Discover Hertford Online Forum

Archived Topic

Topic ID 125

09/01/2004 by sloopjohnb

Parking petition

You may have read in the Mercury regardng a petition raised by the Hertford Town Centre Management Board. Actually there are two. One urges EHDC to change their mind and introduce a Pay on Exit system in the car parks as opposed to Pay and Display and the second calls for the retaining of free on-street parking. Pay on Exit, Pay on Foot or Pay on Return (terms are usually interchangeable) is a system whereby car parkers get a ticket from a machine on entering the car park and then pay when they exit according to the tarrif. The pay machine is sometimes in or close to a shopping centre on in the car park. Once paid you drive to the exit barrier, insert ticket and leave. Basically you only pay for the time you have stayed; not in the case of Pay and Display for an allotted time which if you overstay you collect a fine. At present this is £50 but reduced to £20 if paid early. Although the story has run for a couple of weeks and reports have also been leaked no one from the Council has yet admitted that the up-comin decriminalisation is to be paid for from parking fines. Therefore the more efficient their staff are in checking tickets the more money they collect in fines. Pay on Exit places little reliance on fines. The road works due to start in mid February will aim to concentrate traffic enternig from Iceland roundabout along Fore Street and Market Street and back to South Street, avoiding Salisbury Square, Bull Plain and Folly island. Therefore there will be greater pressure on the few remaining free places in Fore Street. Discussions are in place regarding how best to gain revenue from the parking spaces on the northern side of Fore Street, bearing in mind that the bus stop will be built out into the middle of the road and the taxi rank will be in place after 6.00pm. reducing what already exists. The petition asks that free parking is still allowed in the town centre. Both petitions are in many shops - at present, both Wiggingtons, Harts, Serendipity, Country Casuals, Hertford Pet Supplies and Waitrose - and hopefully more by Monday. It would be good if as many people could sign these as possible given the feelings that usually surface on these boards regarding parking issues.

0 replies

Archived Replies

Reply ID 620

12/01/2004 by cj

What struck me about the newspaper article was "...Bishop's Stortford-based Cllr Bob Parker,claimed to have heard no objections to pay and display from this side of the district." As an active voter it does concern me that the executive member responsible for parking appears to be so badly informed! Being a car driver and living in Hertford I am well aware that EHDC's parking policy has long been a cause of much discussion. Mostcomplaining about the cost and the refusal to have a one hour tariff. Whilst I have sympathy with both petitions I also think it is important, if you wish to attract shoppers,to have shops that attract customers rather than dominate with outlets for food,drink and financialproducts. Once you get your planning correct you then need to ensure you have access to the shops for customers rather than make than make it difficult forthemget around becausethe car dominates the town, and to encourage drivers to park in the car parks - pay on foot or use of a low one hour rate. I can see how the Council is concerned about the cost of policing on-street parking and would like to think that that element of our community charge, that at present goes to the police, will be redirected and moved to EHDC.

1 replies