Theresa
May joins Mike Weatherley to end the war on motorists
Brighton
Pavilion Tory Parliamentary Spokesman Mike Weatherley’s campaign for a fair
deal for motorist’s was given a boost today.
He was joined by Rt Hon Theresa May MP, Shadow Secretary of State for
Environment and Transport, to show her the lack of parking spaces is causing
gridlock in the city and causing misery for many residents.
Mrs May, the MP for Maidenhead, was given a tour by Mike of some of the
worst affected roads like the St Peter’s Church area of Brighton, where cars
often stretch bumper to bumper back as far as the Old Steine, and the heavily
congested central Brighton seafront West Pier area.
They were joined by members of the Peoples Parking Protest, who are
calling for the profits made from the
parking control must be used to increase parking spaces to the maximum capacity
before spending it on other projects that are not strictly related to traffic
improvements. They are also calling
the Resident Parking Permit scheme must be revised to stop the oversell of
Permits. At present the Council has allowed 12,000 Permits to be issued with
only 7,000 Resident spaces available. The 5,000 car oversell creates an income
of £400,000 plus all of the fines imposed on the 5000 who have nowhere to park legal.
The above figures do not include the selling of visitors and trade permits, if
you add these on it compounds the situation beyond. The ratio of permits to
parking spaces is at present in my opinion about 1:1.9 taking into account the
other permit sales. If the Council really want to stop congestion, then sell one
permit for one space.
Mike
said: “I am very grateful to Theresa for taking the time to visit Brighton.
People have the right to drive their car and park cheaply and
conveniently. Instead, they have
been taxed to the hilt by this Labour Government.
Motorists
are one of the main contributors to the Treasury purse.
Under this Labour Council and Labour Government in 2002 over £45 billion
was raised from drivers. In
Brighton and Hove, money
from parking fines in Brighton and Hove has brought in about £8 million in two
years (2001-2003). NCP running
costs account for about £2.5 million a year. In the first year of operation,
the council spent £1.3 million on public transport and highways improvements.
Of the parking tickets issued just 41 out of 92 have been successfully
challenged through the council and the National Parking Adjudication Service.
Since NCP took over 284,488 tickets have been issued. The
equivalent of 360 a day.
Enough is enough. ”
Steve Percy, Chairman of the People’s Parking Protest said: “I welcome this opportunity to speak directly to Theresa May. What I would like to see is traffic attendants vetted and the method of dealing with complaints arising from parking fines revised. The method of appeal is draconian and intimidating to most people. You cannot appeal on grounds other than a technicality. Moral issues do not seem to count.”
Mike added: “This is a very
serious issue that affects thousands of ordinary people as they struggle to go
about their daily lives. I want to
tell every motorist in Brighton Pavilion that I will do all I can to ensure that
their voice is heard. Theresa’s
visit today is a clear message that Conservative’s recognise the plight of
motorists in the city, and that taxing people off the road just doesn’t work.
Labour just don’t listen and don’t understand.
For some people the car is a necessity not a luxury.
People such as the elderly and disabled, rely on the car in order to do
normal every day things such as shopping. Conservatives
have grasped the nettle and will work to make motorist’s feel like
customers’ and not like victims. If
the taxes collected from motorists were used to improve public transport, then
people would have a real choice of how to travel.
I use my bike and use public transport where I can, but at the moment
there is sometimes just no practical alternative but to use the car.
I applaud the city council’s attempts to make the roads more cycle
friendly, and look forward to this being taken further.
A lot of work needs to be done to make traveling safer, cheaper and
cleaner and waging war on one group – the motorists – is not the way to do
it. One solution to the parking
problem in Brighton, could be imaginative hidden parking.
Given the uproar over the King Alfred and Preston Park developments, no
one would want to see huge ugly multi-storey car parks springing up over the
city. Regency
Square is a good example of how a green square can be kept whilst adding
hundreds on parking spaces - mixing the needs of those that use their cars and
an environmental solution is possible.”
Steve Percy,
Chairman of the People’s Parking Protest can be contacted on 01273 326081 or
email steve@system-electronics.freeserve.co.uk
10 March 2004
