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Parking zone held up again

From the archive, first published Saturday 24th Jul 2004.

A controlled parking zone due to come into force in the centre of Headington, Oxford, in September has been delayed.

Residents and Oxford City Council members are angry that Oxfordshire County Council transport planners has put off implementing the scheme, intended to stop commuters' cars clogging the streets.

Workers from the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford Brookes University and the Churchill Hospital park in the area, instead of using the dedicated park-and-ride buses from Thornhill site, next to the A40, to get to and from work.

David Rundle, city councillor for Headington, said: "I contacted the county council and they told me the zone had been delayed due to loss of staff, and that we are now looking at the end of the year before it is introduced.

"If hospital and Oxford Brookes University staff continue to be able to park, they are not going to use the park-and-ride.

"We know the county council is hard pressed, but if this is delayed any more, residents of Headington would be very justified in losing their confidence in the authority at this stage."

Stephen Tall, another of the area's city councillors, said: "This is another crushing disappointment.

"This parking zone was meant to be in place a year ago to protect Headington residents from spill-over parking from the hospitals.

"It's absolutely essential it's put in place as soon as possible, both to help local residents, and to encourage better use of the frequent park-and-ride services.

"This highlights how crucial it is that the county puts in enough money to ensure its highways staff is at full strength.

"It's ludicrous that such an important scheme should be further delayed because of staff shortages. Residents deserve better."

Janet Isaac, of Highfield Residents' Association, said: "It's just another hold-up. We've been going to get them for four years.

"I live in Lime Walk, the first street without permit parking, and we have hospital staff and contractors working at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre parking from early every morning.

"I have a drive and garage, but there are a lot of people in Lime Walk with no off-street parking."

Tony Joyce, chairman of the co-ordinating committee of Headington Residents' Associations, said: "All one can do is regret the length of time it appears to take to introduce any of these schemes. Girdlestone Road and south of Lime Walk is essential in order to support the use of the 600 bus from the park-and-ride to the NOC and the Churchill Hospital.

"It's costing the council a great deal of money in bus subsidies, yet you never see more than two or three people on that bus."

Members of Oxford City Council's north east area committee agreed this week to put pressure on the county council to increase the staff of the traffic planning department so they can speed up the introduction of permit schemes in the city.

David Robertson, the county council's executive member for transport, confirmed one member of the four-strong team responsible for parking zones had left.

He said: "The team was really small anyway, and is working on controlled parking in north Oxford and Summertown, and a consultation in Headington Quarry.

"We would have loved to have got it done quicker. We have not deliberately delayed it."