the town centre commerce.

be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as

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visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking.

21.08.09 Shute End, Wokingham No Comment I thought we wished to encourage people to come to Wokingham and use our shopping facilities. This will most certainly discourage people and I believe it looks very unwelcoming to the town user. If there are problems with people using the parking illegally then I see no reason why the warden for the Paddocks car park could not tour the town at odd times and issues parking tickets. This would quickly deter those who are using the parking for all day. I must say that I have not noticed that there are no free spots at the half hour parking areas during the day. Has there been research done on this?

It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils

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general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. The machines proposed to be used are the same as those currently used by the Council within their off street car parks. They have been in use without issue for years within the borough and standardisation ensures that users and operatives alike are familiar with the equipment. The number of the machines is limited as one machine can service a number of spaces. It is not proposed to have one machine per space.

21.08.09 Greater Langborough Road Residents’ Association

No Comments I was interested in the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee held on 16th July and wanted to address with you two specific points related to Langborough Road. As I am sure you are aware, the parking chicanes in the road have been set up with some care, enabling calming of the traffic for the benefit of residents, combined with sensible traffic flow. However, it only takes one or two vehicles parked outside the parking bays to seriously disrupt traffic, particularly at rush hours. Effective enforcement would stop that

The proposed parking spaces are in the locations where parking is currently permitted and so changing the restriction to pay and display should not have an impact on the manoeuvres carried out by vehicles in the road. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars

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problem and I’m sure that decriminalizing parking as our neighbouring unitaries have done would enable that to happen. In the meantime we need the PCSOs to take their enforcement role seriously. As part of the current consultation on ‘quick stop parking’ I notice that the draft TRO contains provision for one parking meter attendant. How will that fit with police parking enforcement? Will one enforcement officer be able to cope with the spread of roads considered, let alone the illegal parking that will result in neighbouring roads? Quite simply, on-road parking in Wokingham is hardly ever enforced and again I would like to ask that we do de-criminalise parking as soon as possible so that WBC can then take responsibility for enforcement as part of an overall parking management policy. I believe that you have commented that this could take up to two years to implement (why?) but I can only respond by saying that the sooner we implement the process the quicker we’ll achieve it. When I talked to Traffic Management a year ago I got the impression that you were looking at it then. Why are we no further forward after 12 months? The specific concern behind this letter is that with the introduction of paid parking in neighbouring roads and very limited enforcement, Langborough Road will pick up a displaced problem. This then brings me back to the original request for permit parking for residents in Langborough Road. Can I also suggest that as part of the current

parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town

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consultation a more holistic approach is made to parking close to the town centre including enforcement and permit parking?

centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

21.08.09 Wokingham Area Access Group

No Comment If this scheme is introduced incorrectly, it could be the devil in disguise, and we at WAAG can see many safety problems associated to this scheme. At the moment disabled parking bays are strategically placed throughout the town, and everyone knows where they are, and they are free to those who have the correct documents. Unfortunately there is nothing in the proposals to confirm free parking for disabled people. Neither is there any mention of parking bays for disabled being retained. We would also point out that the meters will have to be placed on the footpaths of Wokingham, and this would be unacceptable. Over the past 3 years, WAAG have been campaigning to get obstacles removed from the footpaths in Wokingham town centre, including things such as A boards and other advertising and marketing material that blocks the individual’s right of passage. Since then, WAAG have been working hard with local retailers to find solutions to get disabled people to come to Wokingham to spend their money. We are working hard to improve footpath access by introducing a box advertising board that fits over the black

The proposed parking spaces are in the locations where parking is currently permitted and so changing the restriction to pay and display should not have an impact on the manoeuvres carried out by vehicles in the road. Provision for the disabled has been considered within the proposal. Indeed, all the existing on street disabled provisions remains unchanged. In addition, drivers displaying a valid blue budge and associated parking timing disk are entitled to park in the pay and display spaces without charge. On the specific matter of the use of disabled parking spaces, it is not possible within currently government legislation to introduce time limited disabled parking spaces. Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display

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bollards in Denmark Street. These replace the A boards which block the footpath. Now we are being asked to accept even more black furniture on the footpaths, with the installation of parking meters, which may make life difficult, especially for people with sight impairments and wheelchair users. The other problem with parking meters is that people will not be so careful when reversing, or getting out of their cars, especially if the bay is only a standard size. Councilors have already informed us that only the police will be able to enforce the new parking arrangements. We have already registered our view that the police have no interest in motor crime. Will they take any interest in enforcing the parking meter regulations; if not, why are the Council so interested in bringing them in? IN 1999 the Government allowed Councils to take over these duties from the police and keep the proceeds. I hope this is not the reason this Council intends to introduce these machines, as there are many problems regarding cars being parked along a very busy road. For instance, the road will obviously be reduced in width, so will the usable footpath, as parking meters have to be at least 18 inches from the kerb, increasing access problems for wheelchair users. Then there is the problem of drivers and passengers standing around these meters talking, or waiting for the driver to return, or to open the car door, or trying to get the right money to put in the machine, again blocking the footpaths.


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Then there is the risk of walking between two parked vehicles, especially if they are 4 X 4, as these vehicles are very high and hard to see around. In addition, there is the cyclist or motorcyclist who is hidden between the bus and the car, who suddenly appears from nowhere. Wheelchair users will be in even greater danger from parked cars, as they are low down and hidden from view of oncoming vehicles. However, these problems can be reduced if the Council put in extra road crossings for the blind, wheelchair users, hard of hearing and deaf people, or by putting in rumble strips and silent policemen. At least with disabled parking bays they are placed in special areas, such as those outside the town hall in Wokingham. Everyone knows why they are there, including the disabled people and therefore people are careful when approaching them. However, when a whole street is turned into a moving mass of steel, moving in all directions, then that is a recipe for disaster for those who cannot access the road to get to the other side safely. Before embarking on this project WAAG would ask the Council to put in certain areas that will be reserved for disabled people only, and that existing free on road parking for the disabled will continue. We also request that the introduction of such a scheme would include added safety measures. We would like to raise a related issue for consideration, and this is the possible

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negative impact on the current reserved parking places for vehicles whose owners have a blue badge. My comments are based on a 2 hours observation of parking in the 3 places reserved for blue badge holders in Peach Street. On my way into town I came past the post office. A delivery truck was parked in the disabled parking bay. Surprise , surprise the 3 parking bays just down from M & S in Peach Street had a large delivery truck parked there. No sign of any deliveries being made. In my 6 hour observation (3 bays X 2 hours) the bays were correctly used for less than 1 hour out of 6. A common sight was a car being parked and the driver ‘running’ across the street to the shops, dodging the vehicles coming into town. Considering the nearby parking facilities in Finchampstead Road or the free parking in Rose Street on can only assume the situation will get worse, with more abuse of reserved parking bays, if changes are introduced. I have to confess I have heard of regular abuse of the parking bays in Denmark Street with vans in the disabled parking bays and no one taking the slightest bit of notice. One trader boasted, when challenged by a disabled driver, that they had been told by the police that ‘it was ok’.

21.08.09 Wokingham Town Council, Planning and Transportation Committee – Cllr Singleton

No Comment – issues and questions

The following is a summary of the issues and supplementary questions raised on behalf of the Planning and Transportation Committee by Town Councillor Singleton Key issues

Currently WBC are not responsible for the enforcement of on street parking restrictions. This is the responsibility of the police. However this is a low priority for them and so less enforcement is seen within the town centre than used to be. The introduction of the designated on street pay and display

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• Impact on retail of the proposal • Proposal seen as tactical • Need for a broader parking strategy

Current situation

• Abuse of parking restrictions in Town Centre

• Difficulties already faced by residents with parking near Town Centre and station

Shoppers’ needs

• Ease of access – traffic management

• Choice of parking – free or charging periods from 15 minutes upwards

• An environment which is attractive Impact of proposal

• Retailers already hit by economic environment – proposal will exacerbate the situation

• Traffic will be disrupted more with 30 minute stays rather than the present situation

• 50% occupancy of the 240 metered spaces implies up to 120 cars will have to park elsewhere

Alternatives

• Effective policing of parking required, whether metered or free – use of PCSOs

• Revenue from fines with policing of free parking targets abusers, not short stay shoppers

spaces will enable the boroughs parking attendants who currently enforce the cars parks to also enforce the pay and display spaces. This will enable the borough to encourage proper use of these spaces enabling the visitors to Wokingham to more easily find a parking space. WBC have also been in communication with the police who have agreed to enforce the rest of the waiting restrictions within the town centre area which will prevent vehicles from being displaced in to illegal parking areas. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding. Unfortunately parking is a premium throughout the borough and as such it is not always possible for residents to park additional cars directly outside their property. Indeed, it is not the responsibility of the Council to provide on street parking for residents as the public highway is for the use by the general public. It is the responsibility of the car owner to ensure that it is parked in a safe and legal manner when on the highway and the closes location may unfortunately not be outside their property. Residents parking permits allowing parking within the proposed pay and display spaces has not been proposed at this time as this would prevent the turn over of vehicles within the proposed spaces. The spaces have been proposed to facilitate ‘quick stop’ areas of

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• Policing of free parking meets revenue target of metered proposal without high initial investment

Need for a broader strategy

• Meters seen as a tactical move only for short-term revenue, adversely affecting retail

• Introduction of meters, in isolation, will cause further displacement of parking, affecting residents

• Developers’ Guide, suggesting houses on Easthampstead Road car park will reduce space further

• Strategy is required, assessing total demand for parking, for residents, retail and other business

Supplementary questions

• Does the WSP model predict displacement of parking from charged spaces to residential areas?

• Does the model cater for increased parking needs when an upturn in the economy comes?

parking in the vicinity of the town centre and permitting all day parking would prevent this. Visits to facilities such as the churches will still be able to use the many public car parks within the town centre area or find alternative safe and legal on street parking. The displacement of the existing parking will free up the short term parking in the town centre for quick stop parking for which it is intended. It is hoped that those cars currently illegally parking all day in the limited waiting spaces will be displaced in to the Council car parks. However it is accepted that some vehicles will be displaced elsewhere and the Borough will be monitoring this situation and taking necessary action if required.

21.08.09 Wokingham Chamber of Commerce

No Comments Response to Proposal by Wokingham Chamber of Commerce – 8th July 2009-08 The objective of this meeting is to review the possible effects of on-street parking charges. The Chamber, however, contends that the Council is paying lip-service to the ‘vitality of local trade and commerce’ and that the priority is the revenue generation potential of the scheme. As regards the four specific objectives for consideration this evening, the

As part of the feasibility study into this proposal parking surveys were undertaken to determine where parking was occurring, including illegal parking, and the length of time these vehicles were parked. This information, together with the Councils general knowledge of parking practices within the town centre were used to assist in designing the scheme. Whilst there may be some areas of parking within the town centre that experience less abuse that others, in

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position of the Chamber is as follows:

• How charging for on-street parking might assist retail activity in the town centre.

1. It has been suggested that metered on-street parking will deal with the present problem of free time-limited parking being abused and thereby increase the number of retail visits by enabling a greater number of visits, albeit of short duration. The Chamber contends that this is theoretical speculation which is not based on any real evidence.

2. Common sense strongly suggests, however, that no rational shopper will elect to spend £1 to visit one or two retailers/traders – they will defer the visit and probably end up spending their money in a supermarket or in another town. Furthermore, the parking fee is a huge increase in cost to the visitor – take a visit to a gentleman’s hairdresser, for example, a £1 meter fee increases the cost of the visit by around 10%

3. No attempt has been made to quantify any possible negative impact on local traders. On the modest assumption that metered

general the short stay parking areas are currently being abused. Obviously when considering the proposals the whole of the town centre area need to be considered because if certain areas were left as they are they would be subject to much more abuse as drivers change their parking habits to park in these areas. It is hoped that this proposal will not be at the detriment to the local businesses, indeed it is believed that it will be of benefit to them as visitors to the town centre will be able to more easily park in the vicinity of the business they intend to visit as the extended parking by workers and commuters will no longer take up the ‘quick stop’ parking. The proposed scheme uses both 30 min and 1 hour parking restrictions depending on their proximity to the town centre. The 30 min bays are all located in the town centre and are intended as quick stop parking spaces to enable more visitors to the town centre to stop and use the facilities. The roads directly outside the town centre area are proposed to have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors a longer staying time. If a visitor wishes to stop any longer than the hour the other town centre car parks are still available. The charges associated with the 30 min and 1 hour parking has been chosen to be in line with similar schemes in neighbouring authorities. Further more the charges have been used to run business case models to ensure that the proposed scheme would be self funding.

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on-street parking deters 50 visits per day, each with a value of £15 to town traders then loss of business to the town is around £225,000 per year or the equivalent of one more empty retail unit.

4. The town already lacks appeal with numerous empty retail outlets contributing to a run-down, unappealing atmosphere. Metered on-street parking would be perceived as hostile by residents of the area, visitors and potential retailers and will further aggravate the run-down image.

• How traffic management associated with on-street parking can be used to improve traffic flows and reduce congestion in the town centre

1. The Chamber contends that existing free car parking places are not detrimental to traffic flows and do not cause congestion. Traffic flows through the town are generally good with problems occasionally arising at peak times. Such difficulties that do occur are often associated with deliveries to retail premises and this problem Could be addressed by restricting

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deliveries to times outside the critical periods of 7.00 am to 9.30am and 4.00pm to 7.00pm.

• How future enforcement of on-street parking charges should be undertaken.

1. A local Councillor recently argued that the present arrangements of time-limited free parking cannot be enforced because only the police have the authority to issue penalties. This will also apply to meters unless a warden is

21.08.09 Petition received from 1781 residents

No Official objection Petition from residents entitled “We the undersigned officially object to Wokingham Borough Council’s proposal to change the 240 free parking bays to metered parking”. Includes 1781 signatories.

Your comments are noted.

a on street parking – comments & objections ......have a 1 hour restriction to afford visitors...

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