Family cars ‘clogging streets’

Tuesday, 6th February 2007
From Shropshire Star (UK).

Streets around Shrewsbury town centre are being clogged by families with several cars and not by commuters dodging parking charges, it has been claimed.

Shrewsbury’s Friends of the Earth co-ordinator says some families own up to three cars which leaves little room for other householders to park outside their own homes. Val Oldaker said the introduction of car clubs was the answer.

Under the scheme people hire vehicles for short periods of use, which Mrs Oldaker says is the best way to reduce the number of vehicles parked along residential roads.

She said schemes in other parts of the country, including London and Stroud, had already proven a success.

Mrs Oldaker said the availability of cheap cars for short-term hire would lead to fewer vehicles parked on the streets, with many people able to give them up altogether.

She said: “When you look around the town you see the amount of space which is taken up by dead cars. This could be a lovely green town, but instead it is covered by cars.”

She said Shropshire County Council should look at setting up local car clubs in areas of Shrewsbury if it wants to help reduce the number of vehicles on residential streets close to the town centre.

“It is a totally new idea for people around here and it is true that people get very defensive about their cars.

“Many of the streets get full because some families own two or three cars. I would say it could take up to three or four years for people to absorb an idea like this, which is a good reason for suggesting it now.”

Shropshire county councillor Alan Mosely, economic and environment scrutiny panel chairman, said the authority is considering residents’ parking permits across Shrewsbury.

He said council officers are working on a report which will be put before members in April.

Councillor Mosely said people in the Mountfields area of Shrewsbury have offered themselves as a pilot scheme for the introduction of residents-only permits.

But he warned there were still many considerations to be taken into account before any scheme was rolled out.

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