Changes to the resident parking scheme in Cambridge are being proposed ahead of a long-term vision to encourage more sustainable transport in the city.
Officers at Cambridgeshire County Council have been working with the Greater Cambridge Partnership on the development of an Integrated Parking Strategy to better manage parking in the city.
However, while this is being devised, a number of short and medium term measures are being proposed to ease the increasing demand on parking. These will be voted on by members of the county council’s Highways and Transport Committee on 12 July.
The short-term measures include:
• Limiting resident permits to three per household a year – and increasing schemes which currently have a limit of two permits to three
• Making the cost of a second permit significantly more expensive than the first, and the third significantly more expensive than the second
• Changing the limit of visitor permits to 40 per household (with each permit allowing five visits) from the current annual limit of 20 permits per household occupant. There would be one price for the first 20 permits and a higher price for the second set of 20 permits.
The prices would be set at a rate which would make sure the overall scheme is cost neutral, taking into account the recent rise in the cost of living and the increase in the cost of providing this service.
The medium-term measures include:
• Investigating the introduction of a permit surcharge for high emission vehicles
• Investigating the feasibility of an annual, city-wide tradesperson permit
• Reviewing resident permit property eligibility for new and redeveloped properties.
The Integrated Parking Strategy will take a long-term view on issues including the expansion of parking controls across the city and providing more sustainable transport infrastructure such as charging points and bike parking.
The committee will also vote on whether to approve the new Cambridge City Resident Parking Scheme Delivery Plan 2022 which has been developed with the Greater Cambridge Partnership to support the future delivery of GCP funded resident parking schemes. The plan proposes to streamline the policy surrounding the introduction of new resident parking schemes by removing the need for a councillor-led informal consultation and the need for 50% of those that respond to the formal consultation to support a scheme.
Instead, it proposes that all comments raised at the formal consultation stage are considered by a board of senior officers and councillors, ensuring that the schemes that are progressed balance the needs of all users.
Cllr Neil Shailer, vice-chair of the Highways and Transport Committee, said: “Resident parking in Cambridge is a major issue, so it is only right that we look at a comprehensive and long-term approach which takes into account this administration’s priority of promoting sustainable transport.
“However, while this approach is being developed we cannot be inactive, which is why we have proposed these short and medium term measures. I want to make clear that the overall cost of these changes would be cost neutral to the council and are in no way about making a profit.”
The committee will also hear updates on the previous allocation of a £100,000 fund to establish more 20mph schemes across the county. Fourteen schemes have now been identified from the application process with construction expected to take place between February and May in 2023.
Papers for the upcoming meeting can be read on the council's website.
The meeting can be viewed on the council’s YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/user/CambsCountyCouncil
