HC Deb 30 July 1956 vol 557 cc1062-5

Lords Amendment: In page 16, line 42, leave out from "provision" to end of line 44, and insert: for determining by or under the order the positions in which vehicles left in a parking place shall stand in, and the manner in which such vehicles shall be driven into or out of, the parking place, may prohibit or restrict the waiting in a parking place, whether in the said positions or elsewhere, of other vehicles, and may contain provision for determining as aforesaid the positions in which other vehicles permitted by the order to wait in the parking place, or to wait there for any purpose specified in the order, shall wait there.

Mr. Molson

I beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment.

The Amendment is intended to bring out more clearly than the Bill does at present that a parking place order may contain not only provisions about places where vehicles may be parked, but also provisions affecting other parts of the parking place and either prohibiting other vehicles from waiting there or allowing vehicles to wait there. Thus, if the inside of a square is set apart for the parking of vehicles in front of meters, it will probably be necessary to restrict vehicles from waiting on the outside of the square and thereby parking free. Similarly, it will probably be necessary to provide loading bays at intervals where parking meters are set up so that vehicles can load and unload goods there. In such a case goods vehicles must be allowed to wait in these bays and other vehicles prohibited from being left there.

I heard the criticism just made by the hon. Member for Enfield, East (Mr. Ernest Davies) and he might feel tempted to make the same criticism against this Amendment, but this is the kind of provision the need for which becomes apparent only when one gets down, as the Samuels Committee is doing at present, to trying to work out exactly what areas can be used for parking purposes and exactly how it will be necessary to arrange for commercial vehicles to be able to operate in the same areas. In matters of this kind it is only when we get down to the actual details in practice that we realise all the things for which it is necessary to provide.

Mr. Ernest Davies

I refrain from making a similar protest this time, but I must point out that in Committee we drew the Minister's attention to the importance of providing these loading bays. It was made clear during our deliberations that it was essential that where we provide for these parks where payment has to be made there should be ample provision for loading and unloading goods and for the protection of others concerned, such as doctors, whom we hope the Minister will consider to be exempted from paying when they visit houses or areas outside which there are parking meters.

It has also been suggested that there are occasions where exemption should be granted to disabled persons driving cars provided by the Ministry or persons driving invalid carriages. I hope the provision will cover them, or, if not, some other provision in the Bill does, so that they will be cared for.

Mr. Geoffrey Wilson (Truro)

I want to put on record how grateful a number of us will be for the Amendment. I think it was I who in Standing Committee drew attention to the question of loading bays and mentioned the system which operates in some German towns, which I imagine is in some ways similar to this.

10.30 p.m.

Lords Amendment: In page 17, line 38, leave out from "order" to "and" in line 39.

Mr. Watkinson

I beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment.

This, again, is simply to authorise the removal from a parking place of a vehicle which has been left in the parking place beyond the period covered by the initial charge and the excess charge. Although the Bill deals with this, it was felt in another place that there was some slight doubt due to the words: …as to the time for which vehicles may be left there…. Therefore, it is proposed to remove those words to leave it beyond doubt that a vehicle can be removed from a parking place once the period covered by the initial charge and the excess charge has expired.

Mr. Ernest Davies

Will the right hon. Gentleman be a little more explicit? Is it the intention that, if the vehicles for which the excess charge has been paid remain in the parking place, they will be removed? By whom will they be removed, and where will they be taken? This was touched on during the Report stage but it was never quite clear what was at the back of the Minister's mind. Perhaps the Minister has clarified the position for himself and can help us to clarify our minds.

Mr. Watkinson

One of the things that arose was that, in the case of the loading bay provision, which we are all agreed is a good thing, it may be that an extremely careless or thoughtless motorist would leave his car in the bay or abutting on it. There again, we need power for the local authority to take the car away in the same way as the police will have power to take away a car which is causing serious obstruction in the street. I am advised that the local authority will tow it away in the same way as the police would, and the motorist will be advised where he can recover it, possibly on payment of a charge.

Mr. Ernest Davies

I thought the Minister was referring in the first place to removing cars for which the excess charge had been paid but which remained in the car park. Now he refers to a car being in a certain place where it is causing obstruction.

Mr. Watkinson

It is the same in both cases.