Residents' parking permits - a complete rip off?

[prettygood 10]

The Council were always up-front about the fact that the Sharrow Vale scheme (and the earlier ones in Broomhall and Broomhill) had to cover it's costs. Nothing at all covert about it.

 

There's a big difference between budgeting to break even and budgeting to make a profit. If the council has covertly done the latter with the Sharrow Vale scheme then that's unacceptable.

[Planner1 438]

There's a big difference between budgeting to break even and budgeting to make a profit. If the council has covertly done the latter with the Sharrow Vale scheme then that's unacceptable.

 

So would you like to explain to us how to budget for exact break even when you DON'T know:

 

1. How many people will want a permit

2. How many visitors permits you will sell

3. What the income from pay and display will be

4. What the level of fines issued will be and whether it will decline as enforcement bites.

 

The Council don't make any secret of the fact that they make a profit from parking schemes. The fact that you don't agree with that doesn't make it (a) unacceptable, or (b) some kind of covert conspiracy.

[Stormy 10]

So where does this profit go? Would it be safe to assume that it will be used so residents can have a discount on their permits for next year? I think that would warm a lot of people towards the scheme who just see it as the council making another quick buck

[Hook 10]

So would you like to explain to us how to budget for exact break even when you DON'T know:

 

1. How many people will want a permit

2. How many visitors permits you will sell

3. What the income from pay and display will be

4. What the level of fines issued will be and whether it will decline as enforcement bites.

 

The Council don't make any secret of the fact that they make a profit from parking schemes. The fact that you don't agree with that doesn't make it (a) unacceptable, or (b) some kind of covert conspiracy.

 

If the pay and display revenue means the scheme produces a profit, then refunds should be given to those who have paid for residents parking permits.

[HotPhil 10]

If the pay and display revenue means the scheme produces a profit, then refunds should be given to those who have paid for residents parking permits.

:thumbsup:Good luck with that!

[Planner1 438]

So where does this profit go? Would it be safe to assume that it will be used so residents can have a discount on their permits for next year? I think that would warm a lot of people towards the scheme who just see it as the council making another quick buck

 

No.

 

What's this about the Council making a quick buck? Any surplus goes into providing more or better Council services, so everyone wins anyway.

[Vanos 10]

Everyone wins ???

 

Deluded in the extreme

[Planner1 438]

If the pay and display revenue means the scheme produces a profit, then refunds should be given to those who have paid for residents parking permits.

 

That's your view, but the Council don't share it. Maybe the new administration will take a different view to the old one, but that remains to be seen.

 

Personally I'd agree with having the permits, or at least the first one, free. That's what they do in Manchester. However, many places charge, some a lot more than Sheffield.

 

A free permit would overcome a lot of the objections to permit parking schemes.

[Planner1 438]

Everyone wins ???

 

Deluded in the extreme

 

The people who want a parking scheme get one, which they wouldn't if the Council didn't get revenue from it.

 

Everyone gets more money spent on the services they all want. As I said, win, win.

[Hook 10]

You're making a big assumption that people want those services.

 

They're currently putting the finishing touches on the crookesmoore parking scheme. The signs have gone up over the last few days, most of the road markings are on, and it looks like it's ready to go live.

 

We live at the top of end of School Road and have been complaining about the scheme since it was first mooted. We have no objections about the implementation of a parking scheme as the parking around here is terrible. It's often dangerous to get up and down the road, and it's often impossible to get my car off the parking space as people park illegally across the entrance and on the pavement.

 

The parking scheme however stops a few hundred meters down the road from where we live, meaning that we won't be included in the scheme. The scheme has reduced the number of parking spaces and, I believe, will charge non-residents to park in the scheme. This is going to mean that the top of our road is going to get busier with free and unrestricted parking available. The least the council could have done is painted double yellows on one side of the road to prevent the double parking. I've been making this complaint to the council for months, always falling on deaf ears and despite the fairly frequent calls to 101 nothing gets done about the traffic problem.

 

So yet another fantastic 'service' from the council.

[Planner1 438]

You're making a big assumption that people want those services.

 

They're currently putting the finishing touches on the crookesmoore parking scheme. The signs have gone up over the last few days, most of the road markings are on, and it looks like it's ready to go live.

 

We live at the top of end of School Road and have been complaining about the scheme since it was first mooted. We have no objections about the implementation of a parking scheme as the parking around here is terrible. It's often dangerous to get up and down the road, and it's often impossible to get my car off the parking space as people park illegally across the entrance and on the pavement.

 

The parking scheme however stops a few hundred meters down the road from where we live, meaning that we won't be included in the scheme. The scheme has reduced the number of parking spaces and, I believe, will charge non-residents to park in the scheme. This is going to mean that the top of our road is going to get busier with free and unrestricted parking available. The least the council could have done is painted double yellows on one side of the road to prevent the double parking. I've been making this complaint to the council for months, always falling on deaf ears and despite the fairly frequent calls to 101 nothing gets done about the traffic problem.

 

So yet another fantastic 'service' from the council.

 

As I recall it, in Crookesmoor, more people confirmed that they wanted the scheme than those who objected to it.

 

What "traffic problem" are you calling 101 about?

 

As it happens I'm just off out to the pub to meet one of the guys who worked on that scheme, so I'll ask him his view about your part of the road and let you know later.

[Justin Smith 10]

Parking permits are indeed a complete rip off, and the introduction of the Hillsborough parking permit scheme involved some good old fashioned lying on the part of Sheffield City Council......

Why

Well a few years ago when they were "researching" whether a parking permit scheme should be introduced in Hillsborough they specifically said that the scheme would not be a revenue raising exercise. The charges for the first vehicle (residential/business) for the first year were £10/£20, the second year that jumped to £20/£40, now, if I`ve got this right, they want £36/£72 ! As far as I can remember second cars permits are double this.

This has all had a predictable effect, even more shops shutting in Hillsborough. And have you seen how many cars are parked on the road just down from Maplins ? Now that it`s chargeable (if you haven`t got a permit) there are often only one or two cars there, and unsurprisingly they are usually ones with residents` permits, and loads of empty bays......

On Hatton Rd, which doesn`t need a permit, there aren`t any car parking spaces to be had for love nor money. In fact one of my employees was late for work this morning because he had to go and park in Morrisons car park. Why ? Because more and more residents (rightly) think £36 is too much and are parking their cars in the unregulated bays !

What a farce, and it`s no wonder people think all politicians are liars.......

Edited May 1, 2013 by Justin Smith