Charter School teachers using nearby roads ...should be taken up with school before taking such a draconian step

I am writing to inform you that I am opposed to the proposed CPZ for the North Dulwich Triangle (or any other location within the borough not already subject to a CPZ) for the following reasons:

1) I do not currently experience any parking problems. I own one car which I can park outside my home throughout the day.  The introduction of a CPZ covering my area is therefore unnecessary.  A CPZ also appear to be unnecessary for Sunray Avenue given that much of the housing on that road has off-street private parking.  In my experience there is never a shortage of space to park on Sunray Avenue.

2) This area does not generally suffer high demand for parking as there are few shops or other amenities (there are only small parades on Herne Hill and Half Moon Lane within the consultation area).  The area is otherwise low density residential where the supply of street parking spaces exceeds demand.

3) It has not been necessary for Lambeth to introduce CPZs close to Herne Hill Station other than for Poets Corner.  In particular the opposite side of Herne Hill to the consultation area is not within a CPZ.  This suggests that such measures are unnecessary.

4) In light of the above a CPZ appears to be a disproportionate response to any issues reported by residents in terms of (1) cost (2) balance between number of residents benefiting from the CPZ (few) and number of residents paying to implement the CPZ (many) and (3) the inevitable delays and difficulties  in issuing permits and enforcement, not to mention mistakes by residents and parking attendants as to where and when to park.  Ironically, this is likely to cause confusion and fines for residents and their visitors, the very people that the CPZ is intended to serve.

5) Are there no other alternatives to increasing the clutter (and parking attendants) on our streets?  It was certainly one of the attractions for me to live in this area that it is not within a CPZ.  In a CPZ the street scene is dominated by yellow lines, parking bays, zone entry and exit signs, parking meters and ticket machines, yellow and white parking signs, and patrolling wardens.  The imposition of parking rules in this way would make the area a much more stressful and unpleasant place to live as well as a more expensive place too.

6) The issue of Charter School teachers using nearby roads should surely be first taken up with the School before taking such a draconian step.  Perhaps they can be persuaded to increase their own parking facilities or to introduce other schemes to reduce their car usage.  Let us not willingly destroy a sense of community and understanding by opting for rules, regulations, fines and penalties the responsibility for which we subcontract to private parking enforcement companies who care only about their profits.

7) As for commuters leaving their cars outside North Dulwich Station, I think if this is a central argument in favour of the CPZ we should be provided with some figures to understand the scale of the problem and whether there are alternatives to a CPZ.  Only when we understand the nature of the problem will we know how best to solve it.

8) In times of economic crisis such as these, we should be reluctant to increase the cost of living.  If there is a funding shortfall for other public services, parking and streets is one of the non-essential areas that could bear a reduction in budget to support core services.

Yours faithfully

Lee Khvat
Crossthwaite Avenue

London SE5