I have been a victim and its almost as if they want to prevent car ownership. You simply can't park without a traffic warden apearing from nowhere. Its worsr than Islington. Like many other problems with Lambeth Council they contnue to get certain priorities wrong and I think it ought to be brought to their notice. It appears Lambeth Council does not have any economic sense or plan for Clapham or indeed for the borough as a whole and would rather raise £10m a year slapping residents and non residents with parking tickets and driving away businesses and shoppers. It wants to tackle poverty and deprivation but does not realise that one of the best ways for doing so is by encouraging an atmosphere where small businesses and commerce can thrive and provide its residents with gainful employment. If  only the street cleaners were as zealous in their jobs as the traffic wardens then the borough and clapham would be a much cleaner place to live.  Please good to raise this with the council and local councillors before the Council's one lone star gets withdrawn by the Audit Commission. 

Thanks for your response - I spoke with one of the local councillors yesterday and he said they are in the process of getting some of the side streets rezoned to try and help, although the entire length of the high street is in the hands of TfL, who want to keep bus traffic flowing. This of course doesn't mean it's ok to go indiscriminately handing out parking tickets to everyone who dares to use the loading bays though, and is still the council's responsibility to protect its residents and businesses.
 
Could I please include your comments in my story? If you could possibly email me your name and street I would really appreciate it (address is in my first post) - and will help to add some weight to the case. I know one of the local business owners is thinking of getting a petition going also.

Incidentally (surprisingly!), Lambeth council has just been awarded three stars (see latest copy of Lambeth Life).

Cheers,
Carmen

I live on Aristotle Road, just off the High Street.  The parking policy is obsurd, hard to understand even for residents and the parking wardens overly attentive........ and I do not even own a car!!!!

If there is to be a review I suggest it is done comprehensively.  I have every sympathy with the businesses on the High Street, and at least one shop (I think its the independant stationers, just south of La Rueda) has posters in its windows expressing their concerns. 

Aristotle Road has a few bays that visitors can park in and buy a ticket, but are very rarely available as permit holders can park in them.  (The road markings defining the visitors parking area can hardly be seen and are often obscured by cars parked over them, leading to further confusion!!!)

I think there are about five or six different parking zones on Aristotle Road, each with different rules ie times of opperation, types of permit etc, and where they start and begin is vague to say the least -  its a one way road of about 200 yards!!!!

Aristotle Road also has large signs on entering the street, announcing that parking is controlled until 6.30 in the evening, but most of the small signs for individual zones on the street are controlled until 8.30 in the evening.  I know a number of visitors have been caught out by this and are quite justifiably appealing.

It would also be useful if Lambeth Council posted its car parking policy on its website with more than just an address for appeal.  I have appealed in the past by post, to hear no response.  On chasing up my appeal by letter I was subsequently informed that my original appeal must have been lost, together with all the original documentation submitted in support.  If Lambeth is to have an aggressive policy of revenue collection, they should at least have a phone line to help people who have been dealt with unjustly - innocent til proven guilty???

I am about to be a car owner again - how long before I have to post again...................