Marlow Town Council has released a full statement calling for the community to help solve the town's parking problems...

"There have been many calls for Marlow’s parking situation to be resolved, but no one has come up with a comprehensive solution - probably because there isn’t one. Also, Marlow is not alone; there are issues with parking up and down the Country - this is not a ‘Marlow only’ situation.

"Concern has been expressed about what happened to the previous parking reviews, especially the proposal rejected by Marlow Town Council a couple of years ago. These were proposals from Bucks County Council (BCC) that addressed residential roads around the Town Centre but took no account of off street parking or the needs of businesses. The Town Council perceived that these proposals would have had a major impact on the vibrancy of the Town - so no joined up thinking. Also, many refer back to past reviews; but needs change, we must now look forward not backward.

"Whilst Town Councillors are seeking a workable solution, they can only do so with BCC and Wycombe District Council (WDC) who hold responsibility for highways and on-or-off street parking – Marlow is dependent on them to provide a workable solution for residents, businesses and visitors alike. We believe these two councils must work together to provide the much needed joined-up thinking for our Town - we cannot have a decision in one area that impacts another.

"Marlow Town Councillors understand the issues and want a solution that addresses all of them. Our suggestion is to look at double decking car parks and/or underground parking to provide more capacity. We want to accommodate residents’ needs as well as making suitable provision for lower-paid and part-time workers and visitors to the Town – all of whom contribute to its success.

"The Town Council will therefore be formally proposing to BCC and WDC that they

• Retain the existing free parking on Town centre roads (BCC)

• Look at timed disc parking to assist with enforcement, as an alternative to the introduction of parking meters or residents’ parking (BCC).

• Explore the opportunities for multi-decked parking in Liston Road and Riley Road car parks and possibly Pound Lane as part of the improvements currently being considered for Court Garden (WDC).

• In this additional space, allocate free/reduced cost parking charges in around 20% of the spaces for those that work in the Town to discourage on-street parking (WDC)

• Progress the already suggested multi decked car park in Globe Park (WDC)

• Fully review the recently installed ANPR system and analyse the parking data to ensure the optimum allocation of short term and long term parking (WDC)

"We believe these measures would increase capacity and result in a reduction in some of the on-street parking problems.

"Marlow Town Council has already taken steps to procure implementation of residents’ requests for the provision (by BCC) of yellow lines on corners and junctions, to address inconsiderate and dangerous parking. A public consultation on the proposed schemes took place in late November and it is expected that the proposed improvements will be implemented in the Spring.

"Marlow could be called a victim of its own success – it is a vibrant town, an attractive place to live, popular with visitors and has an increasingly busy business hub. It also has some of the best schools in the area. All of these factors combined make our residential property and retail and business premises much sought-after, resulting in increasing demands on our roads and car parks.

"These days the trend is for more than one car per household, so we will never have enough road space to meet our needs. To suggest, as many have, that residents’ parking could be an option, is just not viable. Residents’ parking would exclude visitors, businesses and low-paid workers from coming to the town, which in turn would impact its vibrancy and worse still, result in shops closing and businesses moving away.

"We must appreciate what we have and work within the limitations. The general in-flow and out-flow of a 24/7 use of our streets keeps our town a successful, buzzy place. It remains vibrant, with more shops, more visitors and the house prices staying strong. We need to be careful what we wish for and be wary that any proposed solutions won’t cause us more problems!

"And finally, you may be interested in a comment heard recently in a shop in Marlow from a sales assistant to a customer “shoppers come here because they can park in Marlow, and you can’t park in Oxford or London”.

How you can help?

Your Town Council is very aware of the many parking issues. We know that more parking is required, but we want a town-wide solution that works for everybody.

If you would like to make a suggestion on how to solve this complex issue, we would love to hear from you.

And just to show that parking issues are not unique to Marlow, (as mentioned above) below are two Press articles highlighting concerns expressed by other Councils.

Car journeys put off over parking space fears

A study reveals that almost a fifth of drivers worry about being able to park as they approach their home, with some motorists claiming that they are putting off making journeys in their car to avoid losing their residential parking spot. The AA, which commissioned the poll of 24,739 drivers, has called on local authorities to review whether all of their parking restrictions in residential areas are necessary. The Local Government Association’s transport spokesman, Wakefield Council leader Peter Box, said: “councils often introduce restrictions at residents’ request and consult widely on them, but in some places there simply is not enough road space or parking space to accommodate demand,” meaning authorities face a balancing act between requirements of commuters and residents. Mr Box also called on the Government to fully fund concessionary fares schemes for buses.

Yorkshire Post

Parking review after violence

Cornwall Council is launching a public consultation into parking after instances of violence breaking out between commuters and residents over spaces. Cllr Fiona Ferguson said: “It's like a war out there. Violence has broken out," with Bert Biscoe, cabinet member for transport, adding: "It is detrimental to the quality of peoples' lives that they are so wound up about where they will park.” The review will look at issues including residents' parking permits, car park prices and disabled parking.

What must be remembered here is that no one has a right to park on a public highway, if you buy a home that doesn’t have resident’s parking or off street parking there is no automatic right to park outside your home.