IT LOOKS increasingly likely that there will be an attempt to stop the introduction of paid parking. Environment member Deputy Barry Paint has confirmed that all five board members are against its introduction.
He was the only member of the department not in the States last term, so the way he would have voted on the Brouard amendment in March to scrap paid parking was not known for certain until now.
But fellow board members deputies Jenny Tasker, Jack Honeybill and Janine Le Sauvage all supported that attempt and with Environment minister Peter Sirett telling the Guernsey Press two weeks ago that he felt there were better ways of funding the traffic strategy than paid parking, it seems inevitable that the department’s next report to the States on the matter will ask for it to be scrapped.
‘I’m absolutely against paid parking,’ said Deputy Paint. ‘It is hitting the poorer people of our society again. You have all the girls and boys on low wages who work in the shops in Town who will have to pay for it whereas the highly-paid person working in a bank will have it paid for them.
Article posted on 2nd October, 2008 - 1.00pm
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15 Article Comments
What a ridiculous situation this is developing into. The States debate time and time again, make a decision, then do not act on it, hoping it will go away again. How many States hours have been wasted on this issue, and looks likley to be debated again.
This is not an issue about the lower paid. It’s about parking, and in line with the States policy on other matters, the user should pay. If a person parks a boat in the harbour, then they pay a fee. The same should apply when parking a car in a States facility - a car park. The lower paid have a good way to save money - it’s called cheap buses, and a very good service it is too. If a person can afford to run a car, then they can afford to pay to park it - if not, then use the bus.
The States are looking at ways of creating income, and this is an ideal way to do it - the user pays - what could be more simple than that, or don’t the States understand it?
So, another u-turn from a States Department. How do they expect to promote the “user pays” policy and discourage people from using their cars to travel to town? Surely if it is “hitting the poorest people” these would be the ones who couldn’t afford to run a car in the first place? Behavioural change has to start somewhere and must be encouraged both by the carrot (free, reliable bus service) and stick (fuel duty and paid parking). And forget the arguments about tourists objecting to paid parking - virtually without exception they will all be expecting to pay as they would do in their home coutries.
The proposed costs are so minimal that you would maybe pay £1.20 a day to park your car for 8hrs. Most English car parks charge this PER HOUR!
This is not a crippling tax for the poor but would be useful to subsidise the upkeep of these car parks (which isn’t free) and also the significant handout that goes to Island Coachways for each cheap bus ticket.
As stated above - the island needs to discourage car use and cheaper bus travel needs to be subsidised from somewhere.
Is 15p an hour really that horrific?
Not as horrific as the lack of backbone or foresight by Environment.
I have no problem with paid parking but I do have a problem with the cost of operating the machines etc. Why not stick to the parking clocks we already have, except you have to buy one annually, with obvious year markings on them.
A weekday card with a maximum of three hours can be set at one price and a ten hour for a higher amount. you can also create a weekend parking clock/permit, for those not wishing to park in town during the working week.
The States know roughly how much they expect to raise from paid parking, so the math isn’t that difficult. Adding a premium to ten hour parking (Yes this would hit me in the pocket but it’s my decision to drive into town for work.)
The secret is charging enough to make the parking clocks/permits expensive enough, specifically the weekday three and ten hour cards to make the bus a more attractive proposition.
This will minimise the overall cost per year as it is closely aligned to the existing solution and the annual cost of producing parking permits can be covered in their annual cost.
A couple of final thoughts; discounts (whether it be for all or part of the cost) for OAP and invalids can then be handled at the time of purchase; and to avoid people using someone elses permit/clock their car registration should be imprinted on the clock.
Handle purchases via the car registration office and on-line and you will have a winner. (Well I think so!)
Dan
The 15p per hour charge was just a ruse to get it through the States debate. If that had failed they would have had another go at fourpence halfpenny per hour.If it does finally go through I reckon the 15p charge would treble or quadruple in less than six months
Can someone please explain to me how paid parking will stop people using their cars? Commuters will have the usual moan for a few weeks but then gradually accept it as the new norm and we would be back to square one except for another stealth tax burden
Perhaps we should send a group of States members on another jolly. Bermuda would be nice but the true facts of paid parking can be found in Jersey. I believe their paid parking industry employs a dozen or more traffic control officers plus a foreman and a manager no doubt… and for what ? It certainly hasn’t stopped their morning and evening traffic jams.
Will we charge States employees to park in their free workplace parks? Will we charge the States members when they park for free at Lukis House ( having first thrown out the States employees who use it free on non States Assembly days ) Perhaps we will have to tax this free States employee parking as a benefit in kind
It is often argued that we already have paid parking at the Airport
Question … When did you last see the Airport car park empty ?
Answer … Never. They even have an overspill area.
Which proves the point that if the idea really is to stop car use paid parking doesn’t work
I look at that photo and think what a waste of a beautiful piece of harbourside land.
Wouldnt it be lovely if it was grassed over. It would be an amazing place to sit and have a picnic lunch. Tourists would love it too.
Surely we could encourage some private carparking company to come and set up something slightly away from the harbour front. Behind instead of in front of it.
What about a punitive ‘congestion charge’ at rush hours? If we want to get people out of their cars then we must make it expensive for them to be in them.
Paid parking could work if it is targeted at commuters (the word ‘commuter’ in Guernsey takes the biscuit somewhat). If we are worrying about the poorer paid, offer free bus passes, essential workers could get free parking passes.
Cars are a luxury for most people, always were, we must treat them as such, not as essential tools for everyday use. Maybe the States should analyse usage first before being negative. I can guarantee that a majority of journeys at rush hour could be avoided with a bit of planning and joined up policy making.
To see vast swathes of prime land being used inefficiently seems completely at odds with other States thinking of prioritisation. It makes Guernsey ugly, turns tourists away (well documented) and encourages the perpetuation of auto-worship, a blight on our Island.
Next Environment will be suggesting to remove all pavements so cars’ suspensions can be saved from mounting kerbs.
In what sense to these people act for the environment? As they say ‘too many kids on buses = excellent news’. You couldn’t make it up. In fact, you shouldn’t.
Wil that’s a superb idea. I couldn’t think of a better setting to sit and relax with the family on a Sunday afternoon.
Seeing as everybody is so against paid parking in publicly funded car parks on states owned land I take it I will soon be able to park for free at the airport for as long as I like ……..
The claims of hitting the lower paid shop workers are a poor justification for avoiding paid parking. I’m sure the majority the long term spaces are used by finance workers rather than shop workers. The lower paid shop workers are hit everytime the price of petrol increases but there’s no States policy to reduce their petrol tax.
It would be ridiculous to see yet another u turn on this issue and it is about time Environment got on with implementing what the States asked them to do a long time ago. There are a number of alternative transport options available but people will only stop using their cars if you make it more inconvenient for them to do so which paid parking achieves.
I think that’s a valid point, Toby. However, parking should not be free, especially on public land. The land taken up for standing an empty car on ceases to become public. The aura of car ownership seems to fill a greater volume than the utility it serves. They should not be seen as an extension of our natural human rights.
It would be interesting to see the employer make up of the ten hour spaces, and then wonder how possibly we should be letting these wealthy companies get away with hogging so much public land for the sake of their staff.
I wonder what would happen if political will supported a ’shoppers and shop staff only’ initiative? Then create a smaller ‘pay-through-the-nose’ commuter area.
If Environment are really serious about reducing unessential car use, then surely some radicalism is needed?
I think it is fine how it is… I bet most people commenting above dont work in town… its easy to comment when it doesnt affect you?!
I am a finance worker who works in town & I have tried using a bus, however in the 2 weeks I trialled it I was late in to work 4 times - not because I missed the bus - because the bus missed me!! I live right next to a bus stop & was on time or earlier on every occasion but the bus had gone past more then 5 minutes early - meaning I had to wait over 30 mins for the next one… Going home the bus I required was too full to get on no less then 3 times so I had to wait 1 hour for the next one… Thats enough to put anyone off!!!
As for the impression that finance workers get paid enough so make them pay - I have a young family & once rent & bills etc are paid we have less then £100 per month to buy food with so to spend an extra £40 per month is a lot of money… Dont forget - its not just finance workers that work in town & others get paid less then the finance industry & they are expected to pay also…
If you like sitting in the sun on a Sunday afternoon then go to the Park - like I do…
There are too many negatives already living here in Guernsey. Paid parking need not be one of them.
I don’t care what happens elsewhere especially England. The idea of an annual charge for a parking clock is too silly to dignify with further comment.
Let’s go back to basics. I thought the idea of paid parking was to deter people driving their cars to town and leaving them around all day in a car park? There is not really a traffic problem apart from peak times when children are going to school (in the holidays the traffic moves relatively freely).
As W H Bonney has intimated, it is not a solution to just tell everyone to get the bus. There are not enough buses at peak times - they do not run frequently enough unless you live between St Martins and The Bridge . Like others, we have tried to use the buses and frequently been left standing as the buses were too full. This is frustrating in the extreme and during inclement weather is downright annoying. Being late for work is a huge problem too - and getting home late is depressing, it is worse than commuting in London. Finishing work at 5.30 my partner got home at 7pm if they were lucky - -by car they were home by 6pm. The winter bus timetable is also a problem where i live as the buses only run hourly now. I use the bus if i am going to town shopping and times are flexible - I car share for work and the children are taken to school by one of us in the morning and get the bus home in the afternoon. Free parking is the one perk we have for working in St Peter Port, and how much revenue is collected from parking fines? The UK has got really greedy - paying to park everywhere - even hospitals! We do not need to copy everything they do.
Hear Hear Merlin…
I am so sick of people over here comparing us to England - £1.20 per day is cheap - in England they pay £1.20 per hour…. Good for them!! They also pay 17.5% VAT on everything - do you want that brought in as well?? No - thought not…
Guernsey is its own place - if you want to see what following England is like then go & live in Jersey, where it is more & more comercialised every day..
I for one like our heritage - let us please hang on to some good old Guernsey values…
We are Donkeys - not sheep…