The past year has been particularly ambitious for us and has seen some major changes to parking in Westminster.
We have listened to residents and responded by ending the unpopular use of clamping and removal of vehicles.
We have also created more than 2,000 additional, dedicated motorcycle parking bays across the city, and introduced parking cards as an alternative way to pay for parking and are continuing to implement cashless parking across the city.
Further, we have implemented a number of common sense measures.
One of which has resulted in a 50 per cent reduction in the number of tickets issued to commercial vehicles.
Another has given resident permit holders a five-minute allowance to load or unload on single yellow lines.
However, we are not complacent and aim to
introduce a number of initiatives to help make parking cheaper, safer and easier in 2009.
These include helping older residents through the provision of discounted parking for carers, providing more spaces for visitors and keeping dropped kerbs free of parked vehicles.
Measures will also be employed to make it easier for businesses to distribute goods and provide essential services across the city and a car club scheme will be implemented as a cheaper and greener alternative to car ownership.
Finally, we know that parking enforcement is not always popular,but with over half-a-million vehicles entering Westminster every day, it is a necessary tool to protect the safety of motorists and pedestrians and to keep traffic moving around the city.
However, we want to ensure that when enforcement is necessary, we are getting it right first time, and if we do get it wrong, that we are using common sense and putting it right quickly.
As the largest parking authority in the UK, Westminster has become the 'blueprint' for improving parking services and we are committed to delivering firm, fair and excellent parking services for all our residents, businesses and visitors.
Cllr Danny Chalkley, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport
Westminster City Council
