A NEW experimental traffic scheme to tackle commuter parking in one Leicester neighbourhood is due to begin next week.
The measures, which come into effect on February 1, 2021, are being brought in to address the problem of commuter parking in Clarendon Park.
Ward councillors in the area had called on Leicester City Council to look at ways to prevent commuters using residential streets for free, all-day parking.
The area is a short walk from the city centre, and close to numerous employers and businesses on nearby Queens Road and Welford Road.
Unlike previous parking scheme proposals in the area, the latest experimental measures will be limited to a restriction on non-residents parking there between 9.30am and 10.30am on weekdays.
It will focus on the streets immediately adjacent to Queen’s Road, which contain around 530 parking spaces. So far around 400 residents’ applications have been received, along with 36 applications from businesses.
The scheme is designed to stop commuters from outside the area using the streets to park for free all day, but will have less impact on nearby businesses by still enabling customers to park.
The experimental nature of the measures allows council officers to adjust them to meet local needs, or stopping the scheme altogether if residents felt it wasn’t working.
Discussions with local ward councillors and businesses about how such as scheme would work have been taking place over the last few months.
Castle ward members Cllr Danny Myers, Cllr Patrick Kitterick and Cllr Deborah Sangster had called on city council officers to look at how to ease the commuter parking situation in Clarendon Park. Similar parking measures to those in Leicester are currently in place in parts of Nottingham and London.
The experimental traffic order will include Cradock Road, Oxford Road, Edward Road, Montague Road, Seymour Road, Cecilia Road, West Avenue, Central Avenue, East Avenue, North Avenue and Orlando Road, as well as parts of St Leonards Road, Howard Road and The Avenue.
Properties on Queens Road and the northern side of Clarendon Park Road that are adjacent to the scheme area will also be able to apply for permits, although Queens Road and Clarendon Park Road will not be subject to the new parking restrictions.
Residents and businesses will be able to give their views on the experimental traffic order throughout the trial period, which runs from February 1 to August 31, 2021. The scheme can then either be ended, continued, modified or even extended to streets which express an interest in joining the experiment.
Permits will be available to residential and business properties in the area, and people won’t be charged for permits during the trial period. Provision will be made for essential visitors such as carers, as well as Blue Badge holders.
Leicester assistant city mayor for policy, delivery and communications, Cllr Danny Myers, said: “All three Castle ward councillors are aware of the problems caused by commuters using residential streets in Clarendon Park for free, all-day parking, which impacts on residents and businesses in the areas.
“This experimental scheme is designed to help resolve that, by preventing people from parking all day. Drivers who are unable to return to their cars to move them between 9.30am and 10.30am, are unlikely to park there in the first place.
“That means those spaces remain available for local shoppers, residents and other visitors coming into the area.”
Cllr Kitterick added: “By focusing on the streets immediately adjacent to the Queen’s Road shopping area, we are specifically targeting commuter parking, and trying to keep to a minimum the impact on genuine residents, shoppers and other visitors throughout the day.
“People who just use the area as a free car park in order to commute to other parts of the city aren’t bringing any benefit into that neighbourhood. This scheme will help local businesses and resident by keeping more spaces free for people who need them.”
More details of the scheme, including eligibility and how to apply for a permit, are available here.
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