Increase in parking charges - What do you think?
I guess I know the answer and will ask anyway.
Quite rightly, it has been requested that I start a thread up on this issue. It was reported in the Dorking Advertiser that the council has announced that it is due to make a substantial increase in parking charges in the town this year.
Many readers would find this unbelievable in the current climate and that the town has been struggling to attract shoppers and visitors in recent years.
posted by The Cockerel @ 7:31 PM
7 Comments:
Dorking Town Forum meeting at the Ashcombe School tonight (Tuesday January 6) at 7:30pm to discuss a variety of issues including the proposed increase in parking charges. Meeting will also be available via the net.
What a ridiculous time to contemplate about increasing the parking charges, it will hit everybody - from the occasional shopper to the retailer. Dorking has no big name retailers anymore like Woolies and Currys and the farmers market still remains stuffed down at the rear of St Martins Walk. I am completely opposed to the increase in parking charges as Dorking will cease to exist as a place to 'shop.' Also the charges in the evening will seriously affect the restaurant trade, Dorking Halls & the cinema and the Dorking Sports Centre.
As for Mole Valley District Council, the new layout of Pippbrook, is a disgrace! It maybe a little brighter, but I had to pay my monthly council tax into a bloody machine. The cashier has gone and I found the machine to be very impersonal and time consuming. The front desk has moved to the left and there are countless desks sprawled to the rear. A real waste of council tax money and how much did this exercise really cost??? No doubt people have been made redundant because of the excessive costs of this venture.
Finally, another antique shop has gone in West Street. It had the name of Dorking Antiques. No doubt the downturn in trade was a serious factor. Also noticed that another Dorking retail institution is closing in Dorking and is relocating to Bookham. Casselden's in South Street, the shoe shop is closing January 10. This shop is opposite the former Pizza Piazza unit and has been trading for years!
Very Annoyed Anthony:(
As well as the influence this may have on shoppers, it also means more traffic parked in side roads off the town centre. These roads are already full of commuters cars for local business & rail users. No parking for residents !!
Make the car parks 50p for all day parking & solve both problems.
Well done MVDC - how to kill a town off completely in one easy lesson!
Did anything come out of this meeting re: the parking charges? Tried to access via the net but I had no luck in accessing the meeting. Tried to go via the Mole Valley website but I just gave up and just ended up cursing the Council and my computer!! From what I gather, they were debating a variety of options with regards to the parking charges. Sadly, I can only see that the proposed hikes in the parking charges going ahead come April 2009. They do not care one bit about the demise of Dorking, the state of the town and that the residents' are doing their shopping elsewhere. As for the 'new look' Council offices, they are a disgrace and really show how out of touch our Council has become!! Jo
Great idea to increase the parking charges in Dorking. Mole Valley has been getting a lot less money from central goverment in recent years and can only recoup the lost money through council tax and parking charges. As a non-driver, I could not care less if it was 50p per hour to park in town or £100 per hour! As long, as my council tax does not skyrocket! There are far too many cars in town and gridlock is common place. The less cars in Dorking, the better! Also, think that charging for parking in the evenings is a great idea. That will mean more revenue for the council. If you do not like the proposed increases, then buy a bicycle, start walking or taking public transport. As for saying, the proposed parking charges will turn Dorking into a 'ghost town,' well it already is....
Mole Valley Mark
Hope that this comment above is just a joke?? An increase in the parking charges will lead more people going to Reigate (free parking at Morrisons), or go to Tesco either in Leatherhead or Hookwood. I know Waitrose has free parking but the car park is pitifully small and it is restricted to 1.5 hours. Also the side streets around the town will become even more gridlocked and my bet is if the Council approve the charges, a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) will be set up shortly afterwards around the town. So, not only will people using the town will be affected but residents and visitors to your house will all have to contribute to the MVDC coffers. Mark my words...
Newsworthy Neill
Mole valley Mark appears to be very short sighted if he believes that his council tax won't increase just because of a rise in parking charges. I find it very frustrating when people develop the I'm alright jack, I don't drive so I don't care attitude.
Dorking may already be a ghost town but surely making it worse is not the answer.
The council has enough revenue, perhaps they should learn to use it more considerably and promote growth of Dorking which would increase visitors and revenue from people parking.
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