The level of car ownership in the UK is expected to rise considerably in the next few years, which poses a significant threat to the provision of parking available. When we talk about parking, it includes both residential and non-residential allocation in your local area. Planning policies adopted by the previous Labour government had an aggressive stance towards parking standards and parking fines. Considering their period in office, before their exit this year, could mean that we will face difficult times ahead with regards to finding a decent place to park.
Labour’s legacy
The Labour government discouraged the allocation of too much parking in new developments in order to discourage the use of private cars and direct the public towards making better use of the public transport, cycling and other means. It has been reported that local authorities were told “not to reject planning applications on the grounds that the parking provision was insufficient”, which means that many on-going developments might not have allocated sufficient parking for the future. In context, they stressed on local authorities to set maximum parking standards but no minimum standards, except for disabled parking. Here are some aspects taken into consideration for the policies adopted:
- Need to make better use of public transport, cycling and walking for travel purposes.
- Reduce carbon emissions.
- Need to tackle congestion.
- Reduce the amount of land needed for development.
Public concern
Though the reasons seem rational, the public are unconvinced about the effectiveness of such policies and take on the view that limiting parking spaces will not prevent them from using private means of transport. A majority of the public are increasingly concerned about commuting to work, and not being able to find a place to park. The demand for parking has lead to a considerable rise in the price for parking and commuters are forced to succumb to these costs with no other options. Parking is an inevitable habit, and so it is advisable to make use of the best options available, for example contract parking, in order to save you time when you commute to work and also save a few hundred pounds that may help finance an exotic holiday at the end of the year.
