Residents recently received a leaflet from the Council dated 18 Feb 2011 informing the that they were being consulted on “including [this part of] Toynbee Road within the existing 5F CPZ”.

What this means is that a number of parking bays will be added to the road, that will be restricted for use only by residents permit holders, Mon-Fri, from 8.30am-6.30pm.

You can find out more about the plans on the Council’s website at www.merton.gov.uk/cpz5fe – including a full map of the CPZ boundaries and the parking bays. You can also see a copy of these plans at the Council’s offices – Merton Link, Merton Civic Centre, London Road, Morden (9am-5pm, Mon-Fri).

The Council are required to take into account your views – and you can have your say by writing to Head of Street Scheme & Waste, Merton Civic Centre, London Road, Morden, SM4 5DX quoting ES/SGE/ZONE 5FE or emailing [email protected] quoting the same reference number.

The reason they are doing this is because in late 2010 they carried out an “informal” consultation on a number of roads around, and including, Toynbee Road – asking residents if they wanted controlled parking. About half of the total number of residents replied, the vast majority against parking restrictions.

However, on Toynbee Road, just over half of those who replied (51.5%) wanted controlled parking. And of the people who replied from Toynbee Road about half wanted an all-day controlled parking zone. The rest preferred shorter restrictions.

Despite the fact that only about a quarter of Toynbee Road residents have currently said they want an all-day CPZ, that’s what the Council are proposing. We feel that such changes to parking should go ahead only if a majority of residents back the plans, which is why it’s important you have your say now and tell them what you think.

Please feel free to send us copies of any representations you send to the Council, so that we know what you think. m