Parking Consultation

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parker of the week

This page will carry updates as consultation proceeds

access limitations in Basingfield Road
Basingfield Road

9 January 2008 during the afternoon school rush-hour.

Parking Proposals: All gone quiet ...
27 March 2008

If you've been wondering why all has gone quiet on the carparking front... it seems that as the Thames Ditton consultation has been taking longer than provided for by SCC officials, they have all been deployed on Walton's problems for a while. They will return to the issues in Thames Ditton when time and other priorities allow.

Comment: That the consultation has taken up quite a time is not necessarily a bad thing. It is more likely a sign that the many views and ideas you put forward are actually being given consideration and the proposals will be modified accordingly. You may conclude that it's more important to get the best possible proposals than to have something poorer implemented quickly.

Parking Proposals: Update before third session in Library
4 February 2008

We remind residents that the third, and as of this moment the last, scheduled meeting with SCC Transport officials in the Dittons Library, Watts Road is tomorrow 5 February 12.00 - 20.00. Please make your views known there.

SCC have not distributed the questionnaires with revised proposals promised for the Station area in advance of this third presentation, but they expect to have finalised them in time for residents to obtain copies of the questionnaires at that Library presentation.

Meanwhile, legal and other considerations are still being weighed by SCC officials in their efforts to resolve problems in the High St area and more widely. This is delaying matters. They hope that a better scheme may result.

High St. Parking Proposals: Meeting of business community
15 January 2008

Summary of what transpired:

A constructive meeting attended by about 20. SCC official Clarke Cover, SCC Cllr Peter Hickman, EBC Cllr. Karen Randolph attended.

Overall, the meeting was:

There was inconclusive discussion about the provision of passing places - which mean reducing the amount of available parking - in the High St. but it was understood that these would be necessary if no one-way system was adopted.

There was much discussion of Ashley Rd car park - could it be free? (unlikely - tied to EBC rates Borough-wide); could High St permit holders use the permits to park in Ashley Rd car park? (Karen Randolph will investigate with Elmbridge); could it be better lit (ditto).

Parking Proposals: Update 13 January 2008

SCC officials, SCC Cllr Peter Hickman and Elmbridge councillors attended the second display of proposals in the Library on 12 January.

Residents of Thames Ditton Island organised and presented a petition that attracted 78 signatures. The petition called for islanders to have the right to permits to continue parking everywhere around the village i.e. a single shared zone of residents' parking. You may read the full text of the petition here.

Comment: petitions are one way for villagers who may not be targeted for SCC's questionnaires to present their views. Petitions will be noted and mentioned in the SCC Area Committee that considers the next stage. Residents who are in receipt of questionnaires should ensure that they complete them and send in their response - it is inadvisable to regard signing a petition as a substitute for completing the questionnaire.

Representatives of the High Street retail and business community will meet with a SCC transport official at 1730 on Tuesday 15 January. Please contact Helen Peters at Axos (0208 398 7772) for further information. We will attend so that our readers are aware of what transpires.

Station area: SCC officials are expected to produce revised proposals and to send a further questionnaire to residents in the station area in advance of the third, and last, presentation in the Library on 5 February. The revisions will take into account feedback so far.

Basingfield Road: Several residents of Basingfield Road took issue with the thinking below that the resetting of kerbs and consequent widening of the road had allowed the possibility of parking on both sides. They pointed out that there would not be sufficient space for the passage of emergency and delivery vehicles.

Comment: Your webmaster made subsequent visits, measurements and photographs of the situation that may be viewed here if you have broadband.

Photographic and factual evidence of problems caused by parking is always invited from contributors, and help objectively to underline points to SCC as well as to illustrate to other residents the problems we face. Send them in!

Update 17 December 2007:
Thanks to all of you who visited the display in the Library on 11 December and spoke to Transport officials and Cllr. Peter Hickman. Surrey are being receptive. Thinking is evolving:

High Street

One-way suggestion: it is clear that this is problematic for many, both residents and businesses / retailers. If too problematic, it may be withdrawn. The primary arguments in favour of one-way seem to be:

◊   There would be no need to provide for passing-places that would reduce further the total amount of parking available.
◊   Emergency service vehicles and other large vehicles could be assured of free passage. Space would allow provision of a continuous footway along the West side of the High Street.

The arguments against seem to be:

◊   Probable serious reduction in ‘passing trade’ for retailers.
◊   Likely increase in traffic speeds along the High St, necessitating further control measures and street furniture,
◊   Likely knock-on effects for traffic on other roads that would carry traffic seeking to get to the right end of the one-way, or would become a through route for drivers currently inhibited by the present constriction of the High St. The prospect of establishing a rat-run from Portsmouth Road to Hampton Court Way via the High Street does not appeal.

One of the priorities in proposing parking restrictions in the High Street is to support custom for our remaining retailers and their views will carry weight. A meeting for Transport officials to take the collective views of the retail / business community is being arranged (businesses and retailers may contact Helen Peters in Axos on 8398 7772 for further information). We will keep you informed of the results.

Shopper parking: Surrey are receptive to arguments in favour of providing a number of parking bays specifically marked out for shopper parking. These would be available for long-term residents’ and operational business parking only outside shopping hours.

Passing bay and ticket machines: These two provisions in the current proposals mean a significant reduction in total available spaces for parking, as compared with the current situation. They are areas on which to focus in further consultations.

Station Area

Transport officials are revising their proposals slightly, although the essence of them is similar to current proposals, and expect to have revised plans and possibly a further questionnaire available in early January for public consultation. Over the past year, two constraining factors have developed favourably:

◊   National proposals that would in effect mean a full driving licence can only be obtained at a minimum age of 18 are likely to ameliorate the parking and congestion problems caused by Esher College students driving to school.
◊   The new kerbs in Basingfield Road have widened that road sufficiently to allow parking on both sides, with room remaining for passage of a single car along the carriageway.

Other points have been brought to light by residents, including:

◊   No provision in current proposals for short-term parking at the United Reformed Church / toddler group
◊   Disabled provision near the Ember Centre
◊   Sight lines for those exiting driveways in several roads.
◊   Some railway commuters are currently occupying spaces all day in Colets car park and the car park near Giggs Hill Green surgery, and possibly the Library car park, all of which are intended for other, short term purposes.

Consultation

We expect that Transport officials will take account of these factors in their revisions during this consultation phase. The plans on view in the Library will remain for a while longer than originally planned, and officials along with Cllr. Hickman will next be attending for public questions and views on Saturday 12 January from 10.00 to 16.00. In addition, there will now be a further opportunity to see them there on 5 February from 12.00 to 20.00.

The wider implications

There is some understandable concern that when proposals in whatever final form are implemented, there will be knock-on effects for immediately adjacent areas.  Surrey Transport assure us that there can be a review approximately six months after implementation to see whether adjustments or extensions need to be considered.

Update 8 December 2007
Surrey CC Transport Department have now posted their consultation document on SCC's website here. There is a link to their pdf file showing detailed plans for the High St / Station Road area at the foot of the document. In the interests of open information for all, we are making the text of their questionnaire available in web form here. We believe - but as yet have no confirmation - that distribution of the questionnaire will follow the distribution of the High St questionnaire last May. Please note that only responses to the questionnaire delivered by post and authenticated by SCC officials according to the respondent's address will regarded as valid by Transport Department. But clearly (to us), residents outside the immediate area of distribution also have an interest in parking for shops and businesses, the effects of a one-way system and the impact of any scheme on the visual appearance of the village.

From 10 December you will be able to file your views on the consultation via Surrey CC's website. It looks as though they will consider only responses from addresses they have targeted for manual delivery of the written questionnaire. Therefore you might also wish or prefer to supplement your communication by a letter to Transport Department officers responsible. You might also deem it prudent to make your views separately available to Surrey County Councillor Peter Hickman who is monitoring developments.

The telephone number SCC have given for 'further information' is on their questionnaire: 08456 009009

Earlier in the year the SCC officer responsible was listed (in the May questionnaires and further down this page on the web site) as :
Mr David Curl
East Surrey Transportation Service, Mid-Surrey Area Office (AO1)
Opus II, Bay Tree Avenue
Kingston Road,
Leatherhead
Surrey KT22 7SY

David Curl remains engaged with the issue, while the officer currently leading the process is Mr. Clarke Cover at the same address.

Update 7 December 2007
Surrey CC Transport Department's detailed parking proposals and plans go on display at the Library next week and an official will be on hand 12.00 - 20.00 on Tuesday 11 December. Please make the time to inspect them and consider all aspects including the effects of road markings and street furniture on the appearance of the village as well as parking conveniences or inconveniences, before reaching a conclusion. Please make your views known both to SCC Transport and to Councillor Peter Hickman, who will also be on hand. SCC have furnished us with the greater part of the promised pdf file containing their plans which you may download for inspection here. We are pressing for a pdf of the remaining area around the Station (Weston Green and Embercourt Road areas). (Note: for those who have difficulty viewing/printing the pdf file I have prepared a jpeg image version. Slightly smaller file size, poorer resolution but will print more easily on A4 landscape)

In a last-minute development, SCC Transport wish to consider making Thames Ditton High Street one way only. Over the next few days they will distribute a further questionnaire to addresses in the area most affected. They have not yet informed us of the precise nature and distribution of this questionnaire. When it is to hand, details will be published on our web site. The issue has arisen in the past, when a majority of residents and particularly the residents and businesses in the High Street itself were in the main opposed to making traffic one-way, primarily on the grounds that traffic speeds would be likely to increase. Knock-on effects in connected roads also need to be considered.

Several of SCC Transport's new proposals, including ticketing for short-stay parking have arisen as a result of their own consultation with other interested agencies including those responsible for enforcement of parking restrictions and also the emergency services whose interest is in free and unobstructed passage.

The SCC proposals need careful examination by the public so that the majority of you can be sure that what SCC put for decision as a 'final package' is what you want.

Update 8 August 2007
More than half of you are indifferent to parking measures proposed: 505 responses were received by Surrey CC to the 1164 questionnaires sent to residents and businesses in the two zones under consideration, an overall response rate of 43%. A substantial majority of those responding was in favour of action, and by and large there was support for the proposals, with some reservation and some modification.

SCC's summary of the results may be downloaded here.

SCC will now work up detailed proposals as outlined in the summary, and when these are ready they are likely to be displayed for a few weeks in the Library (if space is available) or another public venue. To the extent that they can be adapted to electronic format, we also aim to put them on this web site. The Residents' Association will organise another Special Open meeting in late Autumn to discuss them before SCC carry out the final public survey for approval/disapproval.

The questionnaires provided for respondents to comment freely. Among the comments volunteered, many attributed the congestion and parking problems to all-day commuters, office workers and students. There was some support for Esher College expanding its on-site parking facilities. A very considerable number of respondents pointed to the negative effects of charging for Ashley Road car park, which is not within SCC's powers, and the RA will consider what action might be taken with EBC.

To those who are impatient for more rapid progress, we must point out that we are in the hands of SCC Highways Department schedules and resources. Parking problems have beset the village, especially the High Street, for twenty years and more. We are likely to be stuck with any new restrictions for a very long time: they need to be properly worked out and weighed before implementation.

Update 10 April 2007
Surrey CC Highways are distributing their questionnaires for the High Street and Station areas during this week (10 - 13 April) (We now - 12 April - gather that this has been delayed a further week). Each questionnaire will have a prepaid envelope to encourage a higher response rate from residents. The deadline is 4th May. The officer in charge of the exercise is:
Mr David Curl
East Surrey Transportation Service, Mid-Surrey Area Office (AO1)
Opus II, Bay Tree Avenue
Kingston Road,
Leatherhead
Surrey KT22 7SY

In the interests of transparency we are making the questionnaire available for the information of others not on the letter drop plan, in pdf format.

View High Street questionnaire
View Station area questionnaire

Update 18 January 2007
The outcome of the meeting between Peter Hickman and an official of Surrey County Council Highways Department on 17 January was that:

◊  Surrey Highways were informed of the practical problems on the ground, shown the roads concerned, and presented with the proposals arising from the Residents' Association's consultation to date. They were also made aware of various other proposals that appeared to enjoy significant support in sectors of the village, even where those proposals were contrary.

◊  Surrey Highways had their own exploratory suggestions in the light of experience elsewhere. They will now carry out further inspection visits of their own to help gather useful statistics on parking and traffic flow.

◊  Taking all the above into account, Surrey Highways will then formulate a questionnaire that the RA (Peter) will review before it issues to ensure that it is apposite. Surrey will then hand-deliver the questionnaire to all addresses in affected roads and those roads proximal to them and/or where there is a clear case for consultation. The likely timescale for this is early April. This is the point at which you - residents and all other interests - will have your definitive input.

◊  Having collected and analyzed the views of all those who respond, Surrey Highways will then decide what should be implemented, and put their recommendations to the County Council for formal approval. The likely timescale for this is end May / early June.

◊  Implementation will follow as resources allow.

We will keep you informed.

Update 12 January 2007
Only one further proposal has been submitted for consideration: this is to extend the curfew parking as outlined for Basingfield Rd etc. to Weston Green Road.

Councillor Peter Hickman's initial session with an official of Surrey CC Highways Department is arranged for 17 January. We will keep you informed of what transpires.

Meanwhile, there has been some input from local businesses but we should welcome more. One business view, which is likely to be shared by other businesses, is that they can support the majority of the proposals of 4 January 2007, which should not have an adverse impact on trade, but state that they would be very concerned were residents' parking along the High St to be added, as that restriction would severely affect the viability of their trade. Some businesses are operated by residents, while all pay Business rates and assert that they have at least as much right to park as residents.

Another issue that has come up in the context of High Street parking is that at least one employer feels that their staff cannot be required to park in Ashley Road car park as it is only partially lit and unsupervised; they inform us that employees have had their cars broken into. We are looking into the issue. Use of the car park is an essential part of any plan to improve matters in the High Street.

Update 6 January 2007
The meeting of road representatives on 4 January 2007 defined proposals for both zones, to be put forward to Surrey CC Highways department imminently. You may download and read the summary and the proposals as a Microsoft Word document of 36kb here or as a pdf file of 72kb here.

Comment:

There has been ample opportunity to let the Residents' Association have your views. It is evident that there are almost as many different views as there are residents! These ranged from the many who would prefer nothing to be done at all to restrict (or charge for) parking, through the many more who feel that the present situation is unsustainable, to radical proposals such as to make the entire village a traffic-free zone with a one-way peripheral road system around it and to tarmac over the lovely Dell to provide station parking. Clearly it would be a mammoth task to consider and establish the level of residents' support for most or all of the ideas submitted. At the same time, Surrey have begun to press for proposals if they are to carry out their part within the time and manpower they have allotted.

The meeting on 4 January therefore concentrated on a minimal set of practical and very low-cost proposals that appeared to enjoy fairly widespread support. These are listed in the document linked above. It is worth emphasising that:

◊   We have tried to provide limited short-stay parking for shoppers and deliveries at the expense of all-day parkers.

◊   The few double yellow lines envisaged are required where cars have been ignoring solid white lines and parking obstructively or inconsiderately. They should not be parking there anyway.

◊   There is some proposed restriction of all-day parking in Basingfield Road (which is the hardest-hit by commuters as well as others) and nearby narrow cul-de-sacs. This may make matters a bit worse in other roads round the station, but at present it is rare that there are no spaces in those roads during the working day.

◊   Roadside parking along Watts Road, and Weston Green Road where it crosses the commons, will be spaced out to alleviate nose-to-tail obstruction somewhat.

◊   We have avoided residents' parking with the associated permits, charging, enforcement, marking, visitor, delivery and disabled parking and street furniture issues for the time being. A cautious approach is preferred: wait and evaluate the effects of the limited measures proposed; constructive engagement with the commercial sector; prospect of residents' parking if those measures fail to alleviate the situation or even aggravate it.

◊   Lastly, if you feel strongly and can show the support of others then you still have a few days to submit additions to these proposals. Your submission should be in similar form to those in the above document: the proposal; the reason for it; and the anticipated effects good and bad. You should also indicate your road and provide some evidence of more widespread support.

What happens next: Peter Hickman and Ben Ellis will be meeting with Surrey officials shortly (date to be fixed - aiming for mid-January) to discuss these proposals, and Surrey will doubtless have their own comments. Following the line of events that recently took place in a similar exercise in Long Ditton, Surrey are likely to take 2-3 months to organise their own plan of consultation with residents and users, and depending on the outcome of that, another 2 -3 months before measures agreed are actually implemented.

Update 30 December 2006: Ben Ellis has convened a follow-up meeting of road representatives for 2000 on 4 January 2007 at the Vera Fletcher Hall. Road reps should ensure they are fairly representing the views of the roads they are covering - not just their own views!

The schedule has had to be accelerated somewhat as Surrey have lately made clear that they have allocated only a limited time to consider the Thames Ditton case.

Summary of Special Open Meeting and aftermath18 December 2006

Approximately 80 residents attended the Special Open meeting on 16 November.

Peter Hickman explained that Surrey CC Highways Dept. had surveyed existing parking layouts in the village. Maps were available for inspection. Surrey were not themselves making proposals. They would take things further only if residents themselves put forward proposals that had a good chance of achieving at least 60-70% support. The RA was collating views.

The Residents' Association would attribute priority in the following order:

◊ views of residents, particularly in afflicted roads

◊ views of High Street traders

◊ views of those from outside the village commuting to or from Thames Ditton to work.

Meanwhile, a similar exercise in Long Ditton had resulted in the residents there opting for residents' parking. If adopted by Surrey CC Highways, this would probably displace further parkers to Thames Ditton.

The process

The meeting would capture views of residents. The issues would be more closely defined. Further consultation would then be held before proposals were put to Surrey CC Highways Department. Surrey CC would adopt them only after a short period of its own consultation with all those in the affected areas.

It was unlikely that there would be total agreement among residents concerning individual proposals. The aim was to identify practical steps that would gain support among a solid majority.

The views

The views captured are briefly listed in this downloadable pdf file. They were many and varied.

There was general agreement that too many issues had been aired to offer prospect of a fully comprehensive scheme that would find general support within the scope of the meeting. It was decided to narrow further consideration down to two zones.

Zone 1 was the zone centring on the High Street, including Ashley Road, Watts Road, and the parts of Station Road and Summer Road immediately adjacent to the High Street. It was recognised that many neighbouring roads would have an interest in this area and their views should be sought. The interests of residents without parking in Church Walk and The Island must be considered. Traders and office-workers should also have some input to road representatives.

Zone 2 was the zone centring on the Station, including the proximal end of Speer and Embercourt Roads, Basingfield Road, Station Road, Weston Green Road and its tributaries. As a special case, the extension of Weston Green Road across the commons was added where there are specific problems related to parking for Esher Station. The interests of station commuters should be taken into some account but would have less priority than those of residents. The interests of Church Walkers also needed to be considered in Speer Road.

Many participants offered views on the Ashley Road car park. This is owned by Elmbridge Borough Council and does not form part of the present exercise, which has to do with the areas of Surrey CC's responsibility. Nevertheless it is a significant issue that should in future be factored in to any intellectually-satisfying consideration of parking problems In the longer term. Dealt with separately.

Similarly, the current survey addresses parking and not traffic questions, although to your mind these may be linked in some cases. But to maximise prospects of any progress at all, we must keep consideration down to the bones of parking proposals that can find early majority support and that can actually be achieved through the present exercise with Surrey.

What happens next

Ben Ellis (RA Highways and Drainage Convenor) will further consult road representatives for Zone 1 and Zone 2. Road representatives should consult in their areas as widely as possible to ensure that they are representing fairly all views even if they do not personally agree with them. Please communicate directly with Ben: tel 8398 2114 or email

Residents'proposals that appear to enjoy majority support will be forwarded to Surrey CC Highways department soon. Time for this process is short while the Surrey window remains open. Surrey will then carry out a short, leaflet-based notification of residents for consultation and will implement proposals based on the outcome of their own consultation.