On-street parking across much of south and central Cardiff could change if a new parking plan for the city gets the go-ahead after public consultation.
The proposal - to introduce ‘parking zones' within parking management areas - would give residents a better chance to park on their street, or on adjoining roads close to their home - while reducing opportunities for commuter parking.
As well as increasing the number of parking spaces available to residents, blue badge holders, cycle & car clubs, and local businesses could also benefit from the plan, Cardiff Council says.
Under the new scheme all on-street parking bounded within the areas south of the A48, west of River Rhymney, north of Cardiff Bay and east of the River Ely would be split into four parking management areas with different restrictions for each.
They will be the City Centre, Cardiff Bay, Inner and Outer Parking Management Areas. Each area will be made up of a number of parking zones.
The proposals would not affect Rhiwbina or neighbouring areas, but would, of course, affect people driving into those southern and central areas of the city.
The council says the scheme would bring Cardiff into line with most major cities in the UK, and if the council's cabinet gives the go-ahead at its meeting on 18 January, there will be a six-week consultation with the public.
The proposed new Parking Management Areas are as follows:
Cardiff Bay Parking Management Area will cover Butetown, south of Tindall Street, west of Atlantic Wharf and east of the River Taff. All on-street parking in the Cardiff Bay Parking Management Area will be managed from 8am until 8pm and only resident, visitor, community and carer permits can be applied for. Outside of taxi ranks and deliveries, all on-street parking spaces will be managed via restrictions and pay & display between 8am and 8pm.
City Centre Parking Management Area will cover Cathays north of Callaghan Square, east of the River Taff, south of Cathays Park and west of the railway line. All on-street parking will be managed 24 hours a day, seven days per week all year and no waiting will be allowed at all. Loading will only be permitted during certain hours to ensure businesses can re-stock. No one can apply for a permit in this Parking Management Area. Taxi ranks, loading bays and disabled parking bays will be unaffected.
The Inner Parking Management Area will cover residential areas adjacent to the City Centre. All on-street parking will be managed from 8am until 10pm and only resident, visitor, community and carer permits can be applied for. Outside of taxi ranks and deliveries, all on-street parking spaces will be managed via restrictions and pay & display between 8am and 10pm.
The Outer Parking Management Area will cover the outer residential areas surrounding the inner and Cardiff Bay Parking Management Areas. All on-street parking will be managed from 8am until 6pm and only resident, visitor, business, carer and school permits can be applied for. Outside of taxi ranks and deliveries all on-street parking spaces will be managed via restrictions and pay & display between 8am and 6pm.
Dan De'Ath, cabinet member for strategic planning and transport said: "Parking across the city has increasingly become an issue for many residents who are finding it harder and harder to park outside or near there own homes due to high numbers of commuter traffic.
"This ability for commuters to come and park in the city for free is leading to air pollution and congestion which our residents are suffering from.
"We've always been clear that if we are to clean up the city's air and tackle the climate emergency then we need to reduce our reliance on the private car and get people to think more about taking public transport.
"We believe that changing the way we enable people to park across the city, making the system easier to understand so motorists know where they can or cannot park, will help to alleviate these problems and will encourage more people to think about using public transport which is better for the environment.
"As we continue to improve cycling and walking routes, the competition for space on Cardiff's' road network has increased and as it is impossible to create more on-street parking space, due to the physical restraints, changes need to be made."
The types of parking permits available would also change under the new system, with the following permits introduced:
Residential permit: All residents who currently have a permit would need to reapply for a new zonal permit, specific to the road/area where they live. This will give residents a better chance to park on their street, or on a road close by. Those wanting to park a motorbike on-street will also have to apply for a permit.
Visitor permit: Each household will only be allowed to apply for 150 days of visitor parking each year. By putting this restriction in place, the system is less open to abuse, ensuring that the allocation of visitor parking is shared between households in a specific residential area.
Community permit: Community on-street permits can be applied for by certain places of worship or disability access groups that are exempt under specific legislation.
Business permit: Only businesses that have a property in the Outer Parking Management Area can apply for an on-street parking permit, which will only allow a business owner to park vehicles that are needed for the day-to-day running of the business. So, this is not for commuter or staff parking.
Carer permit: Two types of carer permits are proposed - one for professional health and one for personal care for those that qualify.
School permit: Schools in the Outer Parking Management Area can apply for an on-street permit to park a vehicle that is needed for the operational running of the school. Again, this is not for commuter or staff parking.
The new parking plan for Cardiff will be considered by the Environmental Scrutiny Committee next Thursday, 11 January.
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