Forum Topic

Eradication of free Stop-and-Shop will BOOST business for legitmate enterprises

Watching a shop owmer sitting in a van on the double yellows in South Ealing for hours on end because he has let out the lot behind his shop as private parking and doesn't want to pay to park epitomises the attitude of small businesses in South Ealing. The crazed lemming-like behaviour of the some of the local business owners when a parking warden does a round and they all have to move their vans and cars from the 30 minute bays to the 60 minute bays is like a domino wave. Most of the Stop-and-Shop parking bays are filled during the working day with vans and cars playing "dodge the parking warden" and associated with local businesses, not to mention the minicabs doing the same, with little chance for a customer to "Stop-and-Shop".Giving a charge to "Stop-and-Shop" might actually provide spaces for the customers of legitimate, well-run businesses in the area

Mark Julian Raymond ● 2575d21 Comments

Just over twenty years ago one of the first CPZs was installed near my home. The next thing I knew was that our road from being empty became full of parked vehicles. That happened suddenly without warning or consultation. I protested,"All affected should be consulted!". "You were consulted was the reply. The Traffic Orders were published in the Gazette. You are supposed to read them", went the official council rebuttal. After that I started to read all the notices in the Gazette and attend council meetings. One I remember clearly soon after that CPZ went live was when a trader spoke who ran the wholefood shop opposite St Mary's Church. As he spoke his wife next to him cried. He had to cease trading because his takings had dropped so much so quickly. It was after and because of this that stop and shop bays were introduced. In most places they work well. On the other hand there are all sorts of problems with these Council "proposals" (Please see them as done deals not as proposals) and others contained in the LIP document. They reflect all manner of things that are wrong or flawed in the thinking and logic of the transport department and the councillors who are involved. Anyone with an education would cry at the crafting of the LIP documents that went to cabinet) LIP stands for Local Implementation Plan. Some items say will happen and some are very vague. Beware the word trial. You think that means like a scientific trial. No, install it and leave it there, collect no data and lie if you have to. All have to be subject to consultation and that is where the problem lies. Officers like to very loosely and unfairly interpret consultation. My human rights training started when I was young. Saturday cinema. Native American Chief says, "White man speak with forked tongue". Keep that in mind.

Arthur Breens ● 2572d

The Wickes site has been sold and it will be redeveloped in a few years time. Flats with...no parking, if the usual practice of Ealing Council is followed.Where does that leave the stop and shop then.The flaw in all of this is that the council can't be bothered to actually enforce the rules that are already there. If they had proper regular patrols they could easily catch these miscreants you describe

Simon Hayes ● 2573d

In summary, in South Ealing Free Stop-and-Shop is not optimal and the different classes of Stop-and-Shop is being abused by some of the businesses that it is there to serve to the detriment of other ones with conscience.A ticketed thirty minute and 60 minute free followed by paid-for would be better.The Wickes car park provides a valuable public service at peak times if you really do need a pint of milk from the Co-op or collection a prescription &c

Mark Julian Raymond ● 2573d

Susan,My apologies, I was indulging in a touch of hwyl to make a particular point

Mark Julian Raymond ● 2574d

Keith,My apologies, I was indulging in a touch of hwyl to make a particular point

Mark Julian Raymond ● 2574d

hwyl

Mark Julian Raymond ● 2574d

Like Simon, I park in the stop-and-shop bays on South Ealing Road during the day at least twice a week. I never have any trouble finding a space to pick up a few things at the Co-op or have coffee.

Susan Kelly ● 2574d

Peter, Perfect, 30 minutes free by ticket is EXACTLY what we need on St Mary's Road, the South Ealing Road, the Ealing Road, and Northfields Avenue.

Mark Julian Raymond ● 2575d

That is a good suggestion, Mark and has worked in other cases. If the free parking is removed completely, it would be the death knell of some shops I would think.

Keith Iddon ● 2575d

using a ticket from a machine operates in the avenue west ealing. so 30 minutes is free but you need a ticket.

Peter Chadburn ● 2575d

South Ealing Station area may be the exception to the rule, however, there is a way that these Stop-and-Shop spaces could be safeguarded for legitamte users without incurring extra charges for them.To re-iterate, the way that the Stop-and-Shop is implemented around Osterley, would I.M.O. work well in Ealing where you are issued a ticket for your first hour free that you display in your windscreen, after that you have to pay. This would make the Stop-and-Shop bays in South Ealing actually be of some use to residents and people who want to actually Stop-and-Shop rather than for local businesses to play parking fine routlette with

Mark Julian Raymond ● 2575d

This all means that the retail parks win with free parking. the statement about all day CPZ is total crap nonsense “All-day controlled parking zones (CPZs) are used to secure valuable parking spaces for local resident and business permit holders while alleviating pressure from commuter parking. The shift to all-day parking will be phased in over a period of time across the borough and will enable more effective enforcement and consistency across Ealing.”my road next to Hanwell station has 2 one hour slots and the road is pretty empty during the day. The more effective enforcement means making more money. Sadly the council will bring these in as it is a way of raising revenue whilst paying lip service to the environment.

Peter Chadburn ● 2575d

The way that the Stop-and-Shop is implemented around Osterley, would I.M.O. work well in Ealing where you are issued a ticket for your first hour free that you display in your windscreen, after that you have to pay. This would make the Stop-and-Shop bays in South Ealing actually be of some use to residents and people who want to actually Stop-and-Shop rather than for local businesses to play parking fine routlette with

Mark Julian Raymond ● 2575d

I too have never had a problem parking outside the shops in South Ealing during business hours. Maybe, being kind, Mark has just been unlucky..

Keith Iddon ● 2575d

One can only assume you are retired if you have time to spend at such leisure.I've parked there many, many times at various times of the day and not had much in the way of problems.Parking can be interesting anywhere. That's got more to do with the fact that a lot of people think they need far more space than they actually do to park in, which is crazy since many cars now have sensors fitted to aid them.I do have an issue with the size of many modern cars, but that is something for the manufacturers to address. They could and should be smaller.I park in Wickes car park when I go to Wickes, but if I need the launderette, which does happen on occasion, I park near there.I've never spent half an hour getting into a stop and shop bay, ever, anywhere, and I've been driving for over 30 years.

Simon Hayes ● 2575d

Simon,Might I suggest the next time you want to read a newspaper or a book and fancy a cup of coffee that you park yourself in a cafe overlooking the junction of either Airedale Road and the South Ealing Road or the junction of Temple Road and the South  Ealing Road for an hour or two between the hours of ten and five on a weekday, the parking manoeuvers are fascinating to watch, its like a scene out of the movie titled Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance. If you need to park in South Ealing to nip into a shop you stop in the Wickes car park, or spend half an hour trying to get into a Stop-and-Shop bay

Mark Julian Raymond ● 2575d

Of course, the whole point here is that the Council proposes to scrap these bays but has signally failed to either warn businesses that would be affected or indeed consulted them on the proposals.They give assurances that consultations will be made, yet the track record on consultation in this borough is lamentable. If Mr Bell and his mates want something to happen, it happens regardless of public opinion - Woolworths in West Ealing just recently.

Simon Hayes ● 2575d

The ones on Greenford Broadway would decimate the business hub if they suddenly disappeared. I've watched them regularly and can tell you, in the evening those parking bays generate a massive extra amount of income to those businesses. During the day they are more than served by shoppers as well. Removing them will kill Greenford Broadway.

Dennis Bailey ● 2575d

Daytime of course. Many are the businesses I've used along that parade over the years - launderette, Co-op, newsagents, charity shops (If you can call them a business), cafes, photo shop, butcher, florist. Sadly there's no baker or candlestick maker.And all made possible by the existence of a free stop and shop facility, which allows me to utilise the shops as I'm passing on my way elsewhere.As for the overnight parking issue - that happens everywhere. On the road in which I live and many other locations. You want to introduce 24 hour permits across the borough? Who pays the wardens to patrol all night?You'd have to ask the council about the businesses, although many of them are well-established there for many years.

Simon Hayes ● 2575d

Simon,WHEN do you use the parking bays in South Ealing, is it during working hours, or outside working hours when the parking in the side streets is free and the local business owners move there instead for a free overnight stay?I do wonder about the business priorities of some of these establishments and their legitimacy given the priority and amount of time they spend moving their vehicles around in response to the parking warden patrols

Mark Julian Raymond ● 2575d

That's odd, since I use the bays along South Ealing Road quite a lot and parking is never a problem at any time of the day, unless of course the road is being dug up by a utility company.All the empirical evidence from academic research points to limiting parking and/or charging for it deters customers rather then encourages them. Of course, you might be a professor of transport planning or urban development for all I know so much better informed.Councils have even run 'fee free parking' in some areas prior to Christmas and shops have seen a massive boost to trade as a result.

Simon Hayes ● 2575d