Parking problems

[Sydenham Syd]

Is there any danger at all of making Sydenham a place where commuters don't fancy coming to? I guess many of them use the high street shops and unintentionally bring cash onto the high street?
Maybe we better be careful what we wish for. Pushing people further away from the high st may cut off some of that passing trade and the shops were already saying they were hampered.

I do sympathise with those that have issues parking their own cars, but surely it is one of the facts of life that if you live near an efficient train station, you have to expect commuters to pounce?

I live down the other end of the high street, and my sufferings are different. We have the Hexagon building at the end of our road, so by 9am our road is stuffed full of cars.

I am a bit of an objector to parking zones though. I just have a feeling that the world will become Oxford St. Ghastly thought when we have tried so hard to make dear Sydders a bit of a community outside the main throb.

[Manwithaview1]

No most park their car and head to either Penge East or Sydenham stations without buying anything, maybe a coffee for a few but the ones I see have those Coffee cup flask thingys

[_HB]

I'd be astonished if even a handful of the commuters were patronising the high street on their way to the station.

[Manwithaview1]

I'd be astonished if even a handful of the commuters were patronising the high street on their way to the station.

Not much would be open at 7am...

[Sydenham Syd]

I'd be astonished if even a handful of the commuters were patronising the high street on their way to the station.

Not much would be open at 7am...

No, agreed, but at 7pm there is quite a choice however.
My day tends to be that way round - I don't know anyone who does their shopping in the morning on the way to work.

[rrobs]

We live on Homecroft Road and constantly struggle to find a parking space anywhere near our house! Would be happy to support a petition to the council to try and get a CPZ put in place.

[_HB]

http://www.se23.com/forum/showthread.ph ... 014&page=2

I think the above link was sent by Robin. Let's keep an eye out for this and make sure we support the consultation and/or use it to press the Council to widen the zone if you're street isn't included already. Speak to your neighbours (not the weird ones over the road, the nice ones) and try and drum up more support locally.

[Bunty]

I am pleased I am not in the minority here! However this issue is spread far across sydenham from the Newlands ladder, the Thorpes and upper sydenham.
I am absolutely for a permit system. And happy to pay. Yes the Newlands Parkers do park on Tredown, I guess they don't want to leave their car on a main road or again it's too busy.
I would happily join forces with others to take this to the council. No idea how but happy to pitch in! Also, is there an added challenge with some of the road being lewisham and some Bromely...?

[Bunty]

Me again.. So under the lewisham council web site there is a useful overview of the CPZ scheme. At the bottom of the page is a link to request a review of parking in an area. So I am going to share this with neighbours and also send in my view via the link.
Please share with any local residents you feel would also want to see a scheme locally.
Thanks

http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/p ... esign.aspx

[Jacks]

I would absolutely support a CPZ covering Sydenham. In fact, I've previously requested the council put one in on the residents parking area outside my house on Silverdale...which many commuters think is a station car park! The council didn't bother to respond, in fact they were surprised someone was actually requesting parking restrictions. I should have followed up, but I will certainly re-request one using the link!!

Over the past few years I've noticed the situation get worse and worse, I've even had people parking pretty much across my drive and when asked not to have been told they can do what they like and park where they want. I don't think the problem is solely commuters, there is a house near me with FIVE cars and one parking space (but that's a subject for a whole new thread I expect)....but the increase in popularity of Sydenham Station, brought about largely by the overground has definitely increased the problem. I'm not sure if anyone else would agree but I have also noticed that the commuters who park are far less concerned about driving at a safe and respectful speed considering these are residential roads with Schools on too.

[robbieduncan]

I would absolutely support a CPZ covering Sydenham. In fact, I've previously requested the council put one in on the residents parking area outside my house on Silverdale...which many commuters think is a station car park! The council didn't bother to respond, in fact they were surprised someone was actually requesting parking restrictions. I should have followed up, but I will certainly re-request one using the link!!

Over the past few years I've noticed the situation get worse and worse, I've even had people parking pretty much across my drive and when asked not to have been told they can do what they like and park where they want. I don't think the problem is solely commuters, there is a house near me with FIVE cars and one parking space (but that's a subject for a whole new thread I expect)....but the increase in popularity of Sydenham Station, brought about largely by the overground has definitely increased the problem. I'm not sure if anyone else would agree but I have also noticed that the commuters who park are far less concerned about driving at a safe and respectful speed considering these are residential roads with Schools on too.

Residents parking? Unless Lewisham own the building that is a private issue: take it up with your freeholder

[bensonby]

As someone who lives in an area of very restricted on-street parking that often means we can't leave the car near the house I struggle to understand the ire. It's a public road. You do not own it. The person who lives elsewhere pays as much for that road as you do. I fail to see how outrageously selfish someone is for parking on highway with no parking restrictions. They have just as much right to park there as you do. If you desperately want somewhere to park then perhaps you should consider buying/renting a property with a driveway/parking space.

[alywin]

Estate agents? Beginning with a P, I'd guess?

I live on the Newlands Park end of Tredown Road and have done for 4 years. When I moved here parking was not a big issue. There was always a space very close to my house. Acceptable. This passed year the problem has become untenable, for me anyway.

You have my sympathies. We've several times had to get a cab somewhere in recent months, and always seem to have terrible trouble getting out of that junction safely - visibility is so bad now because of the poor parking. Have those new flats on the corner, which were deliberately constructed without parking spaces, I believe, contributed to the situation in any way? It's all very well council planners dictating that the public transport is good and people don't need to have cars, but I find many "people" tend to disagree strongly with them.

You could be right about the CPZ (although I believe people at the Penge end objected strongly when Bromley proposed it). An effective way of doing it does seem to be what Bromley has done down Linden Grove, by the side of Penge East station, where they have indeed introduced a 1-hour lunchtime ban on all but resident's cars. As someone else has already indicated, though, this tends to involve over-zealous yellow-lining which may only make things worse - have a look down the section of Venner Road which runs parallel to the Penge East railway - there's probably enough space for another 4 cars been taken up by the double yellow lines they put in a few years ago, and that's not including the Byne and Wiverton junction areas.

[Jacks]

Residents parking? Unless Lewisham own the building that is a private issue: take it up with your freeholder

Unfortunately we seem to have found ourselves in an area that has been largely sold off from the council and so Lewisham Homes now claim it isn't their responsibility, and Lewisham Council claim it isn't theirs...and yet it doesn't belong to us either. Something to be sorted at some point. All I know is there are plenty of Lewisham Homes 'Residents Parking' signs everywhere!

Anyway, that is all getting rather off the subject of the post. I have noticed that places which adopt the lunchtime CPZ seem to have far fewer problems with inconsiderate parkers. It seems to encourage people who want to park to pay a trip to the high street or the local park etc, and deter people who are just running a car to get to a station closer to London in order to save themselves some money on their travelcard! I have no problem at all with people parking in Sydenham in order to invest in our community!

[Tim Lund]

I am totally in favour of CPZs, and delighted to help anyone interested in taking this to the Council in any way.

Well, maybe I'd draw the line at keying unwelcome commuter parked cars, but I'm sure you know what I mean

[Bunty]

Why is it "outrageously selfish" to want to park near my house? I don't think commuters driving from another area do have the same rights. Ok they pay their road tax but they are using residential roads as a car park. There are plenty of good bus and rail routes across the south east, people are lazy and want to park and walk less than 5 mins from the station. I agree with how the permits are for the penge east end. I have expressed my views with the council and will be preparing a letter to local residents to ask them to do,likewise. At the end of day it's a personal opinion so can only hope enough people feel the same as I do and the council takes note. Judging by the responses on here I feel I am in the majority.
If local businesses want to run car fleets then they should be taxed appropriately or forced to find other means to get to properties. Walking might be an option! I have seen certain estate agents drive less than 1/2 mile to visit a property. Sheer laziness. Surely they only need one pool car for the office rather than every person having a company car and driving to work!

[stuart]

Why is it "outrageously selfish" to want to park near my house?

I think Bunty raises a pertinent political issue and one those, like me, who believe residents should not have greater rights to the road outside their door will have to grasp.

Both residents and commuters have increasing difficulty. It is going to get worse and we will see even more dangerous parking. The only solution is to reduce demand for what is a finite resource. If that is to be by CPZ then it isn't going to happen unless local residents press hard for it. Commuters don't get a vote. Residents are only going to press if they are convinced they are going to get better access and its worth the charge. So the only practical solution is to take commuters out of the picture. Bad for the commuters, good for residents. But at least one lot are happy instead of two lots having to live with increasing frustration not to mention the inconvenience to pedestrians and those wanting to use the roads for get from A to B which, after all, is their prime function.

Residents shouldn't per se have 'rights' but in this instance their rights are the only way to improve the situation for all who live in Sydenham. Hence I support Bunty and a resident friendly CPZ enthusiastically.

Stuart

[_HB]

The 'rights' of the commuters are served by creating good and convenient public transport links so they are not tempted to drive and park to a station some distance from their home. It's especially stupid in Sydenham of all places where there is a huge car park a 5 minute walk from the station. The sense of entitlement is unbelievable.

[Manwithaview1]

The 'rights' of the commuters are served by creating good and convenient public transport links so they are not tempted to drive and park to a station some distance from their home. It's especially stupid in Sydenham of all places where there is a huge car park a 5 minute walk from the station. The sense of entitlement is unbelievable.

Motorists are like that. They still go ballistic about speed and traffic light cameras. One idiot on another forum, was blaming Blair for introducing them back in 1991.

[broken_shaman]

The 'rights' of the commuters are served by creating good and convenient public transport links so they are not tempted to drive and park to a station some distance from their home. It's especially stupid in Sydenham of all places where there is a huge car park a 5 minute walk from the station. The sense of entitlement is unbelievable.

Motorists are like that. They still go ballistic about speed and traffic light cameras. One idiot on another forum, was blaming Blair for introducing them back in 1991.

You think that's bad? I saw someone on a forum make a sweeping generalisation about an entire group of road users once. What an idiot.