Thursday 20 November 2008

Real victims of the CPZ

Here's a business that is going to suffer from the new CPZ/RPZ, as it is in Oxford Street, between Cotham Road and High Kingsdown, on a dead end to cars, through road to pedestrians. It's the local garage.

MOTs, engine repairs, brakes, etc: they do it. Reasonable pricing and because it is local, you don't have to drive over the city for vehicle work. But its in the zone. Which means the street outside that they managed as a parking area for vehicles not in active repair are going to be restricted to zone members only. This isn't good -something needs to be done for such organisations otherwise everyone ends up driving to chain garages in St Philips instead.

Given the zone is going ahead, it would seem timely for the residents to come up with a proposal to migitate the damage here. Something like a small number of temporary visitor permits that they can move from car to car. This garage is part of the community. Also, by taking the edge off such things, they will eliminate the stories that will come out against the program.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is exactly the sort of issue that will need to be addressed sensitively if the residents parking scheme pilots are to work.

I emphasise the word pilots and all that entails, including criteria for judging the pilots and a get out strategy if the pilots fail.

Jon

PeteJ said...

You've got to remember, though, that the Council's only interest in small, local businesses is for them to close down as quickly and as quietly as possible.

A garage like that is never going to fit into the streamlined, shiny, branded future that makes councillors and officials go all moist.

Movers and shakers, darling; not funny little old men¹ with grease under their fingernails.

[ ¹ with apologies for that ironic characterisation to the owner of that business, whatever their age, size or gender ]

SteveL said...

I'm not sure the council don't want them, though think of the brown field housing opportunities to be had from this little shed...