Bohemia Village Voice

London Road shops - is parking for shoppers needed?

The most common complaint we hear from local traders is over the lack of parking spaces. Greater minds than ours have wrestled with this problem in recent months before giving up the fight. However, on the basis that a number of small measures might eventually add up to a solution, the Village Voice has been wondering whether one minor change to parking conditions in the area might point the way to a more widespread improvement.
  Anyone who shops in this area will know of the unrestricted parking bays outside the shops in London Road opposite the old Buchanan Hospital site, now Buchanan Gardens. In the last few weeks the Voice has spoken at length to most of the  traders along this stretch. We asked them about turning the existing bays in this parade into 2-hour parking bays.
  Arun Thiva, the owner of High Spirits news-agents, said that the current arrangement was not ideal. ‘I have to go to the cash-and-carry three times a day, and when I get back I can’t park outside sometimes. Some people park in these spaces all day long, or even all weekend.’ Like some of the other traders in this parade, Mr Thiva lives above the shop. ‘I’d be happy to see these bays turned into 2-hour parking bays as long as parking permits were also available for residents.’
  Keith Morris, the owner of Ultrasafe, said that he was not against the idea of 2-hour parking bays. ‘The current situation is certainly a problem,’ he said, ‘though the nature of our business means we’re not directly affected. I’d certainly want any new scheme to allow for permits for local businesses, including a concession for those who are only here during business hours.’
 Michael and Claire Hitchings, who own Little Mill Bakery and live on the premises, insisted that the permits issued under any new scheme would have to be free for residents and businesses, pointing out that commercial permits are more expensive than residential ones. Michael said, ‘I don’t want the added costs to my business that would come from having to buy a permit. I don’t think my business is that much affected by the current parking arrangements. If we have deliveries then the vans tend to double-park. Likewise, if they can’t park outside, our customers will park up on the pavement opposite, in spite of the double yellow lines. Of course, this can lead to problems when you get buses or lorries held up along London Road.’
  Kim Callow, the owner of KC Computers, told us that 2-hour parking bays  would significantly help his business. ‘They’d be a godsend. We do have an advantage over the town in that you don’t have to pay for parking, but customers always have to park away from the shop. If we had 2-hour bays I wouldn’t have to spend such a large amount on advertising. We have staff who commute from East-bourne, and three of them park outside. I should make them park elsewhere, but then someone else would park there all day. So, obviously, the 2-hour bay makes perfect sense. I’m all for it.’
  Mick Triggs, who owns Mick’s, agreed that 2-hour parking would be better than the current arrangement. But he saw the problems for 2-hour bays being the people who lived above the shops along that stretch. ‘Flats above shops are always a problem. Where are those people supposed to park? It’s a problem generally with houses that get converted into flats.’
  Gemma Richardson, manager at HKS, was also firmly in favour of 2-hour bays. She said she had noticed that custom has fallen away in the last two years as Tower Road West has got busier. ‘There are more flats there now – recent conversions – and they all have cars. We find we’re busier on Saturdays than during the week, and I put that down to the lack of parking. Customers say they’ve had to park far away. Two-hour bays would really help us.’
 It seems clear that there is broad general traders’ support for the idea of 2-hour parking bays in the London Road parade. But we’d really like to hear from anyone who would be affected by such a measure. Please write to us at 79 Bohemia Road or email us at:
editor@bohemiavillage.com