Responding to the CPZ: a Local Business Perspective

Whatever the pros and cons for residents of the new Controlled Parking Zone that goes live on Redland Road this weekend, as a local small business owner, the changes represent a challenge.

Here is the advice I have given to my current clients as they adjust to the new parking arrangements.

Parents may have noticed that a Controlled Parking Zone is being set up

in the area immediately around the Elmgrove Centre. This is part of a

wider Zone that will affect most of Cotham, Kingsdown and part of

Redland. Please study the official City Council map

so that you can familiarise yourself with the exact changes. The

Elmgrove Centre is located in the top right section of the map - zoom in

for the detail. The immediate impact on families driving to the Redland

Kumon Centre will be as follows:

1. The top part of Elmgrove Road, from the Elmgrove Centre upwards, will

   become a Residents' Parking Zone from 9.00 am till 5.00 pm, Monday to

   Friday. This means that you will not be able to park at all in that area between those hours.

2. The lower part of Elmgrove Road, as well as the section of Redland

   Road between Cotham Brow and Zetland Road, will be a Pay and Display

   Zone. This means that you will have to pay if you park there between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday. The parking rate will be £1 per hour.

If parents wish to avoid paying to park when they bring their children

to the Kumon Centre, please think about the following options:

• Could you walk to the Centre? A number of families already walk from

  school or their homes to attend class. Is this a realistic possibility

  for your family?

• Could you cycle to the Centre? Railings for securing your bike are at

  the front of the building, and it is hoped that an additional bike rack

  will be installed at the Elmgrove Centre in due course.

• Could you take the train to the Centre? The Redland Train Station is a

  two-minute walk from the Centre. Direct trains run from Temple Meads

  via Stapleton Road, Lawrence Hill, and Montpelier; after Redland, trains

  stop at Clifton Down, Sea Mills, Shirehampton and Avonmouth. The

  journey is fast and reasonably priced. If you try this option, and have a

  definite return train you need to catch, please send in a note with

  your child so I can expedite their class session. Click here for the train timetable.

• Could you take the bus? The number 8/9 service stops at the top of Elmgrove Road and serves Kingsdown, Cotham, Redland. Whiteladies Road and the City Centre. The number 20

  stops at Zetland Road and serves neighbourhoods between Temple Meads,

  the Centre and Westbury-on-Trym. Bus services that stop on Gloucester

  Road and Cheltenham Road include the 70, 73/74,and the 75/76 .

• Could you join City Car Club?

  The club provides affordable by-the-hour car rental with over 70 cars

  located in designated parking bays across Bristol. It has its own

  designated parking space on Redland Road, free for members. A free

  membership campaign is currently running, so if you were considering

  this option, now would be a good time to join.

• Could you park further away? The Pay and Display Zone stops at Zetland

  Road, so there are no restrictions further up Redland Road and on

  adjacent roads.

• Could you share lifts? Please get in touch if you would like to be put in contact with other families attending the Centre from your neighbourhood or child's school. 

• Could you come to class later? The Pay and Display Zone operates until

  5.00 pm. Parking is free for the first 15 minutes after arriving

  (though you will still need to get a ticket for the free period).

  Therefore, it should be possible to park at 4.45 and pay nothing. The

  Residents' Parking Zone on Elmgrove Road operates until 5.00 pm, so you

  can also park there after that time. Classes at the Kumon Centre run

  until 5.30 pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, and until 7.00 pm on Wednesdays

  and Thursdays.

• Could you change your class day(s)? A dual-subject student who arrives for class at 4.45 on a Monday or Tuesday may

  find it difficult to compete both sets of work and complete their

  corrections before class closes. In such cases, attending on a Wednesday

  or Thursday would remove that time pressure.   .     

We will keep the situation under review and consider if further measures are needed. The new Parking Zone goes live on Monday 3rd December.

We can assume that traffic wardens will be operating in force during

the early days of the new system, so if you are planning on paying to

park, please make sure that you have a £1 coin with you. Please remember

as well that you cannot park at all on the upper part of Elmgrove Road

before 5.00 pm, and that you risk having you car towed away if you do

so.