As I was writing earlier (here Sign the petition to keep Richmond park free and there Another petition, for Bushy park) it seems that there will be another place (after it was imposed that it would no longer be free to park in Richmond on Sundays) where you can't escape the Parking tax:London Royal Parks parking fees approved (on freetopark.co.uk)
I hope Susan Kramer will keep on the fight.
Some think it's a good thing, I view this as NIMBY (see my comment on the post): Parking charges approved for Royal Parks :-).
But overal parking charges in the park are hugely impopular. An unwanted impact is that the Borough will inevitably extend the Sheen CPZ to cover Fife road as it will be used by park-goers instead of the Sheen Gate car park. That's parking tax contagion!
See also my previous posts: Kingston hospital parking and Blatant hypocrisy over parking spaces
3 comments:
I have absolutely no idea why supporters of parking charges, like myself, are being accused of NIMBYism as location has nothing to do with it; I want to see fewer cars in all parks including Bushy and Snowdonia! Parks are there to provide a natural respite from urbanisation and allowing cars in destroys the very reason for having a park in the first place.
Mathew,
I guess what I'm most annoyed with, apart from the collateral effects on traffic levels and parking in adjacent streets, is the belief that any change in behaviour needs a new tax.
I have suggested removing the drink sessions (would cut the pollution). Another suggestion would be to removing the car park from Pen ponds for instance (replaced with one in Ham common).
People have lost the taste for effort and having people to walk further would automatically decrease the congestion.
On the other hand, what do you think of the curse of people living on the A205, Roehampton and Priory Lanes since Robin Hood gate is closed? Isn't that simply moving the problem?
Making people pay for parking their cars isn't going to decrease the number of commuters using the park as a short cut to get between the different boroughs. I'm actually fed up, and have been for years, of not being able to cross the roads in the park with ease when I go for a run or walk due to the amount of traffic.
Other people in Kingston have different views of course. Some can be found on kingstonpeople.co.uk
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