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Parking in Headingley
1 Leeds HMO Lobby is an association of all the
local community associations in Inner NW Leeds. As its name implies,
the Lobby is concerned with houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)
and their impact on the local neighbourhood. A significant impact
is high demand for car parking. The present paper is a response
to the current consultation on parking in Headingley Centre. Its
concern is not only with parking in the Centre, but also with parking
in Headingley along the A660 corridor, from Woodhouse Moor to West
Park.
2 Problems Three sorts of parking problem arise
in the Headingley corridor.
2.1 Residential Parking HMOs have double
the normal occupancy (albeit seasonal), and car ownership is now
at least as high among Leeds students as it is among residents.
Hence, in areas of high HMO concentrations (especially South Headingley
and the Ash Road area), there is simply insufficient on-street parking
available (as is shown by the Mouchel survey of the Trelawns and
Grimthorpes).
2.2 Venue Parking By this is meant parking
by visitors (sporting, studying, shopping) attracted by venues in
Headingley, specifically Headingley Stadium, the Beckett's Park
Campus of Leeds Met University and Headingley Centre itself. A big
issue locally is the use of Beckett's Park as a car park for events
at this campus (graduation, etc) and for events at the Stadium (especially
Test Matches); this causes great damage to the grass. (The current
consultation overlooks the impact of the new pavilion under construction
at the Stadium, which will exacerbate parking at all three venues
- within the Centre, it will attract not only more spectators, but
also a thousand students to what is effectively a new campus.)
2.3 Commuter Parking As a major arterial
route in Leeds, the A660 experiences heavy commuter traffic (hence
the succession of proposals for a Headingley by-pass, for Supertram,
and currently for NGT). Some commuters use parts of the corridor
for informal park-and-ride arrangements. Meanwhile, some parking
in Headingley Centre is by those who actually work there - but the
Mouchel survey shows these as a small minority (only 7% parking
is above four hours).
3 Solutions Three sorts of measures can be used
to manage parking. These are implemented by Traffic Regulation Orders
(TROs).
3.1 Prohibition (a) No waiting is allowed
at any time, indicated by double yellow lines.
(b) Parking is also prohibited on pavements, by junctions, at dropped
kerbs.
3.2 Restraint (a) No Waiting (indicated
by single yellow lines) at specified times (most commonly 8am to
6pm, or during peak periods) is used where parking would impede
the flow of traffic at busier times but would not present the same
problem when flows are lighter.
(b) Limited Waiting (indicated by white lines) is used where space
is acceptable for parking at any time, but there is a desire to
create a turnover of parking. Waiting is limited to the duration
specified during the days and times shown.
3.3 Permits Resident Parking Zones (RPZs)
allow only permit holders to park in designated areas. Local authorities
have introduced two types.
(a) Comprehensive RPZs provide permits for any resident who keeps
and uses a car, van or motorbike. Parking without a permit may be
prohibited at all times or at specified times. These operate in
Leeds.*
(b) Selective RPZs provide limited numbers of permits to residences;
fees may be charged for these. Parking without a permit is prohibited
at all times. These are not operated in Leeds. (They are used in
Southampton, Lincoln, Sheffield, Glasgow and elsewhere, for instance.)
4 Actions Leeds City Council has introduced a
number of parking management measures in the Headingley corridor.
4.1 Prohibition Waiting is not allowed
at all in many locations [3.1a].
4.2 Restraint No waiting is allowed at
specified times in many locations [3.2a]. And limited waiting is
allowed in other locations [3.2b] (parking on the A660 for Far Headingley
shops is problematic; the restrictions here prevent peak period
parking, but those periods were set in the late 1960s and do not
reflect the current situation).
4.3 Permits RPZs have been introduced
in the Churchwoods/Drummonds, in Beckett's Park, in Chapel Street/Alma
Cottages, in the Granbys, in The Turnways and in the Newports. Parking
in Beckett's Park has improved (within permit hours), but this RPZ
has exported the problem across Otley Road and St Anne's Road, hence
4.4.
4.4 Implementation of parking schemes
is under way in West Park and Glen Road, in Weetwood Lane/Avenue,
and in Cliff Road.
4.5 Investigations into parking management
are under way in Burton Crescent/Shaw Lane/Grove Lane/Grove Road/Wood
Lane/Shire Oak Road, the Ash Road area, Bainbrigge Road/Spring Road,
and the Royal Parks. Most of these areas have not been progressed
primarily because of the Headingley Parking Strategy work.
4.6 Consultation is currently under way
on parking in Headingley Centre.
5 Recommendations Leeds HMO Lobby makes the following
recommendations.
5.1 Parking policy should be proportionate.
General policy is to reduce car usage. Local practice shows that
cars are used locally by a minority (the Mouchel survey of those
accessing Headingley Centre in 2008 confirmed the Headingley
Renaissance survey of 2005 - only a quarter do so by car).
Parking policy therefore should privilege pedestrians and public
transport over private parking.
Recommendation 1 The prohibition of
parking on pavements should be enforced rigorously. Such parking
obstructs access, especially for push-chairs and wheel-chairs, and
is potentially dangerous.**
Recommendation 2 Parking should be
prohibited on residential streets where it obstructs access, especially
by public services. Private parking should not obstruct public
transport (as it does on parts of the route of Bus Service 56),
nor access by public services, like refuse disposal.
5.2 Parking policy should be appropriate.
Solutions should be adopted appropriate to the problem.
Recommendation 3 Parking on main through
routes should be prohibited, or controlled by no-waiting zones.
Recommendation 4 Short-stay parking (e.g. for
shoppers) should be controlled by limited-waiting zones. The
Mouchel survey shows that two-thirds of those parking in Headingley
Centre do so for less than one hour (and most of these for less
than a half-hour). Parts of some main routes (e.g. North Lane),
some side streets, the Arndale Centre mezzanine, could be made available
for parking; longer stays (up to four hours) could be available
as Pay-and-Display (e.g. at the Taps, behind the old cinema).
Recommendation 5 Long-stay parking
in residential streets (by commuters, students, spectators) should
be controlled by comprehensive RPZs (3.3a, as in The Turnways
and Beckett's Park).
Recommendation 6 Parking by residents
in congested residential streets should be controlled by selective
RPZs (3.3b, in South Headingley and the Ash Road area especially).
5.3 Parking policy should be holistic
The problem with localised parking measures is that frequently they
have the effect of simply shifting the problem elsewhere (4.3 above).
Parking problems in the Headingley corridor are so many and so various
that measures should be planned as a whole.
Recommendation 7 A parking strategy
should be developed for the whole of Headingley, along the A660
corridor from Woodhouse Moor to West Park.
Leeds HMO Lobby, 2 November 2009
*The general rule is that permits are issued for vehicles registered
at the address within the zone. However, some residents have company
or works vehicles and they can obtain permits for those with additional
information. Equally students can also provide additional information
relating to vehicles registered at their permanent address and also
obtain a permit, but only for the duration of their tenancy. The
aim is to provide permits for those who are resident, regardless
of the nature of their occupation or the expected length of stay.
**In practice, any parking restriction in place applies equally
to the carriageway and footway so, for example, parking on the footway
to the rear of double yellow lines is still an offence. Parking
enforcement in relation to restrictions is carried out by LCC Parking
Services. However, in the absence of restrictions, parking on the
footway can only be dealt with if it is deemed to be obstructive.
If the vehicle is obstructing a dropped crossing intended for pedestrians
(often with tactile paving) or a complaint has been received that
a private access is being blocked, then the LCC Wardens can issue
a ticket. All other obstruction (preventing walking along the footway,
for example) can only be dealt with by the Police.
Leeds HMO Lobby
email: hmolobby@hotmail.com
website: www.hmolobby.org.uk/leeds
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