25 June - No to Mobiles - Click the image to read Craske’s announcement in full. Only mobile phone users may park in streets of Bexleyheath and Welling
During
last Wednesday’s Public Realm meeting, councillor Craske mentioned in passing
his plan to inflict a telephone based charging system for parking in Bexley. He first
mentioned it in the Strategy 2014 document and claimed such a system would save £30,000
a year. If is not an additional service but a ‘cheap’ replacement for parking meters intended
to complicate payment for parking and involve the public in additional hidden costs.
The lady who reported the installation and subsequent removal of
new parking signs in
Townley Road has sent an update on the situation there.
Notices have been put up
to the effect that payment will shortly switch
to credit card and mobile phone. What happens if you don’t have a mobile phone asks my lady
informant, adding that she doesn’t have one? Another lady, this time from
Orpington, tells me that when the system was introduced there it was not a
success and had to be augmented with more traditional payment systems. The
problem with Craske’s idea, even if you have a mobile phone and credit card and
would trust Craske with the number, is that it only needs someone to transpose a number
and you will get a fine. No wonder Craske is in favour.
The lady is not alone in not having a mobile telephone, neither have I but I
doubt the new charging system will affect me as it must be at least ten years
ago that I decided to avoid shopping anywhere in Bexley because of its
unfriendly attitude to motorists. This won’t make me popular among Bexley’s
business community but I estimate that no more than £150 of my money has gone
their way this year. In part that is because I live near the boundary with
Greenwich and the nearest shop I need is in Greenwich as is the nearest Post
Office, railway station and supermarket. It is so much easier to spend money
elsewhere. Craske will end up killing this town with his desire to screw
motorists at every opportunity. I did make an exception two years ago and renewed all my
kitchen appliances from Davis by Belvedere station. Can’t stand the big
warehouses and the net would be too much hassle if there should be a problem.