Underhill residents determined not to “roll-over” and just be forced into accepting imposition of new controlled parking zone

In a final push to rally opposition to an experimental controlled parking zone in 16 roads north of Mays Lane residents are being urged to have their say before a consultation by Barnet Council ends on June 14.

Leaders of two community associations campaigning against yet another extension of parking controls in roads around Barnet Hospital, say their surveys are showing the restrictions are unnecessary.

A petition against the scheme has attracted almost 900 signatures.

At a third protest meeting, Jon Woolfson and Gina Theodorou (see above) published statistics compiled over the last six months which they say prove their argument that justification for an extended CPZ is “much weaker” than residents were led to believe.

“Barnet Council shouldn’t be allowed to impose a permanent CPZ when a clear majority of residents oppose it,” said Ms Theodorou, chair of Quinta Village Green Residents Association.

Although the council had succeeded over recent year in a step-by-step widening parking controls in streets around both High Barnet town centre and Barnet Hospital, the two associations consider the Underhill South extension is a step too far.

“We know that in some areas the residents just gave up and have grudgingly accepted parking restrictions, but our evidence shows there is no reason why we should roll over and just be forced to become another cash cow for the council’s parking revenue.”

Jon Wolfson, lead organiser of Underhill Residents Group, said that 11 separate surveys over the last six months had shown that only a third of the allocated parking spaces were ever in use.

“We found that the bays were never more than a third full at any one time which shows a very low uptake of residents’ parking permits.”

After the two associations presented a joint petition to a council meeting in March, Councillor Alan Schneiderman, cabinet member for the environment, assured residents that the Underhill South CPZ was only an experiment and would be fully reviewed after a six-month trial.   

“We still don’t know who really calls the shots over parking control, whether in the end it is the officials in the highways department,” said Mr Wolfson.

“We have been promised by local councillors that this time they will have the final say, so we shall see.”

As a result of their protests when the Underhill South CPZ was first announced last year, the area was reduced to the 16 roads north of Mays Lane. Twelve roads to the south were excluded from the trial.

Residents’ surveys confirmed that the most pressure on parking spaces was in Chesterfield Road and Stanhope Road where residents had initially been split 50/50 for and against the trial CPZ.

However, in most of the 16 roads included in the scheme, there was “little or no evidence of parking stress” and the two groups felt this confirmed their argument that other nearby roads had been included simply because of their proximity and revenue raising potential.

For comments or objections email or post by deadline June 14:

email: cpz.consultations@barnet.gov.uk

or by post to Parking Design Team, Highways, 2 Bristol Avenue, Colindale, London NW9 4EW