Merton Park Votes Against CPZ Expansion

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Local survey on Saturday charging plans

Merton Park residents have clearly said they don't want local Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) to be extended to Saturdays.

Merton borough council proposed extending all its Monday-Friday CPZs to Saturday, when it set its annual budget earlier this year.

Before any CPZ is extended, there has to be public consultation. And, although no consultation timetable has been announced, Merton Park Ward Residents' Association organised its own survey.

They had 632 responses to their questionnaire, either online or by post, with 88% against the proposal, 7% in favour and 5% with no opinion.

The three current CPZs in Merton Park are:

MP1 (Merton Park) in the Conservation Area and south to Circle Gardens 10am - 4pm.
5F  (Wimbledon Chase) in roads north of Kingston Road 8.30am - 6.30pm.
M1 (Morden) in roads between Crown Lane/Martin Way and London Road 10am - 4pm.

The number of replies from zones M1 and 5F (34 and 87 respectively) were lower than from MP1, partly because they are smaller. There was still a decisive 'no' vote in each zone, although the share of 'yes' votes varied between the zones: MP1 6%; 5F 8%; and M1 20%.

MPWRA said the key points made against the proposals were:

• The CPZs were introduced to stop commuter parking, which only occurs Monday to Friday.
• There is no congestion on Saturdays, therefore no justification for controls.
• If there is no congestion, the only reason for imposing parking controls is to raise revenues – a money making exercise.
• Weekends are for friends and family to visit, and for leisure activities. These will be curtailed if visitors have to buy a visitor's permit each time they visit.

A MPWRA spokesman said: "Overall, the message to Merton Council could hardly be clearer – scrap these proposals to extend parking controls to Saturdays."

But Conservative Councillor Henry Helless, of the neighbouring Abbey Ward, said: "There is an irony about this statement given that all of the MPWIR councillors voted in favour of this proposal to extend the CPZs to Saturdays at March's budget meeting, and against the Conservative proposal to remove it.

"It's really a bit late for them to start to getting all hot and bothered about it now - they should have done something when they had the chance in March."

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October 4, 2011