In late 2012, we were contacted by residents on Edna Road who felt that the price of an annual parking permit for visitors was unfair, when compared to the cost of residents’ parking permits.

The issue is the flat rate cost of £140 for an annual visitors’ parking permit. The cost of residents’ permits rises with the number bought – £65 for the first, £110 for the second and £140 for a third or subsequent.

The system means that residents who don’t own a car are paying twice as much for a visitor to park in their road than those residents with cars would pay for the same parking space. Many of those without cars are older people, some of whom are reliant on regular visits from friends and relatives, so the flat cost of £140 for an annual visitors’ parking permit really hits them. The Council says people can just use day/half day parking vouchers, but if you have more than two visitors a week then you would end up paying even more with parking vouchers.

We’ve been helping the residents go door-to-door in the Apostles area to collect a petition about this – we’ve got over 500 signatures so far. We hope that the council will listen and consider a fairer scheme, where the cost you pay for parking permits is linked to the number of permits you have in total.

If you have no car, then an annual visitors’ permit should cost you £65 just like a first residents’ permit would. If you have lots of residents’ permits, then a visitors’ permit should cost you more – just like the extra residents’ permits do.

The Wimbledon Guardian covered the story here.