INTRODUCTION: We are grateful to PPDRA committee member Pauline O’Sullivan for this informative overview of the Weybridge Parking Project —  work in progress by the Weybridge Society and Weybridge Town Business Group, a major undertaking on a significant topic.

It is excellent to see mention that:

• any restrictions must not disadvantage residents in roads with limited or no off-street parking, and
• parking restrictions must not increase rat run traffic through residential roads. 

These are two concerns which local residents frequently express to PPDRA, which were included in our evidence to the project, not apparent in the original Parking Project report.  

We welcome the prospect of the Parking Project accommodating these and other wider concerns.  PPDRA strongly supports the principle of a strategic plan recognising the diverse parking needs across our local community. We also feel it is important that it covers traffic as well as parking, as the two are so interrelated.  

Comments welcome!
…………………………….

Weybridge Parking Solution – Make your views known

Creative thinking is at last taking place to sort out parking and improve our Town. There are many factors involved and your input and ideas are important.

SCC and EBC have failed for years to implement an effective and cohesive parking plan for Weybridge that addresses increasing problems for business, shoppers, residents, schools and visitors. Getting this right is fundamental to the prosperity, look and feel of our Town.

As a result, The Weybridge Society (WS), in conjunction with the Weybridge Town Business Group (WTBG), undertook a voluntary initiative to produce an advisory document to start the necessary detailed quantification of the problem and an outline of the considerations for a potential solution. To view the Weybridge Parking Project Review & Proposal, plus a clarification and update, go to: https://www.weybridgesociety.org.uk/current-activities/weybridge-parking-review-2017-18/

The project involved only: the collection of hard data on the extra commuter parking space needed, the assessment of space available in existing car parks and their potential for expansion, and current charges/revenues. It also looked at current problems and considerations relating to the parking needs of all users and identified further work necessary to assess the wider impacts to be considered before any final solution can be proposed and implemented.

A comprehensive survey of local businesses revealed that a minimum of 725 commuter cars currently park each weekday on the streets around Weybridge High Street and the Queens Road Village. They make parking difficult for shoppers, visitors and residents, especially for those with no off-street parking. The solution being suggested is to provide more off-street parking for use by commuters and the creation of at least two Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) for residents that can be shared with short and medium-term shoppers and other visitors. The precise details of these CPZs are still to be decided and are likely to be shaped more in line with the official town boundary to take better account of the inconvenience suffered by residents in roads close to retail areas. Note these will not be concentric circles as used in the Proposal as indicative of distances from a central point.

In February, the WS and WTBG met with Weybridge and Surrey councillors to launch the Review and Proposal. Agreement was gained for it to be presented for adoption at the next Joint Executive Group of SCC and EBC. Cllr. Andrew Davis agreed to undertake the Feasibility Study into the potential expansion of existing car parks, acknowledging the need for creative ideas and no multi-storey eyesores. This was due to be delivered at end of June, but a lack of progress has meant that it is having to be recommissioned.

The PPDRA committee has discussed the findings, the outline of a potential solution, and the further work required as input to a cohesive Plan. The extra work is primarily the responsibility of EBC and SCC, but progress will need close monitoring and consultation with residents:

• Feasibility Study into possible car park expansion to ease parking pressure in the two main retail areas and around the station.
• Continued discussion on additional parking being provided as part of redeveloping the hospital site.
• Traffic Management Review – volumes, flow, pollution levels, safety and potential impact of changes to parking and restrictions in residential roads.
• Quantify parking needs around schools at drop-off and pick-up times.
• Quantify the impact of evening parking needs on residents.
• Investigate new parking opportunities and the further parking potential that could arise from changes being considered to the town layout.
• Further Investigate the viability of a Park & Ride scheme from Brooklands.
• Quantify the charging, economic viability and use of extended of car parks with the focus on their use by long-term parkers.

Key considerations in creating the new Parking Plan

• It must not disadvantage residents in roads with limited or no off-street parking, nor increase rat runs.
• Businesses must buy into their staff using carparks and the cost implications.
• Residents must buy into paying for parking permits in return for local parking and having controlled parking zones to ensure that long-term parkers use car parks.
• The timetable for implementing any new Parking Plan must ensure that adequate off-street space is available prior to introducing any more CPZs.
• No further money should be spent on existing carparks until their future has been decided.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  HAS SOMETHING BEEN MISSED?  Contribute your thoughts below, and come to the PPDRA AGM on 13 September to share views and hear from councillors. THIS IS IMPORTANT.

P O’S  July 2018

—————————————————————–

UPDATE 11 Sept 2018

Here is some further helpful clarification from Pauline O’Sullivan on CPZ proposals from the Weybridge Parking Project, which illustrates how the Project is responding to local concerns. Comments invited.

Extending the CPZ in Weybridge

It is generally accepted that Weybridge needs more off-street space for long-term parking so that all residents can park close to their own homes. However, there is also a need to provide an element of short-term parking for shoppers and visitors within walking distance of the High Street and Queens Road trading areas.

Getting this balance right is not going to be easy, with many factors to be considered. The enlargement and changes of restrictions to the existing CPZ in 2015 resulted in more stress in adjoining roads, a reduction in parking for shoppers, and roads in the CPZ being left with lots of space for much of the day.  A revised approach is therefore essential.

The Weybridge Society website (weybridgesociety.org.uk) gives full details of its recent Parking Project that quantified both the cause of the congestion (long-term commuter parking) and the needs of residents, shoppers and businesses. The Project concluded that there will have to be more controlled parking on our roads for off-street parking to work.

The current thinking of the Project is to have 2 CPZs, one broadly following the irregular shape of the official Town centre boundary and a similar one for Queens Road, both based on the acceptable average walking distances for commuters as determined by the Weybridge Society’s survey. Differing parking restrictions would need to apply within these CPZs to reflect the proximity to the High Street and Queens Road, and the needs of individual roads and locations, e.g. around schools. It is already recognised that a few roads may opt to be excluded from any restriction for practical and/or safety reasons, so getting the best result for all will be a complex process. Understanding the views of residents is therefore very important.

Make sure you have your say by providing feedback direct to the Weybridge Society as leaders of the initiative at: weysoc@mickey.me.uk and/or to this Association at contactus @ portmore.org.uk