Cycling is an easy remedy for parking-induced stress

Published: 14 January, 2011

• I HAVE some sympathy for Juliet Stevenson and others who fear that Islington Council’s new parking proposals might mean a return to the “bad old days” of having to drive around for 20 minutes while looking for a parking space. However, there are alternatives.

I started cycling about a year ago and have never looked back. I don’t have to worry about increasingly costly parking permits, rarely struggle to find a parking space and, more often than not, enjoy a stress-free journey.   

The council offers free cycle training for adults and children and I can highly recommend this to anyone who wants to take the plunge but who might be nervous about tackling the roads by bike.

On the occasions when my family and I do need a car, we’ve found that our Streetcar membership does the job. Streetcar has a number of cars in Islington, which means we can pick up a car close to home for just £5 per hour. Again, this means we are free of the expense and hassle of maintaining and parking a car of our own.

Quite often, nothing can match the freedom and flexibility of owning a car. But, in a densely populated borough like Islington, demand for parking spaces is always going to exceed supply.  

Far from giving us freedom, car ownership then becomes an expensive hassle, with Ms Stevenson allegedly reporting that parking-induced stress almost led her to sell her home.

Before adopting such drastic measures, I would urge Ms Stevenson and others to give cycling a go. It may not work for everyone, but, in an increasingly congested city, cycling can give people back their freedom to zip about quickly and efficiently. The added benefits of cost savings and improved physical and mental wellbeing make cycling an alternative well worth considering.

LAURA HALES
Thornhill Square, N1

• YOUR recent coverage of Islington Council’s proposed changes to parking regulations exposes this administration’s failure to face up to the many problems caused by excessive car use in inner-city areas (Gas-guzzlers feel parking charges pain, December 31).



While we welcome some of the proposals, including adopting the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s banding and reducing charging for temporary suspensions of bays, the positive impact of these changes will be dwarfed by the negative impact of others.  

We believe the proposals will breach the Unitary Development Plan by encouraging inessential car journeys, reduce road space for buses and increase congestion, reduce the safety and quality of the environment for pedestrians and cyclists, lead to the development of a black market in vouchers, and increase emissions, thus fueling climate change



We must remember that the majority of Islington residents do not own a car; why should they suffer increased congestion and a reduction in air quality as a result of other people’s extra trips by car?



The proposals demonstrate that Labour cannot be trusted to protect our environment, or to promote a more sustainable future. The money spent on these changes would be better spent protecting public services.



FRAN BURY
Islington Green Party

• THANK YOU for highlighting the issue of parking chaos that residents predict will arise from the councils new “roamer” permit scheme. In parts of Hillrise and Junction wards, people from outside will be able to use their “roamer” permits to park between 10am and 2pm, which in practice means all day, as there are no parking restrictions here outside those hours.

The majority of residents in my ward are clear in telling me this is a bad idea, but then, unlike the Labour councillors who unanimously voted for it, I have bothered to actually ask them. Residents will take second place to commuters, hospital visitors and shoppers unless these proposals are dropped or modified.

I was glad to read Labour’s parking chief Councillor Paul Smith say it was “still early days for residents to object to the scheme”. Some residents had assumed the scheme had already started, based on the fact that the council has written to them saying so.

Others thought the deadline for comment had passed, the council having paid to place a large notice in the Tribune on December 10, stating that comments could be sent within 21 days. 

I hope your paper will be able to share with readers in due course the new date for responses, once the council determines what that might be. In the meantime, residents can, if they wish, send their comments on the new parking policies and charges to me at greg.foxsmith@islington.gov.uk.

CLLR GREG FOXSMITH
Lib Dem, Hillrise ward