North Hertfordshire Highways Joint Member Panel

*PART 1 – PUBLIC DOCUMENT AGENDA ITEM No. 12

TITLE OF REPORT: PARKING IN NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE

REPORT OF THE STRATEGIC DIRECTOR OF PLANNING, HOUSING AND ENTERPRISE

1. SUMMARY

1.1 This report summarises how car parking is managed in North Hertfordshire and forms the basis for regular reports to JMP on planning and delivering improvements to parking in the district.

1.2 NHDC’s Parking Strategy and Action Plan was adopted last year and budgets recently agreed to begin its implementation. This report summarises the approach to be adopted and provides the opportunity for the JMP to consider its involvement in the Parking Strategy and how the parking issues dealt with by both authorities may be better co-ordinated generally.

1.3 This report also summarises responsibilities, priorities for parking management and some of the tools available to address parking issues in the district. These tools could be used to help deliver an ‘Area Wide’ approach to parking management or the smaller scale proposals that JMP’s discretionary funding has helped deliver in recent years.

2. FORWARD PLAN

2.1 This report does not contain a decision related to NHDC’s Forward Plan.

3. BACKGROUND

3.1 Since decriminalisation of parking enforcement legislation came into effect, NHDC has dealt with the management of on street parking in the district. This is enabled via an agency agreement with Hertfordshire County Council.

3.2 As a general summary responsibilities for promoting on street parking improvements can be summarised as follows:

 NHDC implements parking controls that mainly deal with conflict between residents and non-residents (i.e. commuter parking) mainly on an area wide basis but occasionally on a smallscale basis.  NHDC has also sought to manage verge parking, for example in Letchworth via use of a byelaw.  NHDC will be implementing a programme of disabled parking bays from 1st April 2010 via a policy to be adopted at the end of March.

JMP – NHHP (19.4.10)  HCC implements any parking controls that form part of Integrated Works Programme (IWP) schemes that are targeted at Local Transport Plan objectives.  HCC also promotes parking controls that tackle highway safety issues, usually via JMP and often as referred by NHDC Area Committees (with matched funding).

3.3 NHDC’s approach to managing on street parking has largely focussed on implementing Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) where permits are sold offering exemption from parking controls. In total there are now 12 CPZs in operation in the district, some of which were already in place when NHDC took over on street parking management.

3.4 There are a number of areas in the district with conflict between residents’ and non- residents’ parking. There are also localised safety concerns often overlapping with resident/non-resident conflict. In addition there are also issues such as short stay school parking and environmental damage associated with verge/footway parking. The varied demands for town centre parking means that there is ongoing pressure for changes to this type of parking.

3.5 NHDC’s Parking Strategy and Action Plan sets out how it intends to manage parking over the next 10 years. The main approach is to consider parking issues on an area wide basis, one town per year on a four year rolling programme (2010/11 Baldock/Knebworth, 2011/12 Hitchin, 2012/13 Royston, 2013/14 Letchworth). In addition NHDC will be implementing a district wide programme of disabled badge holder bays starting from the coming financial year.

3.6HCC’s IWP sets out schemes to be delivered over the financial year, several of which are likely to require parking management. The JMP regularly considers requests for parking controls, many of which are on grounds of safety and are usually relatively small in area. Many of these requests are generated by NHDC Area Committees and/or Parish Councils. Implementation of JMP endorsed parking controls is normally via HCC.

3.7NHDC’s also manages the majority of off-street car parks in the district via town centre pay and display surface and multi-storey car parks. The Parking Strategy covers on and off street parking. NHDC will be considering potential new parking management systems for its car park as part of its Business and Financial planning process for 2011/12. Future town centre off street parking management will be considered alongside on street parking

3.8The agency agreement between NHDC and HCC states that, ‘as far as possible’ the on street parking service should be self financing. Income from on street parking is generated from sales of resident and visitor permits alongside Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) income from enforcement operations.

3.9It is worth noting that legislation and the agency agreement requires that any surplus that may be generated from on street parking must be spent on Local Transport Plan schemes so there is a direct link between income from parking and transport improvements.

3.10 Currently the on street parking function is not self financing so no surplus is generated. NHDC’s Parking Strategy is flexible enough to consider the case for on street charging as well as resource management to help the on street parking function move closer to being self financed. Should the situation change so that a surplus is being generated

JMP – NHHP (19.4.10) then officers will liaise and recommend to JMP how and where any surplus should be invested.

3.11 NHDC’s Parking Services team consists of a team of Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) who operate on a shift pattern to enforce all of the on street parking restrictions in the district alongside a back office team who are responsible for processing requests for residents’ permits, PCN processing and day to day management of the on and off street parking service.

3.12 An annual report on on-street parking management is prepared by NHDC, setting out performance details of the service. This report is available on request.

3.13 NHDC has recently begun implementing its Parking Strategy with a change of off street parking tariffs for 2010/11 based on a strategy of rounding tariffs to the nearest 50p or £1.00. A ‘Pay by Phone’ service was launched on 15th March 2010, allowing cashless payment for off street parking. Other initiatives are being pursued with Town Centre Management/BID initiatives to promote use of car parks, including subsidised parking after certain times or via subsidised ‘pre-paid’ scratchcards.

3.14 NHDC’s Cabinet will consider a disabled parking bay policy at its meeting on 30th March 2010 which, alongside a delivery programme for such bays, forms another strand of NHDC’s Parking Strategy.

3.15 NHDC recently approved its 2010/11 budget which includes improvements to its multi- storey car parks as well as the parking improvements in Baldock and Knebworth.

4. ISSUES

4.1 This report is presented mainly ‘for information’ but it is intended to provide regular reports to JMP to advise on progress with NHDC’s Parking Strategy as well as enabling JMP to consider requests for parking improvements in the context of the Strategy.

4.2 One issue that is a regular matter for officers is whether a parking proposal is a safety or amenity concern. At its last meeting, JMP considered a proforma used by Hertfordshire Highways to score a parking proposal against safety criteria to identify whether it should be prioritised as a safety scheme. It is suggested that proposals considered by JMP are scored using the proforma, the highest priority be delivered in line with JMP’s resources1 and any remainders be forwarded to NHDC to consider for inclusion in its area wide approach (see 3.5)

4.3 One key issue for NHDC’s management of on street parking is the cost of running the service versus income received. NHDC is analysing its CPZ costs and this work will inform future decisions on permit prices, who can buy permits and the future of CPZs generally (NB permits are currently £58 per annum for residents/visitor permits and visitor parking ticket books are £7.50).

4.4 NHDC will be considering the potential to manage its CPZs more efficiently. Many CPZs near town centres and railway stations have been cleared of long stay, non-residential parking and permit take up has been lower than anticipated, especially where many

1 Taking into account any requirements for matched funding from elsewhere JMP – NHHP (19.4.10) properties have off-street parking. In some locations many streets have significant amounts of spare on street capacity and there is potential to sell permits to employees/commuters on a carefully managed basis. This could help the on street parking service move towards being self financing as well as help meet parking demand and potentially take some pressure off of areas that currently have resident/non-resident conflict.

4.5 There is currently no on street charging in town centres in the district. As parking charges for off street car parks have increased there is concern that there is increasingly incentive for drivers to circulate looking for free on street parking spaces. In addition survey evidence suggests considerable abuse of limited waiting on street parking spaces (i.e. overstay as well as abuse of disabled and loading bays). NHDC will be considering the potential for on street charging in appropriate locations to help provide a balanced offer of parking and, potentially, assisting with the turnover of on street parking bays.

4.6 With regard to the tools available to address parking issues, the following summarises the commonly used methods used in the district although, in some cases a combination of methods are used:

 ‘No Waiting at Any Time’ – Double yellow lines. Generally used to protect junctions and accesses as well as lengths of road where on street parking may be considered a safety concern for anything more than very short stay loading/unloading. The main exception is Blue Badge Holders who may park for up to 3 hours. Can include a ‘No loading’ restriction that prevents anyone from loading and/or waiting.  No waiting during defined periods (e.g. ‘No Waiting between 08.00 and 18.00’ – Single yellow line). A less restricted version of the above, where parking outside the defined hours and days does not need to be controlled. Again may be used with a loading restriction to accord with defined times/days.  ‘Commuter ban’ – A variation of the limited waiting option above and may only apply to an hour in the morning and/or one in the afternoon. Designed to remove long stay parkers. Often included in a CPZ with permit holders exempt from the restricted hours.  Limited waiting throughout day - Various durations of stay normally with defined ‘no return by’. Generally in marked bays and reflecting the demand or turnover of parking spaces i.e. 30 minutes in town centres, 2 hours on edges of town centres or in CPZs. Again, may be used in CPZs with permit holders exempt.  Disabled parking bays – Either a ‘formal’ enforceable bay, normally provided in areas where other parking controls exist (i.e. town centres, CPZs) or ‘informal’ advisory bays provided in residential areas to assist residents park close to their properties.  Loading bays – Normally provided in town centres, normally defined by days and times. Potentially limited in time to enable bays to be used as limited waiting or disabled parking bays outside loading only times. May be shared throughout their entire duration of operation although this limits the ability for loading.  Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) – In combination with many of the above, CPZs allow permit holders exemption from parking controls but not any ‘yellow line’ restrictions. Permits do not give residents exemption from controls associated with disabled parking bays and vice versa. Some CPZs allow permits for businesses for operational use only.

JMP – NHHP (19.4.10)  Restricted Zones – Generally in town centres where parking is defined in the marked bays only, often in conjunction with ‘pedestrian priority’ measures (i.e. 20mph zones). Bays are normally for limited waiting, disabled parking or loading or combined use. Carriageways are usually controlled to prevent drivers from stopping or unloading.  Other, specific user bays – Normally used in locations where demand for parking requires specific bays to be provided. Examples include bays for Taxis, Doctors, Police, Ambulances or Buses.  Parking on verges – Various methods have been used to address this issue, including use of adjacent parking restrictions (see above, that apply to the entire width of the highway) or a Byelaw in Letchworth, installation of bollards to physically prevent parking or provision of solutions such as ‘grasscrete’ to permit parking with less damage. Limited loss of verge to provide laybys may also be an option alongside parking restrictions to protect remaining verge.  Other restrictions such as ‘no stopping’ at defined times/locations, for example at schools.  Minor, advisory measures to help motorists identify and avoid parking at property accesses i.e. white ‘H’ bar markings on the carriageway (NB these are currently not enforceable)  Occasional referral of issues to the Police for them to consider their powers to address ‘obstruction’ issues where NHDC or HCC cannot enforce. Parking issues remain low on the Police’ priorities so examples of these are limited.

4.7 In addition to the above other methods that could be used include:

 Prohibition of parking on verge or footway at any time. Currently being implemented in certain areas of Stevenage. Potentially reduces need for bollards/physical restrictions but increases demands on enforcement. Does not affect parking on carriageway. This may require some additional parking to be provided for affected residents where on carriageway parking is limited due to kerbspace or width constraints.  Parking permitted partially or wholly on verge or footway (at any time or during hours of restriction). Likely to be very limited potential for this option, especially where it may impede pedestrian movement and almost certainly will require works to strengthen verge.  Various options associated with limited waiting, including ‘Pay and Display’ and/or voucher or token parking. All offer ways of managing use of or access to parking bays (mainly in town centres) as well as distinguish from CPZs which are permit controlled.

4.8 As opportunities arise, best practice from elsewhere will be monitored to identify other solutions. Legislation changes will also be monitored to keep the ‘toolbox’ up to date.

4.9 The above solutions provide a good range of measures that enable smaller scale and area wide issues to be addressed. Most of the tools require Traffic Regulation Orders and It is worth noting that parking is normally an emotive issue so what may seem to be a straightforward solution may give rise to objections and/or calls for a smallscale issue to be escalated to an area wide approach.

4.10 In recent years parking problems arising from new development have become increasingly prominent. Current parking standards at new development are based on previous national policy guidance which is widely acknowledged to have been

JMP – NHHP (19.4.10) inappropriate in locations such as North Hertfordshire. National policy guidance now offers greater flexibility and NHDC’s Parking Strategy and Local Development Framework confirms that parking standards for new development will be revised over the coming year.

5. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

5.1 There are no direct Legal implications arising from this report.

6. FINANCIAL AND RISK IMPLICATIONS

6.1 There are no direct finance or risk implications arising from this report.

7. HUMAN RESOURCE AND EQUALITIES IMPLICATIONS

7.1 There are no direct human resource or equalities implications arising from this report.

8. CONSULTATION WITH EXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS AND WARD MEMBERS

8.1 Consultation has been undertaken with Hertfordshire Highways North and East Herts Area Service Manager. NHDC’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Transport has been briefed on this report.

9. RECOMMENDATIONS

9.1 That JMP notes the report and supports the need for a regular report on parking issues including progress with the NHDC Parking Strategy.

9.2 That, in considering requests for parking improvements, JMP takes into account HCC’s Parking Controls Ranking System and sets its priorities for parking schemes at its January and April meetings. Where proposals are not taken forward they be referred to NHDC for consideration as part of its Parking Strategy delivery.

9.3 That HCC and NHDC keep an up to date record of parking proposal requests, develop standard acknowledgement letters that identify how requests will be taken forward and standard responses advising on how requests will be dealt with.

10. REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION

10.1 To ensure JMP is kept up to date on parking issues as a key aspect of highway management.

10.2 To ensure requests for parking proposals are dealt with in a consistent, co-ordinated manner by HCC and NHDC.

11. ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED

JMP – NHHP (19.4.10) 11.1 None

12. APPENDICES

12.1 Appendix A – NHDC Parking Strategy Appendix B – NHDC Parking Strategy Action Plan Appendix C - Hertfordshire Highways Parking Controls Ranking System

13. CONTACT OFFICERS

Simon Young North Hertfordshire District Council Transport Policy Officer [email protected] 01462 474846

Richard Jones Hertfordshire Highways North & East Herts Area Service Manager [email protected]

14. BACKGROUND PAPERS

JMP – NHHP (19.4.10)