Councils in England should provide more
parking spaces in town centres and cut down on speed humps, the secretary of
state for communities has said.
New planning guidance will also say councils should ensure parking
charges do not “undermine” local economies.
“Draconian” parking policies and “over-zealous traffic wardens” had
driven motorists into internet retailers and out-of-town stores, Eric Pickles
said.
While he may have got a little
sidetracked with his let’s rid our neighbourhoods of the eyesore of wheelie bins, it’s good to see Eric
Pickles back on track and calling for changes where they’re actually needed.
Council’s do urgently need to
change their thinking, because one of the key reasons why many town centres are
struggling is because no one can park anywhere near them, so instead they
either do their shopping at home with a few clicks of a mouse or they go to a
retail park.
The ironic thing is if councils
were a little less stringent with parking charges, speed restrictions etc. then
more people would venture into their local town more often, and spend more
money ensuring that it doesn't become a ghost town.
No comments:
Post a Comment