Motorcyle Parking Consulation in Shepherd's Bush

Area affected by LBHF proposed restrictions

Our local council, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF), are proposing new restrictions on the parking of mopeds and motorcycles in and around Shepherd's Bush Green.

The proposals are in response to complaints from local residents, especially those in the "Caxton Village" area, about mopeds working for the food delivery companies at all times of day and night.

LBHF have proposed two new "Motorcycle Parking Areas" in Macfarlane Rd and Uxbridge Rd which would be specially designed areas for motorcyles and mopeds.

EV Charging Stations Coming to the Bush

EV charging station

Across Shepherds Bush, Electric vehicle ("EV") charging stations have been springing up.  Recently our local council, LBHF, ran a consultation with residents in our streets regarding a new charging station for EVs.

"We're in favour", said locals, "but can we keep our existing residents' parking bays please?"  Luckily for us, LBHF said "yes", and put the new charging bay in a place where it didn't take up any existing residents' bays.

1,000 Parking Tickets a Week Issued in Shepherds Bush

Macfarlane Rd - Ticket Hotspot

Every week, around 1,000 Parking Tickets are issued in Shepherds Bush.  Each year nearly 49,000 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) are issued by Hammersmith & Fulham Council in our neighbourhood, W12.

Tuhin Reynolds-Imam has done extensive research to find out exactly who is getting parking tickets, and where.  

To find out the top places in The Bush to get a ticket (and how to avoid them), see the detailed results below, with data taken from Tuhin's website proviser.com.

Parking Charges Double in LBHF

Our local council, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, have recently almost doubled the cost of parking in our Borough.  Parking charges in the area have risen from around £2.80 an hour to around £5.00 per hour.  

This is a pretty steep increase.  Imagine a family taking their kids to the park; it would cost £15 just to park the family car for three hours.  

Is that affordable for many people? And is it proportionate to the actual cost of administering parking facilities?  

What this feels like is a stealth tax - and a pretty big one at that. 

Parking Consultation: Zone J / JJ

Zone J

Parking is a subject almost guaranteed to produce an emotional response from local residents. Should there be open parking? Or should there be parking restrictions? If so, where, and how will they work?

Parking Zone J/JJ (see left) seems to be more contentious than almost any other in the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

Parking challenges include proximity to Westfield, and also QPR match days - which fill up local parking spots with visitors' cars.

A local action group, Zone J Parking Campaign, is opposing the Council's latest plans.

Visitor Parking is Changing - and it's a Shambles

Shepherd's Bush residents are angry and frustrated at a new visitor parking system being introduced by our Council. The old Visitor parking permit system in Shepherd's Bush is being discontinued at the end of April, as LBHF switches to a new system, run by Ring Go.

The Council say that this is needed "to make renewing and applying for a permit easier and more convenient". So far, the experience of local residents trying to register with the new ringGo system is that it isn't easy or convenient at all.

Uxbridge Road Residents To Sue Council Over Parking

A "Zone J Parking Campaign" has been launched by a "broad coalition of residents, churches, the mosque and local businesses". The coalition have launched a legal challenge to the new parking scheme that Hammersmith and Fulham Council have imposed on Zone J - the parking zone that extends up the Uxbridge Road. 

According to the official website, legal action has been taken, "not to block better parking for residents, but to stop a thoroughly bad scheme and to get better and less oppressive parking controls".

What Happens if You Park in a Disabled Parking Spot in Brazil. Should We Try This in Shepherd's Bush?

Here in Shepherd's Bush the abuse of Blue Badge parking permits can be a problem.  In my street, parking is free for Blue Badge holders, but in the five years that I have lived here, I have never seen anyone with a visible disability get out of a blue-badged car.  That isn't to say that there are no legitimate Blue Badge users, since many people with disabilities have no visible impairment, but it does suggest there might be more than the odd person using a Blue Badge who isn't necessarily entitled to do so.

Why Are The Parking Rules in Shepherd's Bush Such a Mess?

Where can you park legally in Shepherd's Bush? In Pay and Display? With a Residents' Permit? What about a Blue Badge? Where are they valid? And what about a yellow line? When are they restricted, and when are they free? What about motorcycles and scooters? Can they be parked in Pay and Display bays without a ticket? Or perhaps in a residents' bay?

In many parts of Shepherd's Bush, the rules are unclear, poorly signposted, and seem (call me cynical) designed to produce a harvest of lucrative tickets. So what, exactly, are the rules?

Parking Spaces and Local Democracy - The System At Work

More parking for residents, less room for lorries

Our corner of Shepherd's Bush recently got a brand-new residents' parking bay. A small victory, and a modest benefit for us locals. Actually, it isn't that small. Not only does it mean that more of us can park in the street we live in, but it means that other people can't. In particular, the big lorries that used to park up and run their engines while they ate their lunch can't hang out like they used to. Our neighbourhood just got a little bit less noisy, and a little bit better. So how did this minor victory come about? Thank the Council, and our local Residents' Association.