Council parks to charge ?2ph parking fee from 1 April

[peckhamside]

I live near P.R. so rather dreading impact on my road (though amount of parking in Strakers Road should mitigate).

However I do support charging for parking in parks in principle. Re recent bad traffic, it does not seem like previous traffic, I suspect a lot is school run. Has the council done any surveys recently? Road closures are getting blamed but I am not sure this is correct?

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

90% full again today (after the rain).

[first mate]

Again, it?s the weekend. You?ve missed the point.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

60-70 cars at about 10am this morning.

[Metallic]

Two traffic guys will always be kept busy, often they are in Dulwich park at the same time.

[spider69]

Dogkennelhillbilly Wrote:

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> 60-70 cars at about 10am this morning.

School holidays.

[first mate]

Dogkennelhillbilly Wrote:

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> 60-70 cars at about 10am this morning.

How does this address the points Spider69 has been making?

[trinidad]

I think it is disgusting to charge cars in parks, we shoulod be encouraging car drivers to come to the park, not penalising them

[Nigello]

The people in the cars are often young and wealthy (given the cars they drive). They can afford to drive and pay.

[spider69]

Perhaps if you had read the thread on this you will see that it mostly the old that need to use to their cars to get to the park and many like me find it difficult to pay all Southwark's Charges to use what I pay for in my council tax.

If Southwark can waste ?254,000.00 on their brown bin fiasco they can afford to keep the parks free.

But then again residents of Dulwich just want to keep Dulwich Park for Dulwich residents within the car free area.

Maybe those that cannot use the park should use their spare time now clearing leaves up from the pavements.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

"it mostly the old that need to use to their cars to get to the park"

It may well be predominantly the old that need to use cars (if they have them) to get to Dulwich Park. Yet the people who park in the park are predominantly not old. And as long as parking is free, demand will remain high - reducing the likelihood that old people will actually find a space. In the absence of a "grey badge" like the blue badges perhaps suspending charges at off peak times is the way to go. Quite the knotty problem.

[spider69]

Many people including myself asked that the parking charges be suspended during the week. Southwark refused.

During the week it was used as a much needed social club for the old which was great and meeting friends taking their dogs and them for much needed exercise. I would never consider going at the weekend to the park. The result no one goes any more.

You are right it is the entitled that feel they must drive.

There were always parking spaces during the week much like now as nobody goes. The park officers can confirm that.

What with the closures and new proposed closure the reason to try and get there is pointless.

Below is an email I sent to Southwark when this first started

I have circulation problem with my feet whereby I need to walk a lot. My dog and I use Dulwich Park once a day and sometimes twice as it is flat and pleasant and does not put to much pressure on my metatarsal bones due to fat loss.

It gives us both the exercise that Doctors recommend.

Prior to Champion Hill closing it took me 10/12 minutes by car to reach the park. Now I am looking at 25minutes sometimes more to get there.

Now that this charge is being brought in I will have to consider if I can afford to go for 2/3 hours a day.

Before the normal comments are made if I have to take public transport, which involves 2 buses and walking the journey will take a min of 40 minutes or longer each way. That time depends if the bus/s turns up on time or at all. My house is situated in the middle of a hill away from public transport. So it is already difficult to reach a starting point.

Combine that with having a dog and the prospect does not really appeal after testing it. Getting a bus with a dog presents problems as mothers with prams that look like tanks take up most of the limited space parking space and space between the seats is very limited.

So looking to use my local park which I have done for almost 73 years a return journey will now take me around 90 minutes without the time spent in the park.

Factor into that being tired after walking, and it rains having a wet dog on a bus which will not please some the park is really getting out of reach.

6 days a week for me will cost ?36 a week extra for something that I already pay towards with my Council tax, which if the talk is correct will be over ?2000+ for this year. I cannot afford to pay to use my local park

Some families will also have to make this decision.

Locals in the Dulwich Park area can walk with no problem but other that are not and have have to travel with children, toddler bikes, scooters, toys and the family dog will have to consider if they can afford the park which is crazy. Getting on a bus is most of the time not an option.

It might appear to some that the park and it surrounds is turning into a middle class ghetto which might just be used by only close residents. This is wrong.

It is strange that Southwark keep pushing fitness but continue to make it difficult for many.

Again another decision whilst looking at in a meeting has just not been thought through before putting it into operation.

I am against any charge being made to use my local park.

Regards

[rch]

This is another complicated discussion, but the short version is that I managed to get the Dulwich Park car parking charges put on hold when I was a councillor (lobbying the cabinet member in tandem with the Dulwich Park Friends) although I was told that the issue would definitely resurface (as it has).

I then went to one of the open public consultation meetings a year or two ago, whereupon I suggested that residents who found it too difficult to walk or take public transport to the park would rather pay a fixed annual fee for a parking permit and the councillor said that they might consider this option in the future.

By coincidence, I spoke to the park managers just before the new charges came in and they told me that they have a permit system in place for people with health problems to be granted a free parking permit if a doctor?s letter could confirm the relevant health issues.

The criteria states that the person has to be over 64 years old and have mobility issues, but the managers told me that they could override the age criteria and even the mobility issues if the case was convincing enough.

It?s frustrating that this information isn?t being made more openly available, and I would encourage anyone with health problems to pursue the ?mobility? permit option, so here?s more information on the Dulwich Park Friends website, including a phone number to call (but be aware that this may take some time due to Covid):-

https://dulwichparkfriends.org.uk/the-park/location-travel/

I would also suggest that residents could lobby the new cabinet members to consider for an annual parking permit to be made available to Southwark residents, rather than having to pay ?2 for every visit.

[spider69]

For your information Southwark advised me by email that you had to pay ?2.00 per hour no mention of any other schemes even from Richard Livingstone or Cllr Lury.

If you did not have a modern phone with apps you had to walk to the shop in Lordship lane and buy a ticket which meanat you were open to get a parking ticket.

As for a "mobility ticket" if its the same criteria as trying for a blue badge forget about it. I know many people who had Doctors letters for mobility issues that Southwark would not accept. Many cases have appeared in The Southwark News.

They have a rule book that is it.

[trinidad]

I would be keen to know the correlation between parking charges being introduced and attendance top the park? Also, I really question some of the schemes introduced - ?30.00 brown bin charge, Low Traffic Networks (flower pots), ?125.00 introduction of charges to park outside my home. I am not really a fan of the council right now

[rch]

I hear what you?re saying, spider... but, having spoken to park managers in person, I think that applying for a parking permit for Dulwich Park on ?health matters? is a genuinely viable way forward. There even used to be some leaflets about this option in the entrance of the Francis Peek Centre, but I haven?t been to Dulwich Park since Covid started, which is why I posted the Dulwich Park Friends link.

And, it seems to be a regular political manoeuvre not to direct residents to other solutions, which is why this forum is so useful.

[sandyman]

Can you say if an option of introducing parking fees for, say, working hours of 8pm - 6pm as is normal for CPZ/restricted streets, was ever discussed? This would give those who want to use the park potential cheaper options outside main daytime hours.

As far as i can recall not even Hyde Park charges drivers 24 hours a day to park.

rch Wrote:

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> This is another complicated discussion, but the

> short version is that I managed to get the Dulwich

> Park car parking charges put on hold when I was a

> councillor (lobbying the cabinet member in tandem

> with the Dulwich Park Friends) although I was told

> that the issue would definitely resurface (as it

> has).

>

> I then went to one of the open public consultation

> meetings a year or two ago, whereupon I suggested

> that residents who found it too difficult to walk

> or take public transport to the park would rather

> pay a fixed annual fee for a parking permit and

> the councillor said that they might consider this

> option in the future.

>

> By coincidence, I spoke to the park managers just

> before the new charges came in and they told me

> that they have a permit system in place for people

> with health problems to be granted a free parking

> permit if a doctor?s letter could confirm the

> relevant health issues.

>

> The criteria states that the person has to be over

> 64 years old and have mobility issues, but the

> managers told me that they could override the age

> criteria and even the mobility issues if the case

> was convincing enough.

>

> It?s frustrating that this information isn?t being

> made more openly available, and I would encourage

> anyone with health problems to pursue the

> ?mobility? permit option, so here?s more

> information on the Dulwich Park Friends website,

> including a phone number to call (but be aware

> that this may take some time due to Covid):-

>

> https://dulwichparkfriends.org.uk/the-park/locatio

> n-travel/

>

> I would also suggest that residents could lobby

> the new cabinet members to consider for an annual

> parking permit to be made available to Southwark

> residents, rather than having to pay ?2 for every

> visit.

[Sally Eva]

Dulwich Park is locked at night (5pm at the moment). Similarly Peckham Rye has an access road which is closed with a metal gate at night.

[rupert james]

As most people would use the park during the hours you mentioned they would still end up paying, unless of course you arrived very early and left before 8 and arrived after 6 pm.

It is a park that is paid for out of Council tax for all to use.

Southwark wants to close off streets for the benefit of Dulwich residents now it appears they want to price out non dulwich residents from using the park.

As someone mentioned on another thread if they can piss up the wall ?254,000.00 on the brown bin fiasco they can make parks free.

Perhaps all Cllrs should start to worry as people look more deeply into how they perform.

[Rockets]

I think it is very telling that during weekends during this latest lockdown that the roads surrounding the park are crowded with parked cars and the park itself much more crowded. It's a very popular park and the catchment area is much broader than us residents who are able to walk to it.

[rupert james]

Again this only happens at weekends.

Why not just apply parking over the weekend period?

Would solve many complaints., but hi ho we are talking about Southwark Council.

[Rockets]

Agree. But as we have seen time and time again common sense doesn't seem to prevail when it comes to Southwark council in Dulwich!

[trinidad]

so the charges are not at the weekend?

[sally buying]

7 days a week

[sandyman]

yes, I know, but for people like Spider69 above who want to use the park but can't afford the charges it would potentially offer them early morning options and - particularly in the summer ? plenty of free access in the evenings.

Sally Eva Wrote:

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> Dulwich Park is locked at night (5pm at the

> moment). Similarly Peckham Rye has an access road

> which is closed with a metal gate at night.