Sutton Council is to review on-street parking and consult on proposed changes that will take a more united approach to parking across the borough.
Sutton has the sixth-highest levels of car ownership and usage in London. This has led to issues about traffic congestion and air quality in the borough. High levels of car ownership in streets with older houses without garages has contributed to parking stresses as off-street parking can be difficult in these areas.
The Parking Strategy and Policy document, to be discussed by the council’s Environment and Neighbourhoods committee on 15 September, sets out how the council plans to assess, review and manage on-street parking in the borough in the coming years.
The first three years of the five-year strategy, which is proposed to start in April 2017, will focus on the borough areas with the most parking problems. The borough’s current Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) arrangements will also be reviewed to assess if these on-street parking schemes are still fit for purpose.
The aim is to have a borough-wide parking management and enforcement policy that manages predicted demand for on-road parking and avoids a future where there are too many cars and too few parking spaces.
On-street parking has already been reviewed and residents consulted in the six local committee areas of Sutton Local; St Helier The Wrythe and Wandle Valley; South Sutton, Cheam and Belmont; Carshalton and Clockhouse; Cheam North and Worcester Park; and Beddington and Wallington. This follows an increasing number of enquiries from residents and businesses about problems with on-street parking.
The council has drawn up with a list of 170 parking hotspots throughout the borough, focused on schools and colleges, transport hubs such as railway stations, town centres, superstores, hospitals, council car parks and new development.
Cllr Jill Whitehead, Chair of the Environment and Neighbourhoods Committee at Sutton Council, said:
“Sutton is proud to be a green borough and traffic congestion is a major challenge, given the potential for significant population growth in the coming years. This is why it is vital that we have in place a sound strategy for managing the anticipated increase in demand for parking space. Sutton has the sixth-highest levels of car ownership and usage in London and one of our key transport objectives is to reduce car use, through improved public transport links and more short journeys undertaken by bicycle or on foot.
“The rising population of London means that better transport such as the tram is a priority and we need a parking strategy that deals with increased demand for road space. We want to hear from residents and local businesses about this strategy, which will support the aspirations of One Planet Sutton, the Sustainable Transport Strategy, the Cycling Strategy, the Local Plan, the Town Centre Masterplan and the Sutton 2031 growth agenda.”