Jan 2016 - Spike Island RPZ starts
The Spike Island RPZ scheme has gone live. The operating hours are Mon to Fri, 9am - 5pm. Spike Island is the 12th and final RPZ area to be approved in the Mayor’s programme. The 11th area, Southville, went live in November, with the same rules as the Spike Island RPZ. However, the rules in the Cliftonwood/Hotwells RPZ are different, being Mon to Sat, 9am - 7pm, which many Spike Island residents believe is a better set of rules.
To say that there is a lot of unhappiness about the outcome of the public consultation would be a massive understatement! The two main annoyances are the loss of places due to the Metrobus works, and also the discrepancy with the Cliftonwood/Hotwells scheme.
Cllr Mark Wright says, "A big frustration is that the Council has made no attempt to explain the balancing act it has to do between the interests of residents (who usually want longer RPZ operating hours) and the interests of the businesses and leisure facilities around the Harbour (who want shorter RPZ operating hours) which are obviously very important for jobs and the local economy. As a result of failing to explain this balancing act, the Council has managed to upset both residents and businesses because neither has got what they want and neither knows why. And no one has been told what the strategic vision is (if there is actually one) that is driving the parking policy from above. Given that this was the 12th scheme, the Council really ought to have learned how to avoid this kind of problem by now."