Residents' Parking

The introduction of residents' parking schemes within Tameside will have numerous implications for the local communities, retail premises and industries in the areas concerned, as well as wider implications for the Borough as a whole such as management, funding and the policing of such schemes.

Advantages of a Scheme:

• In residential areas, scheme can help provide a safer and more pleasant environment
• Residents would find it easier to park vehicles nearer their properties, particularly those with children or people with disabilities.
• Discourage commuter parking
• Possible reduction in traffic accidents

Disadvantages of a Scheme:

• Council's objective as set out in UDP is to promote economic viability of town centre. Shoppers may use some areas, if no alternative parking available, visitors displaced and as such knock on affect on the economy of the town.
• Cost of Traffic Regulation Orders, management of permits, reliance on residents to renew permits
• Additional cost of signing and white lining and future maintenance.
• Enforcement by Tameside Civil Enforcement Officers is manpower intensive 
• Permit not site specific. Permit for an area not outside someone's house.
• Knock on effect to adjacent areas by commuter/shopper parking.
• A large number of surveys will have to be carried out. Daytime, evening, night time parking surveys, business requirements
• Some areas such as terraced properties with no off space parking have insufficient road space for every resident let alone visitors.
• Permit does not guarantee a parking space.
• Retail and commercial businesses and their requirements.

The Council approved the principle of introducing residents' parking within the Borough, and have recently introduced two experimented resident parking schemes in Ashton under Lyne, namely on County Avenue and Witham Street. A number of public consultations were undertaken with the residents of these streets and many residents had different needs and aspirations for these types of parking schemes. 

In both promoted schemes, residents are restricted to one resident and one visitor permit each. The resident permit allows them to park all day in the marked parking areas, however visitors are restricted to 2 hours maximum parking. Non residents are restricted to a maximum of half an hour and are not allowed to return for 2 hours.

In both schemes, the hours of operation are Monday to Sunday (7 days a week) from 8am to 7pm.

Each scheme is currently under review, which will be complete for County Avenue in May 2012 and Witham Street in December 2012 and the success or otherwise will be reported back to the District Assembly and to the Cabinet Deputy for Technical Services.

Until the review is undertaken, no further schemes will be promoted, however if you feel your street or neighbourhood would benefit from a residents parking scheme please send a message to Traffic Operations and your street will be added to the list of requests

Whilst, the Council now has enforcement powers, the operational priorities will firstly be to enforce the existing regulations that have fallen into disrepute and been abused due to the lack of enforcement. It is therefore unlikely that the implementation of residents parking schemes be considered in the short to medium term as the Council will be reviewing the general enforcement of existing restrictions and also has a duty under the Traffic Management Act to concentrate resources on managing parking offences and reducing/minimising congestion on strategic routes.

In the longer term residents parking could be managed within this process.  The difficulty of resourcing the effective enforcement of waiting restrictions, including those associated with residents' parking schemes, is a serious concern not just locally, in Tameside, but nationally. Consideration is being given to ways of addressing this problem, however until the situation becomes clearer it is felt that it would be premature to introduce residents' parking schemes in the Borough, until the effects, costs, management and support of such schemes is known.