Richard Lack's Blog

Tunbridge Wells parking pinheads

As one who regularly parks at High Brooms station in the mornings, I feel some sympathy for residents in the area who experience difficulty at the expense of us lazy selfish commuters. I live next to a park in Tunbridge Wells and often find it a problem to pull up outside my home. When this happens I remind myself during the two minute stroll back from the car that the park has been there for over a hundred years, and like High Brooms station, it is a public amenity requiring access by car owners. It should not come as a surprise to me that people continue to use something that was there long before I bought my house.

Next time I go house hunting I might prioritise off-road parking, but until then I’m content to share parking spaces on the public roads with other people who have an equal right to be there. Unfortunately Sally Morrow of Clifton Road wishes to resort to resident parking permits to solve her problem. This is a shame because it confers ownership of the public roads on householders who do not own parking spaces. The only winner in this scenario will be the Borough Council who will be able to charge residents indefinitely for something that would have been free to them if only they could learn to be unselfish. Instead of carping at commuters who struggle to pay daily parking at Tunbridge Wells station, why don’t we ask what could be done to extend the station car park at High Brooms, or better still, to remove the miles of double yellow lines which proliferate? While we’re at it – perhaps we should ask ourselves whether we really need that second or even third car outside our house. Perhaps the kids could walk to school? What happens to your resident parking bay when you are out at work for 8 hrs a day?

Tunbridge Wells is a commuter town and should provide adequate parking around its stations for everyone. I frequently drive into London when I can’t find a space around High Brooms – even with the congestion charge I find this cheaper, easier and more convenient. But the sight and smell of another 5,000 polluting cars like mine each morning could be avoided if we all learned to share.

Council tax rises: An open letter

I'm totally hacked off at the extortionate rise in council taxes when all I see in goverment is waste and bureaucracy. For any of you that share my concern here's a letter to my local paper, in response to our councillors assertion that pensioners should be exempt from the rise:





Letters

The Kent and Sussex Courier

Longfield Road

Tunbridge Wells

TN2 3HL



Sir,



Messrs Worrall and Bruce-Lockhart miss the point entirely in defending the borough council’s 134,000 pensioners against a council tax increase running at 4 ½ times UK inflation.



I am saddened at the thought of our elderly stumping up this ridiculous sum. Nevertheless, it’s no more true to say that pensioners are all impoverished than it is to say that twenty-somethings are all rolling in it. To make such assumptions smacks in the extreme of discrimination. Our borough has more than its fair share of wealthy pensioners who sit on a seven figure store of value thanks to another kind of inflation - in house prices. While there are undoubtedly many old folk doing their best to stretch a meagre state pension, there are others who benefit from generous final salary schemes. What then of the young doctor who bears the burden of an onerous student loan, or the 20 year old legal secretary who took a pay cut this year and who annually parts with £2,500 for a season ticket not worth twopence? What will you allow for those of us with young families, or we newly-weds who must scrimp and save and eat baked beans for a house deposit? The twin evils Hardship and Poverty visit us throughout our lifetimes.



Yes pensioners should be safeguarded from the effects of profligate government spending, and so must the rest of us. Messrs Worrall and Bruce Lockhart often and all too easily pass the buck, crowing loudly about central government’s misappropriation of funds to other regions. But it is plain to see that huge economies can and must be made in local government. On presenting hard working people with a rise 4.5 times that of inflation we would like clarification that you have explored every available cost saving measure, including, but not limited to:



· Downsizing the considerable army of council staff and officials

· Stopping ploughing millions into perfectly serviceable parks

· Resisting the urge to spend another £100,000,000 on speed bumps, bus lanes or cycle paths



It is clear that our borough is at crisis point and cannot afford these things. So Messrs Worrall and Bruce-Lockhart, you’ll just have to be patient like the rest of us! Come to think of it - you might have to wait for your council tax this year. You see we’ve had the funds misappropriated towards resources elsewhere.



Yours faithfully,



Richard Lack

Congestion Charging: Open letter to Capita and TfL

I'm sick and tired of getting Congestion charging fines because I forget to pay. There's no reason why this should happen using a bit of technology and some commonsense. Here's my letter to the powers that be. If you feel the same way then write in too:



Mr Richard Lack

XXXXXXXXXX Road

Tunbridge Wells

TN1 XXX



cc: Paul Pindar, Chief Executive, Capita

Peter Hendy, Director of Surface Transport, TfL



2nd January 2004



AUTOMATED PAYMENTS FROM DEBIT CARDS



Dear Sir/Madam,



I have canvassed support from very many people who regularly use the congestion zone. Our experience would be immeasurably easier if we had the option for our debit cards to be charged automatically whenever entering the zone. I understand that Capita currently offer the facility to buy a monthly ticket and then to claim a refund at the end of this period. Unfortunately, for those of us who are aware of it, this method is time consuming and expensive.



Many of us have paid out over £500 in fines since charging began. We accept that this is due to the fact that we occasionally forget to pay; but Capita should concede that it is precisely the absence of a method for automatic payment that results in normal people like ourselves being penalised unfairly and needlessly.



Given the technology currently being employed for payment by a variety of methods we are certain that a small change to the system will accommodate motorists who forget to pay by crosschecking a list of drivers who have previously authorised automatic payments against your daily list of outstanding unpaid vehicle registrations.



On a more cynical note I am prepared to contemplate that it serves Capita very well indeed if they fail to act on this straightforward matter. The revenues generated in fines are considerable, and largely dependent on drivers like us forgetting to pay.



We are all mindful that congestion charging is a public service and should be operated as such. It is not in the public service to be collecting fines where you could otherwise be collecting the lesser amount of the congestion charge by prior consent of the motorist.



The cause of the motorist has become a popular one with most of the national papers in recent years. Witness for instance the climb-down on ‘safety’ cameras and speed humps. We believe that most of the revenue which Capita receives is from fines and that the vast majority of those fines are from plain forgetful drivers. A workable suggestion has now been made for you to provide us with a better service. Unless you are able to offer an adequate justification for failing to rectify the situation within 14 days I will campaign in the national press for our proposal to be put into place; with all of the research into contractual agreements and adverse publicity and that this may confer.





Yours sincerely







Richard Lack