Archway traders protest at axing of free parking on Saturdays

Published: 5th November, 2010
by PETER GRUNER

A PIONEERING scheme to support struggling shops in Archway by providing free parking on Saturdays is to be scrapped in the New Year.

The move has angered Junction Road traders, who staged a protest on Wednesday.

It comes as shopkeepers are already reeling from a 50 per cent rise in parking meter charges, from an average of £2.40 to £3.60 an hour.

Islington Council argues that it is unfair to subsidise free parking in one area of the borough and not elsewhere. The new Labour council is introducing a scheme allowing Islington parking permit owners the chance to park for free anywhere in the borough from 10am to 2pm.

But Hak Huseyin, chairman of Archway Town Centre Management Group, said traders were bitterly disappointed. “Many of us have been here a long time and we have clients from outside the borough,” he said. “Free parking on one day at least provided a window for customers who wanted to do business in the area without being financially penalis­ed.”

Stephanie Smith, founder of Archway Market, which operates on Saturdays, said scrapping free parking would hit stall-holders. “We have such a lot of through traffic,” she added. “Now motorists won’t want to stop and shop.”

Hamid, from Junction Barbers, fears he will lose customers. “People may end up paying more for parking than a haircut,” he said.

Andy Savva, an estate agent, said at a time of recession the council should be encouraging people to shop locally. 

“In Hillingdon, the council provides free parking for the first half an hour,” he said. “Customers also receive a discount if they shop in the locality.”

Lib Dem councillor Ursula Woolley said her party opposed the increase in fees and scrapping of free parking on Saturday. “We’ll be calling it in for debate at overview committee next week,” she added. “This will kill off trade in Archway, which gets so much business from other boroughs like Camden and Haringey.”

Labour environment chief Councillor Paul Smith said: “We cannot have a system where people in Archway get free parking and people in the rest of the borough don’t. We are also spending £2million fixing up Archway over the next 12 months so the area is getting quite a good deal.

“Resident parking permits will go up by £20 on average and business parking permits by £40, but we have just lost £100million thanks to the Coalition government and we can no longer subsidise parking at the expense of essential services such as teachers.”