Council Punish Parking Mad Students

Students living in Cotham will be forced to shell out for a parking permit from the beginning of next month.

If you’ve noticed lines being painted on the road outside your house, then as of 1^st December, you live in the new Cotham parking permit zone.

Bristol City Council have been installing signs, parking meters and white lines in the area, densely populated by students, since the start of October.

The new permits will be especially costly for student houses with multiple cars. Whilst a permit for one car will only cost £30 per year, a permit for three will cost £200. Houses with more than two cars must also explain to the Council why they need so many.

Those who drive into university and park in the area will also face charges, with a pay and display system being introduced with a charge in the region of £1.20 per hour.

These cars will earn the council at least £150

There is a possible loophole for students willing to alternate who has their car at the house as two registrations can be put on a single permit.

Visiting friends will also require special permits which are valid for 24 hours only. Each household is limited to just 100 of these each year, the first 50 of which are free. The second 50 though will cost £1 each.

The Council claim that the system is not designed to rid Cotham of student cars. Apparently the local residents requested the new system to deter commuters from parking on their doorsteps for free. It’s hoped that public opinion will be generally positive once the system is in place.

A similar scheme has also been introduced in Kingsdown. One council employee told The Tab how during preparation for that system, only 50% of residents were in favour. After completion, 95% of those asked agreed that it was a good idea.

The railway bridge on Hampton Road signals the outer boundary of the system

However, most students feel that the Council simply want to squeeze them for as much money as possible and couldn’t care less about the congestion in Redland.

One student who lives in the area, Sam, told The Tab that the permit system is “just another greedy ploy from a cash-strapped Council trying to monetize all their assets”. He also finds it ridiculous that the nearest free parking will now be 15 minutes away.

Jamie, a non-driving second year, pointed out that even if someone bought a permit, they may still not be able to park on their road if others are paying to park hourly.

A road outside the scheme but can you see any more spaces?

Students living outside the zone are also worried the system will result in more cars filling their already over-crowded roads as people search for what will become the Holy Grail of Redland – free parking.