ROAD TRAFFIC (PARKING OF VEHICLES IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS) (Hansard, 25 February 1958)

§ Mr. T. L. Iremonger (Ilford, North)

I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to regulate the parking of vehicles in the highway in residential areas; and for purposes connected therewith. The Bill will simply give to the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation power to make regulations governing parking of vehicles in residential areas of towns and cities. I emphasise at the outset that to regulate, as my proposed Bill is intended to regulate, is not necessarily to prohibit. Indeed, I have it in mind that the effect of the Bill may be specifically to license the type of parking I have under consideration.

I think it would be helpful if, at the beginning, I defined the problem that the proposed Bill seeks to solve. There is a rapidly increasing number of people who own cars, who do not use them frequently and who live in houses, such as terraced houses, which have no garages and no land on which garages could be built. These people habitually use the highway as their garage.

The number of cars in the Metropolitan area is increasing at the rate of 8 per cent. per annum. Most of this increase will, I believe, come in the class of cars to which I am referring and which, I estimate, will number 300,000 at the end of the next ten years. As the law now stands, these 300,000 people will be dependent for their garaging arrangements upon the police turning a blind eye to what they are doing. This is an unworthy and demoralising situation for all concerned and provision ought to be made to put a stop to it.

Clearly, therefore, the House should recognise this problem now and acknowledge that in due course the rights of people who habitually park on the highway should be regulated and that, when we so regulate them, we should have due regard to the rights of other people concerned, other users of the highway, local authorities and public services.

I want to make quite clear what is not—I repeat not—intended by the proposed Bill. First, there is no intention 210 to regularise the long-term parking of untaxed and unroadworthy vehicles, cars left in the highway jacked-up for months at a time with bits of tarpaulin over them. Secondly, the Bill is not intended to regularise the long-term—or, indeed, any—parking of commercial vehicles in residential areas. Thirdly, there is no attempt here to provide a solution of the totally different problem of the parking of cars in congested shopping areas.

I want to say a word about the method which it is proposed should be adopted in the Bill. The Bill would merely put upon the Minister the duty of making regulations to deal with this problem. It does not presume to offer any cut and dried solution at the moment. Personally, I have ideas as to what may be necessary. In due course, I think, it will be necessary to define what are residential areas. It will be necessary to zone them. It will be necessary to establish a maximum number of cars which may be parked in specified streets. It may well be necessary to license cars to park there and, possibly, even to charge for these licences.

It would be presumptuous, at this stage to press for any one solution. I do, however, suggest that the time has come for the Minister to make a full inquiry, to size up the problem and, in due course, to present regulations to Parliament. In the meantime, the House will have to be content to rely upon the good sense and local knowledge of the police to hold a reasonable balance between the rights of all users of the highway under the existing law.

The proposed Bill has two virtues. It serves to reassure the public that this House has taken note of its anxiety about the problem; and I know that this anxiety goes very deeply. Secondly, it will serve as a reminder to the House itself that in due course, and after inquiry and deliberation, action will have to be taken. I hope, therefore, that the House will see fit to give leave for the introduction of the Bill.