Ticket to ride There was much merit in the original idea of handing over parking enforcement to local authorities. It was plainly a misuse of police time and since 1991, when the transfer began, almost half of English councils have taken over control of their parking. However, to use the old cliché, with rights come responsibility, and as the Commons transport select committee has just concluded, the pattern of parking enforcement is inconsistent, to say the least, and zealous to the point of ‘sharp practice’ at worst. Inconsistent enforcement does not exactly endear councils to their public and indeed parking, alongside planning, has become the biggest bone of contention between councils and their residents. It always should have been handled sensitively and, in many cases, has been anything but. Over-zealous parking wardens – yes, there have been tickets on blood donor vehicles – incentive schemes for wardens handing out the most fines, and unclear signage, have not endeared the public to their authorities. In some cases, there has been inconsistency with different charging times, free parking periods in some streets and not others, and inconvenience to local business. The point of parking enforcement quite simply is to ensure traffic is not impeded and that streets are not clogged with drivers leaving their cars for hours at a time. It is not to raise revenue or block access by customers to local businesses or give wardens a job to do. The select committee did not mince its words when it said the parking system was ‘a mess’. As local authorities lobby to take on more powers locally, they need to ensure they can demonstrate they will use them wisely. City regions Authorities are underwhelmed by the prospect of city regions and more directly-elected mayors, according to the MYB Research poll (p1). They may be more enthused by city regions if there is genuine evidence of a transfer of powers from quangos, something governments of all political hues are notoriously reluctant to concede. There is, however, no escaping the fact that the global economy means cities are now competing internationally, not only nationally, and that clusters of cities with different types of offerings, including manufacturing or hi-tech, for inward investors such as the eastern region cities concept, are the way forward. City regions must reflect this international competition and not end up as a reshuffle of responsibilities.
