Coalition claims ‘end of war on motorists’ by abolishing regulations on parking
Tue 04 January 2011
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The Coalition Government has announced the abolition of rules prescribing limits on car spaces for new homes and guidance encouraging higher parking charges. Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles and Transport Secretary Philip Hammond jointly announced the changes, claiming they represented and end to the last Government’s ‘war on motorists’.
The planning restrictions to be removed were put in place in 2001 and required councils to limit the number of parking spaces allowed in new residential developments and set high parking charges to encourage the use of alternative modes of transport. The Government believes these rules unfairly penalised drivers, led to over-zealous parking enforcement, and increased on-street parking congestion.
From now on, the Government says, councils and communities will be free to set parking policies appropriate to their locality.
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said: "This is a key step in ending the war on the motorist. For years politicians peddled the pessimistic, outdated attitude that they could only cut carbon emissions by forcing people out of their cars.
"But this Government recognises that cars are a lifeline for many people - and that by supporting the next generation of electric and ultra-low emission vehicles, it can enable sustainable green motoring to be a long-term part of Britain's future transport planning."
The Independent newspaper report, however, that councils facing cuts will struggle to reduce charges. Stephen Wilkinson, Tory deputy mayor of East Cheshire Council, told the BBC Today programme: "I'm afraid it will be very difficult, considering the Government's settlement – a 30 per cent cut over four years."
A Green Party spokesperson (quoted in the Independent) said: "It's typical of the Coalition to call itself the greenest government ever while promoting the opposite of green policies. What's being proposed here will inevitably increase traffic both in city centres and in residential areas. There will be more pollution and an increase in transport emissions."
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