Coach operators should act now to stop the bleeding of London coach parking bays
Drivers up and down the country are being urged to make their voices heard on the subject of the greatly reduced number of coach parking spaces in central London, the consultation period for which is only open until this upcoming Friday (April 24).
The call comes from Sue Reynolds, Director of Development and Administration for the London Tourist Coach Operators Association (LTCOA).
Concerns are that the large number of coach parking spaces being lost to make way for the upcoming East-West Cycle Super-Highway will increase congestion on London’s streets and have a negative impact on tourism in the capital, with some operators considering whether or not traveling into the city will be viable in future. Safe driving hours will also be wasted, with drivers having to keep the vehicle moving if the space to park is not available.
Transport for London (TfL) is proposing to introduce a 118.7m stretch of coach parking bays in the vicinity of Millbank Pier and Millbank Tower in central London by way of an online consultation. While LTCOA are insisting that these plans are an inadequate replacement for the 241m of coach parking bays which are being lost to the cycling superhighway, even this section of parking is far from certain and is only being ‘offered’ in the online consultation. If there is not enough support, the entire 241m could be lost.
Sue Reynolds said: “We have this one opportunity to get these bays. The consultation is quick and easy, just do it, get all your staff and your customers, friends and relatives voting for these bays. Only then can we start to fight for a replacement for the other 122.3 metres of bays which we will lose in favour of the Cycle Superhighway, which TfL and Westminster Council claim we don’t use.”
As well as the volume of the proposed new bays, their positioning has also been called into question. They would be located between the cycleway and the pavement, arousing safety concerns as the vehicles would then have to cross the cycle way to park or re-join the road.
The proposed bays would replace some of the current coach parking space on Victoria Embankment and would be located on the southbound (riverside) carriageway. It would specifically replace:
- 13 pay & display parking bays (79.5m in total)
- One 3.8m stretch of double red line
- One 16.8m stretch of single red line
- One 19.2m bus stand
- Two existing coach parking bays (39.3m in total)
The consultation is only open to public response until Friday (April 24). Interested parties can respond by email at [email protected] or visit https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/roads/millbank-coach. The LTCOA’s full response to the consultation can be read on its website at:
https://ltcoa.co.uk/ltcoas-response-to-cycle-superhighway-consultations/
Work on the Cycle Super-Highway is due to begin on April 27 at Victoria Embankment and expected to last until August. Below are the proposed construction dates for the full route:
- Hyde Park Corner: April 11 – August 2015
- Victoria Embankment: April 27, 2015 – January 2016
- Upper and Lower Thames Street: April 27, 2015 – March 2016
•Tower Hill: July – November, 2015
