On 7 Jan 2014 at 10:18pm Plumber wrote:
Everyone needs to SLOW down with the Keyboard entries.
20 yrs. ago in Lewes, we had about 2 wardens. If your car was parked and causing a problem; a warden would enter the shop and find you, or issue you a ticket.
It worked fine, but traffic problems would arise when one of them was on holiday or on Paddock Road (when the fire engines tried to get through.)
So, here is the important bit!
The Parking Plan was sold to the people of Lewes, saying, "Profits of the plan will allow us to increase the number of parking spaces in Lewes and introduce 'park and ride' schemes for commuters to Lewes."
I did ask the council how many MORE parking spaces have been added since the implementation of the scheme. They said it was about the same. I asked, but what about the Police Station parking places?
Parking Lots are controlled by the County Council so are not included in the "parking spaces" quantity.
Their reply was something like, LDC get the parking charges from on street parking, County Council get the money for the parking lots.
So, this means the People of Lewes (and "out of town shoppers"), have put millions into this parking scheme and got nothing from it?
Why don't we just hire the current parking wardens and quit giving all the money to NCP?
On 7 Jan 2014 at 10:40pm The Old Mayor wrote:
I agree with you, but unfortunately, Councils and Governments can't run a p sis up in a brewery, as they've proved with the Railways, Air Travel, Hospitals, Car Manufacturing, Aerospace, Telecom, Royal Mail, Gas, Steel, Coal, Oil and Utilities. I may have missed a few too ! So what makes you even consider they could organise a dozen traffic wardens ? Unfortunately, the fashion is to outsource everything to large corporate concerns nationwide. Yet this Government SAYS it's supports small businesses. Saying and doing are 2 different things. eh ?
On 8 Jan 2014 at 7:28am Sceptic wrote:
It appears to me that the simple problems in life always appear to be the most difficult to resolve. I agree with the two posts above so why can't the council see the answer. What a nice little earner to help the people of Lewes if the council took over the car parks.
On 8 Jan 2014 at 8:06am Guppy wrote:
Perhaps one of the Councillors who writes here occasionally would like to answer? Ashley Price, Merlin Milner, Ian Eiloart, John Stockdale and probably more have all popped up from time to time.
On 8 Jan 2014 at 9:59am Joe Public wrote:
Those same Councillors will not stick their head over the parapet, they are all puppets or muppets, we need a change !
On 8 Jan 2014 at 12:54pm Knoxon Cutts wrote:
ExactlyOM,saying and doing are completely different things.What's the difference between a small business man and a large corporation? One of them can provide much fatter brown envelopes,methinks. This country has been bankrupt since the 1930s or 40s so who do you think runs it? The lender rules the borrower,it even says it in the bible.I think it's time to wake up,give me a shake if you do.
On 8 Jan 2014 at 1:48pm I don't live in lewes... wrote:
"Not so Simple?"
The parking scheme was sold as making life easier for Lewes residents. It has not. The scheme is now a beast that solely exists to feed itself.
Rather than having shoppers over a barrel the greedy councillors at the time didn't realise that the internet would supply the means of not feeding the beast.
My sympathies go out to the traders.
PhilX
On 8 Jan 2014 at 2:53pm Earl of De Montfort wrote:
The last two tickets I received were (rightfully) overturned.
Funny how the wardens seem to ignore the worst cases or be off work when needed most i.e. picking up curry from Shanaz time and blocking up the High Street and/or school/commuter-run chaos at the train station in the mornings / evenings
On 8 Jan 2014 at 3:29pm Parking Spaced wrote:
I have been told that the Council aren't even following the rules of their own scheme, and have issued a load of Permits to people who don't even live in the Zone they have a permit for. Is this correct? Perhaps one of the Councillors named above could explain that, because I am sure I am not the only person who would like one of these privilege passes.
On 8 Jan 2014 at 3:49pm bastian wrote:
one of the worst problems of the scheme is that you have paid your yearly rate for A space somewhere in your band, but when you try and park, there isn't one. Now at the moment we canleave the car on the industrial estate, but that won't be there at soem point, AND, they will be building on the car park there to. So effectively you have paid for something you cannot always have-that's just wrong, and quite common. Most people pay for a band width of internet that they don't actually ever get (ie, 20mh and they only get 15mh). In Worthing they have a simillar scheme, only in residential areas you can't park as a visitor, it is residential only, all residents actually have a space and no one can just leave a car there while they are shopping or at work. This scheme seems to reley on everyone driving to work, when I thought the object was to discourage people from using their cars.
On 8 Jan 2014 at 3:53pm Resident. wrote:
They do not promise a space, and clearly do not really care as they keep approving more properties in zones with no parking space, but your last point is exactly right.
Is it really true that the Council are issuing permits to residents who don't live in a Zone? I find that very hard to believe. That would be too ridiculous even for our awful scheme.
On 8 Jan 2014 at 4:56pm queequeg wrote:
Earl of De Montfort, you seem to want people to get tickets for just stopping for 5 Mins to pick up a take away. They did actually do that in the early days but it seems no longer. To me it is a pretty good example of an extreme worst case scenario - There are no legal spaces near by The Shanaz, certainly none empty in the evenings, and to be charged £35 for a 5 min stop is iniquitous. But maybe your not a curry lover.
On 8 Jan 2014 at 5:16pm Parkie wrote:
Oh really queequeg, the last time I looked there were loads of legal spaces in the Needlemakers car park in the evening!
On 8 Jan 2014 at 5:22pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
I feel really sorry for people who live in the CPZ. Permits sold far outnumber spaces available, I'm sure. I think it's tough on people who live near the edge of their zone, who might only be a few yards from a space but can't use it because it's in a different zone.
I'd feel very miffed if I got home in the small hours and had to park several streets away. I know Lewes is a pretty safe town, but I bet there are a lot of women who don't feel comfortable walking the streets alone late at night. Especially now it's pitch dark.
On 8 Jan 2014 at 7:12pm Reasonable wrote:
Um, just so you know Parkie, you are right that sometimes there are spaces in the Needlemakers, but much of the time in the evening it is completely full, as are all the other local car parks, usually because there is something on, either in the Town Hall, or elsewhere. Few people want to park down in the unlit dingy areas at the bottom of North St. So residents cannot even park as was suggested, in local car parks, especially, as someone has pointed out above, they are not commuters, and are not going to leave the car park in the morning before 9. The whole thing is an incompetent mess, and is made worse because the car parks are not properly integrated with the scheme. Where are your MP and Councillors when you need them? We all agree a well run scheme would be fine, so why have we not got one?
On 8 Jan 2014 at 10:36pm Plumber wrote:
Looks as though they have successfully managed to divide and rule.
Nobody in Lewes is better off because of the scheme. One can argue that some are "WORSE off" than others, but why?
I am, however, willing to bet that the person who was supposed to be working for Lewes Residents designing the scheme; has a DESIGNATED PARKING SPACE.
If anyone may "see" a way to protest and end the scheme; you may mention it here. (HINT)
On 8 Jan 2014 at 11:14pm One rule for them wrote:
At least living in Malling we'll never have a permit or pay as you park scheme because the Police HQ workers are well looked after and need somewhere to park free. Fine as long as the residents don't come home from work early because there is nowhere to park from 8:30 to 16:30
On 8 Jan 2014 at 11:32pm feeling unwell wrote:
We could have a parking day organised and everyone just parks in the High Street and centre of town for an hour or two ? That'd be chaos !!
On 9 Jan 2014 at 12:00am Not the Plumber wrote:
The county council parking lot has 2 entry points.
On 9 Jan 2014 at 12:10am Nowhere to park wrote:
I have also heard that the Council are issuing permits to people who don't live in the Zone they have a permit for. That would be completely outrageous. Can anyone confirm this?
On 9 Jan 2014 at 7:01am Dimwanee wrote:
I live in Nigeria and applied for a parking permit in Lewes and got one. However by the time I catch the plane from Nigeria picked up my car and then airlifted it back to Nigeria for the day I find it does not cover the cost of the permit. Bearing in mind I then have to airlift it back to my Lewes parking lot and catch the plane home all ready to go through the same ritual the next day. So it's not all plane sailing ( excuse my pun ).
On 9 Jan 2014 at 8:33am Fairmeadow wrote:
It is East Sussex County Council who organise, and take the money from, on-street parking. Any profits from the scheme go to East Sussex County Council and are used across the whole county. They are run by the Tories. Your local councillors (Ruth O'Keeffe, Rosalyn St Pierre) are not Tories and as there is no risk of the Tories winning any Lewes seats, there is no reason why the majority group of county councillors should be bothered about Lewes opinion. And while they may "consult" for form's sake, they aren't.
Lewes District Council receive the profits from the town car parks that they own (which they inherited from the old Borough of Lewes). That council is also run by the Tories, whose seats are on the coast and in the posher villages. All the Lewes DC councillors for Lewes are LibDems or Ruth O'Keeffe. The Tory group, supported by UKIP's ex-Tory Donna, have just agreed that your council tax will go up by £50 or so next year to pay for recreation ground maintenance in Lewes, but they ignored the proposal that the proceeds of the Lewes car parks should also benefit local people. Council tax payers in all Tory wards will benefit from the change, while those in Lewes & Newhaven will be penalised for voting LibDem. Lewes DC would rather keep the income from Lewes town car parks for the District as a whole.
Do keep up.
On 9 Jan 2014 at 10:49am Border Control wrote:
So the answer is to vote Tory and rid ourselves of the un washed and wishy washy ones ! (Just for one term though)
On 9 Jan 2014 at 10:51am Joe Public wrote:
Absolutely, BC we are an island of yellow p iss in a sea of blue ! And frankly, it's got us no where.
On 9 Jan 2014 at 12:56pm No spaces. wrote:
Regardless of the political mess, and these dysfunctional parties, there is no reason why any Councillor, of any political persuasion cannot just do their job, simply as a local person , or neighbour, with a mandate, and just address some of the more obvious problems with the parking scheme. It is hardly a sideline trivial issue, is it? It is very simple. Councillors all have the power to contact their own Officers, ask them the questions we are asking, and tell us what the response is. Cllr Eiloart can do that, and has made it clear, when a videos of himself was posted, that he is aware, or made aware of what is written on these threads. Other Councillors are equally aware, especially when threads have clear titles specifying that the issue is relevant.
On 9 Jan 2014 at 1:00pm Town Flyer wrote:
When does the NCP contract come to an end?
On 9 Jan 2014 at 2:55pm belladonna wrote:
Yes, I think you can apply for a residents permit in two separate zones.
Personally, all on-street parking in residential streets should be residents/ visitors or 20 mins stay only. We always have to park our car a couple of streets away, often because of shoppers parking. Why can't they stick to the car parks, of which there are loads ?
On 9 Jan 2014 at 4:06pm bastian wrote:
That's what I meant by the Worthing system bellaD, it works there, why not here. Also there is the problem of people with two cars living in the centre of town where there are so few spaces, some streets have only five spaces to 15 houses.
On 9 Jan 2014 at 5:19pm Parking Spaced wrote:
You can get permits for two zones if you live in the one in the middle of town (HS?) but I have heard that people in other zones are also getting permits for 'HS' even though they don't live in it. Is that true? If so why can't I have one of those? I would definitely like an 'HS' permit as my Zone was affected by the recent changes that created 'HS' and it is now even worse than before.
On 10 Jan 2014 at 12:31pm John Stockdale wrote:
Just caught up with this thread. There is virtually no prospect of getting the on-street scheme scrapped - and significant traffic increase in the last decade probably means we're past the tipping point where we need one anyway. The fact that in 2011 the hours were shortened, bank holidays were excluded and the area covered by the scheme was not extended (apart from to Ferrars Road where the residents asked for it) suggest ESCC got the message about how unfair and unpopular the original scheme was.
But the scheme is still unnecessarily complicated with far too many zones. An inner zone and an outer one would do it IMO.
I'll ask about the rules for getting permits for zones you don't live in. I wasn't aware before.
We're still pressing for the income from Lewes' parking charges to be used to offset the cost of open spaces. This is being used to levy an average £56 charge on Lewes households next financial year.
On 10 Jan 2014 at 1:03pm No Spaces wrote:
Thank you Cllr Stockdale. And cynics say that Councillors don't read these threads! Could you also find out if it is true, ( as apparently reported in the Guardian) that we have more wardens that other places, and why (if true) this is. Yes, we do need some sort of scheme, I think however that we can expect a fair one, and these two issues indicate the reverse, especially the idea that some people are getting privilege permits. Thanks.
On 10 Jan 2014 at 2:24pm John Stockdale wrote:
Spaces, do you have a reference for, a copy of or a link to the Guardian story?
On 10 Jan 2014 at 3:55pm No Spaces wrote:
Hello. The claim was made by someone in a thread a few days earlier than this. It states that the information came from the guardian website. So it could be true, or rumour.
Re: The privilege passes, I have heard about these myself. I was told that they are being handed out to anyone that the Council want to have an HS pass, but who doesn't live in that zone. Presumably if they can do it in one zone, they can do it in any, and the claim that you must be resident in a zone to get a permit for it, would therefore not true. Apparently the Council can just chose to do it, they don't need any permission, or need to do any consultation, or even explain how or why they are issued, you can just ask, and get one. If that is true then those of us who didn't know about this secret arrangement are being disadvantaged by quite astonishing prejudice and extremely sneaky covert permit issuing..... which is why I find it very hard to believe. I cannot find any info anywhere at all on the Council website about non-resident passes.
On 10 Jan 2014 at 5:00pm John Stockdale wrote:
No spaces, thanks. The Council that issues on street parking permits is ESCC. I'll see what I can find out.
On 10 Jan 2014 at 9:11pm Corinthian wrote:
Parking problems.....hurray a thing of the past...free parking outside my house...don't have to leave my car 200 yards from my front door nor do I have to leave my car in the station car park if I want to go away for more than 24 hours.....Lewes doesn't seem to work for residents or visitors...happy I moved away.
On 11 Jan 2014 at 12:19am Annoyed wrote:
I have also heard about these permits, and yes, I would like to have one too, as I am just outside HS, so can't park in it, but everyone in HS can park in my street. How is that fair?
On 11 Jan 2014 at 9:41am bastian wrote:
when was the WP parking area created? people in waterloo place with two cars now park one in WP and one in B, putting pressure on B and HS.