Hounslow Council unveils new Parking and Kerbside strategies to create a cleaner, healthier borough

Hounslow Council will introduce new Parking and Kerbside strategies to help reduce vehicle emissions, encourage active travel and improve the quality of life for all residents.

The strategies, agreed by the Council’s Cabinet at its meeting on Tuesday, 16 July, will work to improve the way we use our streets to make them safer and more accessible for everyone.

At the same time, they will support the Council’s objectives of reducing traffic congestion, encouraging greater use of green, sustainable transport options and improving air quality.

As part of the planning for the Parking and Kerbside strategies, the Council sought the views of residents during a consultation exercise which ran between September and December 2023.

The responses from residents showed support for the measures proposed in the new strategies.

• Almost half of residents (49 per cent) said they were worried about the impact of poor air quality on their health, compared to 28 per cent who disagreed.
• A total of 58 per cent of residents said all cars, including electric vehicles, should pay to park.
• Whilst 45 per cent of people said that people should pay for parking in line with how much pollution their vehicle generates.
• Most of those who responded (72 per cent) said they believed the kerbside should be a space for everyone, not just motorists.
• Nearly half (42 per cent) said they wanted to see the ‘greening’ of the kerbside with more trees planted.

The borough’s first-ever Parking Strategy has been developed to ensure that Council-operated car parking is high quality and remains an important part of the borough’s transport network.

A key feature of the new Parking Strategy will be a redesign of the Council’s pricing and permit allocation systems, including the introduction of emission-based charging for parking.

This means that heavier polluting vehicles, such as diesel engine cars, will be expected to pay more for parking to encourage more people to switch to cleaner vehicles or alternative modes of travel such as cycling and walking.

Key elements of the Parking Strategy include:

• Ongoing improvement to Council-owned car parks, including more accessible parking for residents with mobility issues.
• Improving and enhancing the technology and signage within and on the approaches to Council-owned car parks.
• Introduce different types of permit types and review how Controlled Parking Zones (CPZ) are identified and prioritised.

Changes proposed through the new Parking Strategy will be introduced over a number of years, starting from September 2024.

Hounslow Council’s Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Recycling and Transformation, Cllr Shivraj Grewal, said:

We recognise that the car remains an important mode of transport for residents of our borough and visitors to Hounslow. However, faced with the ongoing challenges of climate change and the need to improve air quality in our borough, it is clear that changes must be made.

The Council is committed to improving the health, wellbeing and quality of life for all residents of our borough.

Reviewing our parking plans and introducing initiatives that incentivise the use of cleaner transport options marks a significant step towards a greener, more sustainable future for our borough.

The new Kerbside Strategy will work alongside and support the objectives of the Parking Strategy.

Currently, the main use of Hounslow’s kerbside spaces is for the parking of privately owned cars. The strategy seeks to redefine the use of the kerbside to include those residents who do not own a car.

Key elements of the Kerbside Strategy include:

• More trees and planting on our streets
• Expanding car clubs which offer access to residents and businesses without the need to own a car.
• Continuing the dockless e-bike hire scheme and expanding e-cargo bike provision.
• Increasing on-street cycle parking at home and in key destinations.

Hounslow Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment and Transport, Cllr Katherine Dunne, said:

We must work together as a community to improve our borough’s roads and street spaces. This is why we asked for your views on the initiatives proposed in the strategies.

It is clear that people in our borough are concerned about the health impacts of poor air quality and want our streets to be cleaner, greener and safer. We have listened and taken those views on board.

The introduction of these strategies is part of our ambitious plan to ensure that our borough continues to move with the times.

Find out more about the Parking and Kerbside Strategies and read the full plans.