News / Politics
Tories protest end of free parking on Downs
Tories in north Bristol have urged the mayor to rein in plans to end free parking on the Downs.
It emerged last week that proposals to remove about 500 free parking from the Downs had been put forward, hard on the heels on the introduction of resident parking zones (RPZ) in the area.
Potential charges were first mooted last year by Bristol City Council, which said restrictions needed to be considered once commuters were displaced by the RPZ in Clifton Village.
Peter Mann, the council’s transport director, told the Bristol Post: “It is recognised that it is not possible to remove the risk of displaced commuter parking through the design of the RPZ areas, and that additional measures need to be put in place to protect the Downs.”
Now, Conservative councillors and the Bristol North West MP Charlotte Leslie have called for a rethink, and avoid “springing this upon us as a fait accompli”.
“People who live, visit or work in this part of Bristol have still to come to terms with drastically reduced parking and now [mayor] George Ferguson has thrown another grenade into the mix with this latest idea,” said Cllr John Goulandris.
“There is an argument for looking at this issue calmly and carefully, but simply to spring this upon us as a fait accompli is divisive and risks backfiring badly on him.”
Conservative group leader Cllr Mark Weston added: “Here is a chance for the mayor to stop and rethink an action which will really alter the relaxed atmosphere of a very special green leisure space. We must keep parking free on the Downs.”
Mr Ferguson defended the parking strategy to ITV News, saying: “It’s not about parking, it’s about health, it’s about the environment, it’s about the quality of our air and it’s about creating a civilised and good city to live in.”
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