Residents have banded together to protest a Haringey Council proposal to remove daily visitor parking permits.
The council proposed to remove the daily visitor permit charge of £5 a day, which would mean visitors could only get hourly permits at a charge of £1.20 per hour.
Tom Leanse, 39, created a petition in response to the outrage from residents who deemed the change as unfair to those in lower income areas, where Controlled Parking Zones (CPZ) were in effect for longer in the day.
The patent attorney gained much support, with the petition reaching almost three and a half thousand signatures in just over two weeks.
He said: “It is a big issue and I’m not surprised that it has cut through in the way that it has because it does affect a lot of people.”
The plan would disproportionately affect those in low income areas such as Seven Sisters and Wood Green where CPZs are in effect for up to 10 hrs a day, rather than more affluent areas like Highgate and Crouch End, where there are no CPZs.
Leanse said: “It’s about having family come to support them if they’ve got young children, it’s about having carers come to visit, it’s about people coming to do repairs.
“This is going to make all of that much more expensive if you live in the Eastern part of the borough, but not if you live in the more affluent West.”
Annem Hobson, a freelance communications consultant who lives in a CPZ, is one of those who will be greatly affected by the change.
She said: “I rely essentially on support from family who don’t live in London, so would always have to drive in.
“If I wanted to have my family around for childcare support, or even a visit, it really adds up.”
Hobson, who has a young daughter and has taken time off work for maternity leave, said it feels like a tax on residents describes the financial burden this will put on her family.
“My maternity pay has ended – we’re already kind of strapped for money, but then we have to pay for visitors, essentially something that should be given as a basic right.
“I should have every right to have family over to support me with childcare.”
When asked for a reason for the proposed change, the council suggested that there is evidence that people are abusing the current system.
Leanse said: “They haven’t said what that evidence is, but they have suggested that the part of the problem is residents who have access to daily permits, selling on those daily permits to commuters who drive in and park in a controlled parking area and then use that as part of their commute”
Seema Chandwani, cabinet member for resident services and tackling inequality, responded to the accusation that Haringey Council has no evidence that people have been misusing the current system.
She said: “Our residents and businesses have been instrumental in helping to develop our Parking Strategy, which aims to address the challenges of parking in a densely populated borough.
“I would strongly urge residents and businesses to continue their involvement in this collaborative exercise by responding to the statutory consultation in accordance with the advice given on the council’s website and therefore have their say on any future changes to our parking policy.
“This consultation will help determine whether these proposed policies will meet the needs of the community and enhance parking accessibility in Haringey.”
A council meeting in Tottenham Town Hall is set to take place on 18 November, where Leanse will present the petition.
Haringey has allowed for a consultation period until 20 November to allow residents to give their opinions.
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