General Discussion
Falmouth
Dear dawlish councillors, this evenings broadcast on spotlight shows what can be done when it comes to re-generation in Falmouth. Please investigate and learn. The most interesting thing tha when asked what single thing had done the most for Falmouth the interviewee answered "FREE PARKING"
willosindawlish, You may remember Devon CC have been losing £600.000 per year since 2008 re parking, now Mid Devon have just lost £46.000 you can guess who has to make up the shortfall.
Just goes to show they are great planners and fully understand financial affairs.
This is the major point raised when talking to visitors in Dawlish. Parking and the cost and harassement from the enforcement brigade. In South wales apparently there are now free car parks for shoppers in the towns and it is proving succesful. If the council keeps driving trade away by costs of parking and fines, more and more businesses will close and the council's lose revenue from business rates. Eventualy they will lose even more parking revenue because fewer people will come into the town " it's a no brainer"
I agree willosindawlish.
Its all very well about going on about free parking, but as for the Strand, once all the shop/estate agent workes, day trippers etc have parked their cars in the parking bays, where do the shoppers park?
Maybe you ommited to say Free Parking for 30 minutes only which will make a lot more sense.
It's £600K on parking enforcement, not on parking per se. Without enforcement, it would be a chaotic free for all - ANARCHY!
Of course it is the cost of enforcement, but the plan was that after the first year it would be self financed which quite obvously it is not.
The burden of cost falls on the taxpayer which just shows how incompendent DCC councillors are, even after paying a private company £300.000 to do a survey, for which they did not complete a report, as DCC did not ask for one.
Surely the fact that its not self financing means that enforcement works?! Or would you prefer to see an extra £600K a year in fines for illegal parking?
Imagine the uproar if enforcement made a profit - "Motorists Subsidise Council Fatcats Biscuits". or similar Daily Mail headline!
Short term free parking should definitely be on the agenda though. Although it will need enforcing and will still lead to people complaining when they overstay the time limit.
"Or would you prefer to see an extra £600K a year in fines for illegal parking" What a stupid comment, of course we need enforcement, my comments were at directed DCC who assessed it would be cost effective from the second year, even after spending £300.000 with a private company and not requesting a report as to the viability of the program, the parking ticket income is up 22% and yet it still costs the public money.
Income from PCN's is ringfenced and can only be spent on Highways projects which in this case cannot happen as the money is not there, consequently we the public are financing that also. So your comment ""Motorists Subsidise Council Fatcats Biscuits Etc". is totally irrelevant
But, with all due respect, you are again confusing the matter by referring to "parking ticket income". Do you mean income from bought tickets or from issued tickets?
This posting has only ever been about PCN's, I would have thought my second para made that clear. Monies collected from parking machines can be used for other purposes.