Residents could be able to pay for parking permits online and via direct debit as part of a proposed review of the city council’s permit system.
A range of tweaks to the current regime are being proposed in response to a survey carried out over the summer.
As well as digital payment options, these include creating a minimum ten-permit purchase for visitor permits, investigating the possibility of visitor permits and extending the free parking period for carers to two hours.
Businesses may get the option of daily, quarterly and yearly all-zones permits, but the maximum size of vehicles allowed a residents’ permit is set to be reduced from 6m to 5.5m – about the length of the smaller models of Ford Transit vans.
The possibility of permit fraud investigation, particularly around people leaving the area, changing vehicles and misuse of carers’ permits will also be explored.
However, it’s unlikely that the council will consider volunteer permits, as there are almost as many volunteers in the city as there are parking spaces in controlled ones, which means if they were allowed permits, they could overcrowd existing schemes.
A report by the council’s parking infrastructure manager Charles Field for next Tuesday’s environment, transport and sustainability committee says: “We will be investigating the possibility of direct debit payments (which may potentially be cheaper pro rata for residents). These IT changes will bring improvements to the customer experience for residents and businesses.
“As part of future investigation we will look into online options [for visitor permits] and the possibility of weekly visitor permits as 61% of respondents to the survey would like the council to consider this option.”
The changes proposed are:
- Maximum Length of vehicle when applying for resident permit (and other relevant permits) – change to 5.5m
- Create a minimum purchase of 10 visitor permits (£28) for residents.
- Increase visitor permits allowed in Central Brighton (Zones Y & Z) to 30 (currently 25).
- Extend professional carers badge period from one hour to two hours (although annual permit would need to be increased from £25 to £50)
- Managers must apply for badges for their staff in one letter outlining duties – include disclaimer that any misuse including extended periods near workplace could lead to badge being removed.
- Put company name on PCB.
- Lifeguards allowed to use PCBs for volunteer lifeguard on duty
- Limit school permits to 25 per school under current 1 permit per 6 teaching staff ratio (this would only affect Brighton College which has 38 permits)
- Name of school to be outlined on permit.
- Doctors permits to start all on same date / expiry date
- Make doctors permits transferable with no vehicle registration number (VRM)
- Remove exemption for certain parking on double yellow lines (advertising material, window cleaners, chimney sweeping)
To be investigated
- Direct debit options for residents permits
- Look into fraud investigation for all permits particularly for change of vehicles / people leaving the area
- Online payment option for visitors permits which may increase flexibility (but needs VRM)
- Investigate direct debit options for visitor permits
- Consider option of weekly visitor permits and consult as part of detailed survey.
- Further investigation into New Business Permit, which adds an all zone option priced at £10 a day, £166.40 a quarter and £624 a year (or half that price for low emissions vehicles).
- Review of professional carers’ badge
- Review of school permits
- Further investigation on dispensations – consult with list of users
- Payment options and period offered (e.g one year?) for hotel permits
- As part of further survey consult on one day permit for Area C (Queens Park) to replace current 24 hour permit.
More than 500 people responded to the parking survey, which ran from 22 June to 31 July, both online and by post.
Hi, while we sympathise with the intentions, restricting the length of tradesmans vans will actually present a major problem for working on domestic houses etc around the town, one which may not be immediately apparent. We run a small contractor service particularly geared to ‘eco’ upgrading to increase comfort and reduce energy useage. This entails using sheet insulation materials for renewing wall linings etc. The industry standard sheet size will fit inside the larger 6.0 metre space van but not the smaller one. Cutting prior to fitting is not an option, nor is roof rack transport as this would expose interior materials to weather damage. Most building operations in the tight spaces of Brighton and Hove need materials to be retained in a parked van and moved into the site as needed. Additional costs in delivery transport and storage would present a considerable additional expense to householders hoping to upgrade.
Hi Frances – the length restrictions would be for residents’ permits, not tradesmen’s.
I live in Ruskin road. Where can I find the results of the survey in our area?