Westminster: Visitor Parking Experiment

One of the biggest problems that residents tell us about on the doorstep is the problems they have with parking. Most of these issues - as residents point out to us - are down to living in a busy and crowded city, which means that parking space is always at a premium.

Over the last few years, Westminster has taken strides to improve parking and reduce the dreaded parking attendents and tickets in our area. Where Westminster has got it wrong, as local Councillors, we haven't been afraid to stand up and tell them - like when we managed to get the tickets of many Wymering Road residents rescinded a couple of years ago because they were the fault of Thames Water not residents.

One of the areas where residents do, however, tend to think that the Council could go further is on visitor parking. This is obviously a very difficult area - we have a limited number of parking spaces and the Council has always taken the view that residents come first.

With residents views in mind, though, the Parking Department will launch a trial experiment next week in three wards around the City (not Maida Vale) which will see a number resident parking bays over a wide area converted into multi-use in the middle of the day. This will allow visitors to use them at this time whilst still ensuring that they are available to residents at the busiest times (the beginning and end of the day).

The experiment is due to run for an initial 6 months in Queen's Park, Abbey Road and Regent's Park wards. The Council will then have another 12 months to collect any further information it needs and then to make a final decision on the project. Although parking will never be perfect in Westminster, we are pleased to see the Council at least trying to improve things in this area. If it works, the experiment may be extended elsewhere in the City.

Lee