Request or change parking restrictions

1. Introduction

1. This policy sets out a comprehensive framework for the effective management of waiting restrictions across Coventry. This framework will provide a consistent, transparent, and systematic way for Coventry City Council to consider, and potentially progress requests for all types of stopping, waiting, and loading restrictions. Residents’ Parking Schemes will continue to be considered in accordance with the Residents’ Parking Policy.
2. As more vehicles are introduced to the network and the demand for kerb side parking increases, members of the public and organisations may experience what they consider to be a parking problem and approach the local highway authority to implement restrictions with a view to resolving these issues.
3. Parking at unsuitable locations, particularly within residential areas, can affect quality of life, the local environment, and can cause various traffic management issues. Due to the number of requests received this policy seeks to improve the way that requests are dealt with providing an efficient, holistic approach.
4. This approach will encourage improved data collection and management, avoid introducing unnecessary restrictions, or restrictions in isolation; thereby allowing a more effective use of available funding. In addition, Coventry City Council aims to standardise timed restrictions to improve consistency across the city.
5. Existing stopping, waiting, and loading restrictions shall be revised as and when it is deemed appropriate (subject to adequate funding provision) in accordance with this policy.

2. Objectives of Control of On-street Parking

1. The control of on-street parking using stopping, waiting, and loading restrictions is one method that the City Council can use to meet the following objectives:
   • Reduce personal injury collisions – parking management tools and policies should positively contribute to maintaining and improving road safety for all road users,
   • Aim to minimise delay and congestion, particularly on strategic routes,
   • Make the most effective use of the existing road network having regard to the competing demands placed upon it,
   • Reduce environmental impact, in that parking management tools and policies should positively contribute to reducing congestion and encourage smooth traffic flows, thereby improving the local environment and air quality,
   • Improve and protect quality of life, and residential amenity,
   • Encourage healthier travel choices and active travel
   • Remove, control, and discourage commuter and non-resident parking in residential areas, and
   • Positively contribute to wider transport objectives.
2. These objectives are in line with the Department for Transport (DfT) guidance for local authorities which states that enforcement authorities should design their parking policies regarding:
   • managing the traffic network to ensure expeditious movement of traffic, (including pedestrians and cyclists), as required under the Traffic Management Act 2004 (TMA, 2004) Section 16.
   • improving road safety
   • improving the local environment
   • improving the quality and accessibility of public transport
   • meeting the needs of people with disabilities, some of whom will be unable to use public transport and depend entirely on the use of a car
   • managing and reconciling the competing demands for kerb space
3. Coventry City Council implements stopping, waiting, and loading schemes to achieve the aims as listed above. In addition, where we receive requests for these types of schemes from residents, they are considered using the criteria listed in section 4.

3. Types of Control of On-street Parking - Prohibition of stopping, waiting, and loading

• Double yellow lines – mean that the waiting of vehicles is prohibited at all times or stopping of vehicles in a layby prohibited except in an emergency. This prohibition applies to any adjacent verge, footway or cycle track as well as to the carriageway.
• Single yellow lines – mean that the waiting of vehicles is prohibited for a time that is not continuous throughout the year. Upright signs are used to indicate the period of operation.
• Double yellow transverse markings – mean loading and unloading of vehicles is prohibited at all times.
• Single yellow transverse markings – mean loading and unloading of vehicles is prohibited for a time that is not continuous throughout the year. Upright signs are used to indicate the period of operation.
• Double red lines –mean no stopping at any time (used on a Red Route).
• Single red lines – mean no stopping during a period that is not continuous throughout the year. Upright signs are used to indicate the period of operation (used on a Red Route).
• Clearways (24-hour rural clearway, Urban clearway and Red route clearway) -mean no stopping at any time or during the period indicated on upright signs. All clearways are indicated by upright signs without any road markings.
• Keep clear markings – indicate part of the carriageway outside an entrance where vehicles should not stop, or where an upright sign is provided, must not stop, for example, outside a school entrance.
• Verge and footway parking signs – indicate a prohibition of waiting or stopping on a verge or footway, or entrance to an area where footway and verge parking is prohibited except where signed.
• Loading bays – are designated for the purpose of deliveries and collections and are generally supported by an upright sign that provides details about the type of vehicle or times of operation. Where a loading bay operates at all times upright signs may be omitted.
• Limited waiting – is where vehicles are permitted to wait for a limited period of time, as indicated on upright signs.

4. Criteria for consideration of requests for restrictions.

1. All requests for new or changes to existing restrictions must be submitted by application form and fully supported by at least one of the three local ward councillors for the area in question. All supported applications will be placed on a list for prioritisation (this list will be reviewed as per section 5).
2. If an informal consultation is considered necessary in response to a requested scheme, 60% of households consulted must be in favour of the proposals for the scheme to progress to the next stage. Traffic Management Officers will determine if an informal consultation is considered a necessary step before progressing the request.
3. In areas where there is a high student population or transient population, the consultation will be tailored to the specific circumstances and a decision may not be solely dependent on a 60% majority in favour.
4. Where the outcome of a consultation indicates that less than 60% of respondents are in support of the proposed scheme the Council will not consider further / similar requests unless:
   • There has been a significant change in circumstance within the area that has resulted in a detrimental impact on traffic management in the area; or
   • A period of at least 24 months has elapsed following the previous consultation exercise.
5. Requests for stopping, waiting, or loading restrictions by the emergency services or where accessibility issues are raised will be included in the next available waiting restriction review, unless there is a significant reason not to.
6. Requests for stopping, waiting, or loading restrictions from the Council’s waste management teams or public transport operators, where they have continued issues with delivering their service, will be included in the next available waiting restriction review, unless there is a significant reason not to.
7. Coventry City Council will not install restrictions where obstruction is being caused by parking across residential vehicle crossovers or pedestrian crossing points with tactile paving, as a request for enforcement can be made to address these issues. In addition, Coventry City Council will not routinely install restrictions to resolve neighbour disputes.
8. Residents may apply for an access protection marking (H-bar) across their vehicle crossover. More information regarding how to apply for an access protection marking and costs involved can be found on the Coventry City Council website.
9. Restrictions can be proposed by Coventry City Council where they are an integral part of a wider scheme, related to road safety, part of a residents’ parking scheme or where time limited restrictions are necessary to support the economic vitality of an area. Any proposals will still be subject to the required legal process.
10. Any petitions received for the control of on-street parking will follow Coventry City Council’s process for dealing with petitions and will still be subject to the Criteria and Process as laid out in this policy.

5. Process

1. An application form must be completed and supported, as per paragraph 4.1. Support must be sought before an application is submitted. If these steps are not followed, the requests for any type of restriction (as named in Section 3 of this document) will not be progressed.
2. Fully completed applications will be acknowledged.
3. Requests will then be placed on a prioritisation list.
4. The prioritisation list will be reviewed periodically and prioritised based on factors including: road safety, congestion, type of request, type of parking problem, proximity to parking generator, funding (including running / maintenance costs), level of complexity, site survey.
5. Priority locations (as identified by the periodic review process) are put forward as potential schemes.
6. Depending on the size of scheme or on the number of scheme options the informal or statutory consultation process will be followed. If there is an initial informal consultation, any information gathered at this point will feed into the final proposals.
7. If an informal consultation does not receive the required level of response in favour, as per the Criteria (paragraphs 4.3 or 4.4) then the location will remain on the priority spreadsheet with this information and will not be reconsidered as per the Criteria.
8. If the informal consultation is successful, the scheme will move onto the statutory consultation process.
9. The Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process will then be followed, which includes a statutory 21 day objection period.
10. The scheme may or may not be implemented following consideration of any objections received (see paragraph 6.6).
11. Any proposals will be subject to Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996. These regulations impose various legal requirements prior to making and being able to implement an Order.

6. Traffic Regulation Orders

Traffic Regulation Orders are the legal framework necessary to manage traffic movement and restrictions such as the ones named in Section 3. The legal process is briefly outlined below:

1. A “Notice of Proposals” (public notice that contains all of the relevant information about the Order) is produced and published in a local newspaper along with any other steps that Coventry City Council consider appropriate for ensuring that adequate publicity about the Order is given to persons likely to be affected by its provisions, this includes actions such as displaying notices in affected locations or delivering letters to affected premises.
2. Along with the public notice a Statement of Reasons, draft Order and associated plans must be produced.
3. Statutory Consultees (for example, the emergency services) must be consulted.
4. All required documents are placed on deposit (made available for public inspection) from the date the public notice is published to a date 6 weeks after the Order is made.
5. Any person may object to the Order by the date specified in the public notice. An objection must be made in writing (this includes by email), state the grounds on which it is made, and be sent to the address specified in the public notice.
6. If objections are received by the above process and not withdrawn, they will be duly considered by Coventry City Council as set out in the Council’s Constitution.
7. An objections report is submitted to the Cabinet Member for City Services at a public Cabinet Member Meeting for a decision on how to proceed; whether to make the Order as advertised, not to make the Order or for an alternative proposal to be progressed, which may require the Order process to be undertaken again.
8. If no objections are received or authorisation is given by the Cabinet Member for City Services following formal consideration of the objections the Order will be made.
9. Following the Order being made it is placed on deposit with the other deposited documents as soon as is practicable for the remainder of the required time.
10. Within 14 days of making the Order, a Notice of Making is published in a local newspaper.
11. Within 14 days of making the Order, any persons who submitted objections are notified of the making of the Order and given reasons for the decision made should the objection not be wholly acceded to.
12. If the Order is made, the scheme is installed at a time to correspond with the Order making date as far as is reasonably practicable.

7. Enforcement

1. The Council will encourage all road users to comply with highway regulations including any stopping, waiting, and loading restrictions. The Council’s Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) will monitor restrictions and enforce vehicle parking where necessary to improve the level of compliance.
2. The main aims of the Council’s parking enforcement team (Parking Services) are to:
   • Discourage indiscriminate and illegal parking
   • Enforce parking restrictions in a fair and consistent manner
   • Improve road safety
   • Improve traffic flow and minimise congestion
   • Improve access for public services and public transport vehicles

   The Council’s Civil Enforcement Officers will carry out regular patrols of parking restrictions including the types of restrictions listed in Section 3 of this document. Anyone who contravenes a parking restriction can be fined by way of a penalty charge notice (PCN).

3. Penalty charge notices can also be issued using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and the Council uses an enforcement car fitted with an ANPR camera. The car collects photographic evidence of any vehicles that are illegally parked and PCNs are sent to the registered keeper of the vehicle.