Council scraps city parking zones

The CPZs would have cost £3.3m to install in five zones

Cardiff council has agreed to scrap controversial Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) in central areas of the city.

It has also emerged that it would have cost £3.3m to install the CPZs in five of the zones and the scheme would have taken 15 years to pay for itself.

Public protests have dogged the proposals, originally earmarked for six districts, since they were announced last year.

The council said they are seeking a new solution to ease inner city congestion.

In a Freedom of Information Act request made by BBC Wales last month, when the scheme was still planned for five zones in Cardiff, the council said the CPZs would cost £3.3m to install.

"This would be funded from capital borrowing and would be repaid from income from the project over a period of 15 years," said the council.

It also said the consultation exercise for the six original zones in Cathays, Gabalfa, Riverside, Roath, Canton and Cardiff Bay, encompassing 320 streets, cost £185,000.

Parking space

Councillor Elgan Morgan, executive member for environment and transport, said that the CPZ proposals had originally been drawn up because many householders and businesses had told them they had difficulty finding parking space on the streets.

The measures would have included paid-for permits for residents and pay and display parking.

Initially the council said the schemes had been welcomed by residents.

"It now appears there is a growing swell of opinion against CPZs which is why we have asked officers to examine the scheme once again and bring forward new proposals to see how we can tackle the problem of congestion in our city centre," he said.

Public opposition to the plans have forced the council to think again

He warned that unless traffic problems were addressed in Cardiff, roads and streets would be gridlocked in 20 years time.

"Our job now, as a listening executive, is to see what proposals can address the needs of tackling these problems while ensuring the concerns of the community are addressed," he said.

Two months ago, residents in Canton voted overwhelmingly against the CPZ scheme. Protests followed in Riverside, Cathays and Roath.

Jane O'Toole of Canton Residents Action Committee said the group was delighted by the council's decision.

"We hope that the council go to the people and ask them what they want instead of trying to impose something without proper consultation," she said.

"To improve congestion and parking in inner city areas I think they need to look at ways of trying to deter people from coming into the city in their cars. They need to improve public transport and park and ride schemes."

Julian Rosser of Friends of the Earth Cardiff said he was "disappointed" the scheme had been dropped.

"There is a growing problem of congestion in and around Cardiff," he said. "The Controlled Parking Zones would have been useful as part of a solution to that problem. We are disappointed that the scheme has been dropped.

"We want the council to consult widely with the people of Cardiff to reduce traffic in the city and come up with an array of plans to reduce congestion including more investment in public transport and charging people more to park in town."