Major reforms to York’s residential parking system have been proposed – but opponents fear this could lead to ‘a city-wide parking tax’.
York residents can vote for their street to join the ResPark scheme. Parking on the street is then restricted to householders who pay an annual fee for a council permit.
At least half of the homes need to be in favour of joining the ResPark scheme for one to be introduced.
But in streets with holiday lets, houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), and empty properties, this threshold can be hard to reach.
Now Labour councillor Conrad Whitcroft wants to change the ResPark rules.
The ward member for Fishergate has submitted a motion to the full council meeting tonight (Thursday), calling for the eligibility criteria for ResPark to be standardised and for the consultation and implementation process to be streamlined.
It also calls for turnout guidelines to be changed to reflect issues in local areas such as having more short-term lets or HMOs.
The pricing structure of ResPark would also be reviewed if the motion is approved. A standard permit now costs £109.95 a year.
‘Imposed from the centre’
Cllr Whitcroft said the current system, which only consults two or three streets at a time, merely pushes parking problems further away.
He said: “It can be incredibly difficult to reach 50 per cent turnouts in some areas, it’s time we started taking a more efficient approach to this problem.
“Allowing people to park for free on residential streets such as Farrar Street for example, within a stone’s throw of Walmgate Bar, is bound to cause problems for residents living there.”
He added: “I’m not going to pre-empt what any city-wide review will recommend but I do know that there must be a better alternative to what we have now.
“If you have parking problems and you want ResPark, the current wait is years. I’m sure we can make changes to improve this dramatically”.
Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson Cllr Stephen Fenton said there was no mention of consulting residents on the expansion of ResPark in the motion.
Cllr Fenton, of Dringhouses and Woodthorpe ward, said a one-size-fits-all approach applied across York would not be the best approach.
“Such an expansion would presumably be imposed from the centre and cover the entire city, which is something that I cannot support,” he said.
“At a time when cost of living pressures remain high, the imposition of a city-wide parking tax would be a concern for many residents.”