Parking bays suspended for 4 months - how to find out if legal/official?

usignuolo

We live in a controlled parking zone on the outskirts of London. Parking is very limited, and we have to pay quite a lot for our residents permits. Recently a bank of 5 bays at the end of our road were marked off with Yellow signs saying the Parking was suspended, from 8 September 2012 to 30 December 2012. That is for over 4 months. This has put a lot of extra pressure on the parking in our road as there are no garages and parking is only possible on one side of the street due to the width.

There is no sign of any particular reason for the suspension - it says road works is the reason on the notices but there is no sign of any road works. My OH, who is around more during the day says he thinks the block of housing (next to the suspended bays) which used to be shops, but more recently flats, has changed hands and is being renovated. From time to time he sees a builders lorry outside.

I have looked up the councils transport division website, and can find no reference to suspended parking bays let alone the ones near us. Only that bays can usually only be suspended for 15 days including weekends. Would it need a special traffic order to suspend a block of bays for 4 months, and if so would it need to be published on the council's website?

wealdroam

I can't help thinking that your best course of action is to ring the council on Monday and voice your concerns.

usignuolo

Plot thickens. Signs says Road works. There have been none since it was erected on 13 August and I have looked up Transport for London and Thames Water and there are none planned for the location where the bays are suspended.

I phoned Council parking office this morning and quoted the Ref no on the sign. None the wiser. The person on the other end of the phone said there have been many complaints (- suspending bays for 4.5 months contravenes Council policy which states bays can only been suspended for 15 days at a time) but they could not give me an official reason. Just that they were told to suspend them by "The Civic Centre" for that period.

Said unofficially thinks it was something to do with Health and Safety?.....suggests I write in to Council to ask for explanation as Parking department cannot provide one. Do the council need some sort of traffic order for this length of closure in which case surely it must be filed in the Council Transport offices?

peter_the_piper

Try posting this on pepipoo.com, they seem to know all the particular regs you need.

mattyprice4004

8th September to 30th December isn't over 4 months.