Residents and visitors highly rate parking services
21 AUGUST 2007:
UNANIMOUS
approval from Harrogate Borough Council's Human Resources Committee to provide *extra resources for its parking service is followed by news that residents, visitors and tourists are overall satisfied with the council's parking policies.
Results of a recent survey, carried out as part of the council's Overview and Scrutiny Commission's consideration of the council's parking procedures, not only showed a high level of satisfaction over a number of services but those consulted agreed with the council's own position on why parking controls are necessary.
This includes: improving traffic flow; reducing the risk of accidents, regulating and controlling parking and reducing congestion in town centres.
Councillor Don Mackenzie, Cabinet Member of Planning and Transport, welcomed the survey's findings, which will now be used to inform the Overview and Scrutiny's discussions.
He said: "There were some very interesting findings in the survey which will allay some anecdotal evidence that parking charges have a damaging affect the economy.
Whilst the majority of local residents confirmed that they use free disc parking as their main source of parking space, the majority of visitors confirmed that they certainly expected to have to pay for parking in the town centres and over eighty per cent felt the cost was reasonable.
"It was also interesting to hear that a third of those surveyed in Ripon parked free, using private or corporate car parks far higher than in Harrogate or Knaresborough.
But as with other areas, shopping accounted for the most responses."
Respondents were also clear that enforcement is necessary but there is some concern that they did not seem to understand the appeals process or the reduction in cost for early payment of fines.
The council will be addressing this as well as other areas of concern including continuing negotiations for more parking in Ripon and Knaresborough, which was highlighted by the survey.
ENDS
NOTE TO EDITORS: *
The Police have withdrawn from a number of parking and highway controls much of which has now fallen on the local authority's car parking service without extra resources being provided.
The council has now agreed to provide extra funding to assist the parking service in coning and managing traffic at major events and, importantly, to respond to residents' complaints about parking abuse.
The council currently has three senior car parking attendants and this number will increase to six to cover the district's 500 square miles.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Councillor Don Mackenzie is available for comment on 01423 872211.
Further technical information is available from Mr John Burton, Head of Highways and Transportation on 01423 556606.