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Congestion fear over 63,000 new parking spaces
David Williams, Motoring Editor03.09.08
London is to get more than 63,000 new parking spaces, a report reveals.
They have been approved for commercial, retail and residential developments across the capital.
But a transport watchdog warns the parking provision will pile " unbearable" pressure on London's roads and send congestion levels soaring.
According to the Campaign for Better Transport, an average of nearly 8,000 parking bays have been granted for each of eight key development areas.
It says the spaces will increase car use instead of encouraging Londoners to visit so-called "opportunity areas" by public transport.
Some of the developments, such as the ones at White City and Stratford, are already under way. Others will take up to a decade to complete.
Transport for London has forecast congestion in the capital will increase by more than a third by 2025.
But according to the Campaign, previously known as Transport 2000, the rise in parking spaces will make the situation even worse.
Freely available car parking will also increase pressure to create more room on existing roads and build new ones.
The Olympics site causes particular concern as it will be "surrounded by vast new parking lots", says the report.
While car travel to the Games is officially being discouraged, related developments at Stratford and the Lower Lea Valley have planning permission for more than 11,000 parking places, says the group. Thousands more spaces have been built or approved at the Royal Docks, to the south.
Richard Bourn, of the campaign, said: "Parking on this scale is more like Los Angeles in the 20th century than London should be in the 21st.
"If we want to tackle congestion and climate change we will need to be much more serious about controlling parking.
"These developments are being planned as though people had never heard of global warming. We need much more car-free development where it's easy to walk and cycle and public transport is close."
The report says that car-dependent development will "predominate in most, if not all of the major development areas of outer London".
This includes the Thames Gateway areas of east London where the Government said it wanted low-carbon, sustainable communities to be built.
Sheila Rainger, of the RAC Foundation, said: "Well-designed parking is a service to the whole community."
Reader views (3)
Parking should be planned at the furtherest ends of the Tube lines ie Cockfrosters, Richmond Heathrow - Osterly Pk, Watford and such like stations. Thus alleviating the need to bring vehicles into the town. These lines should be updated and rated to increased service.
Ticket sales should incorporate a nominal charge for parking. Thus offering an improved service and freeing congestion from outsiders on inner city roads. Fines for parking etc, must be removed from tax exempt expenses.
- Winsley, London England
So the Standard is warning about the perils of congestion today, yet was supporting the abolition of the Western Congestion Charge on Monday? Something doesn't quite add up... We need to be a bit more adult about this and recognise that the city is congested and that with a finite road capacity, some form of rationing or charging is needed.
- Mark Lee, Vauxhall
Same goes for residential developments. Where the housing is within a Controlled Parking Zone, the norm should be that no CPZ permits should be allocated to those new developments. This would in effect reserve the housing for non-car owners (which constitute 25% of households) which would have the added benefit of reducing the value - ie making them more affordable.
- James Page, Richmond, London
