Navigating the Future: West Berkshire Council's Vision for Parking

West Berkshire Council has a key role to play in managing and enforcing parking provision within the district and we need your views on our draft Parking Strategy for 2024-2034.

As a local authority responsible for all aspects of parking in the district, we carry the important responsibility of managing and enforcing parking provisions within the district and are given powers to do this under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, the Road Traffic Act 1991, the Traffic Management Act 2004, the Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions Regulations 2022, and the Transport Act 2000.

We're developing an updated Parking Strategy that will inform how we plan to maintain our car parks and keep our road space available for traffic to move freely within the district, curbing inconsiderate or unauthorised parking. This initiative is a natural progression from our existing Parking Policy, first adopted in 2008.

Recent years have witnessed substantial transformations. The global pandemic, particularly, has led to increased remote work and a surge in online consumer activity, altering traditional traffic patterns and parking demands. Furthermore, the spotlight on environmental awareness, in conjunction with our place-making strategies to protect and enhance the economic vitality of our town centres, has prompted a shift towards greener and more sustainable forms of transport, each with unique infrastructure needs, compared to their petrol and diesel counterparts.

Here's where we need your help as we would like your views on our draft Parking Strategy. We want to know if you think that we're planning on taking the right action, and if there is anything we've missed. We would like your thoughts on keys topics such as:

•           Car Parks - how they operate, availability and payment methods

•           On-street parking places including accessible parking

•           Parking charges and user discounts

•           Season Tickets and Resident Permits

•           Enforcement

•           Other vehicle parking

•           Electric vehicle charging and availability

Cllr Denise Gaines, Executive Member for Highways, Housing and Sustainable Travel at West Berkshire Council, said:

"Our draft Parking Strategy will be a blueprint that balances the needs of our urban and rural communities, the well-being of our residents, the vibrancy of our towns, and the preservation of our environment through sustainability in aspects of travel.

"We recognise there will be challenges but also many opportunities before us. That's why want to hear your views to ensure we are taking on board local views and make it our duty to adapt our parking policies to align with the evolving needs of our community."

Your opinions on our Draft Parking Strategy 2024-2034 are important to us and you can access all the details here: https://www.westberks.gov.uk/draftparkingstrategy. The consultation is open until midnight on Sunday 12 November 2023 and should take about 10 minute of your time to complete.

If you have any further questions, please contact Parking Services by emailing: parking@westberks.gov.uk or calling: 01635 519213.