Barking and Dagenham Council will help to create safer roads and pavements and a fairer approach to parking across the borough by extending controlled parking zones (CPZs) across more than local 100 roads.

The four zones will be operational from Monday 1 July 2019. 

Only eligible residents and businesses who have applied for a permit will able to park within the zones during set times, and residents will need to purchase visitor permits. 

Cashless Parking (Ringo) and other permit options will be available around facilities including community hubs, green spaces and nursing homes.

"We’re making our borough safer, greener and fairer for everyone by introducing these CPZs which put local people first."

Councillor Margaret Mullane, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety said: "We know one of the biggest bugbears for our residents is parking and we’re making our borough safer, greener and fairer for everyone by introducing these CPZs which put local people first.

“The CPZs will reduce the number of non-local vehicles that can park in the area. They will also help to make the areas safer for local pupils, by making it harder for drivers to park inconsiderately near schools.”

8,117 households were asked for their views on extending the CPZs and only 13% objected to the proposals. Over the last four years, 68 road accidents have taken place within these zones and 11 schools are located within these areas, making pupil safety a priority. 

"It’s about listening to our residents, reducing congestion and improving air quality and safety on our roads." 

Councillor Mullane added: "This isn’t about making money, it’s about listening to our residents, reducing congestion and improving air quality and safety on our roads. Some people can’t park near their home because drivers use their streets as free car parks, and there have been incidents where the emergency services and our refuse trucks have struggled to get down some roads." 

The CPZs will also help to protect residents from further traffic congestion in the future: Transport for London will expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to inner London in 2021 which will mean vehicles that do not meet the minimum required emission standards will have to pay a charge to enter Newham and other ULEZ areas. This could mean that some drivers will try to park their vehicles in the borough to avoid paying the charges associated with entering the zone, causing additional parking stress for our local residents. Our CPZs will protect residents from this by stopping these drivers from trying to avoid the ULEZ charge by parking in our borough.

In addition, the CPZs will help to protect the health of residents by improving air quality. Research published by Public Health England this week shows that between 28,000 to 36,000 deaths a year in the UK may be caused by long-term exposure to air pollution. The report describes air pollution as the biggest environmental threat to health in the UK and says there is strong evidence that air pollution causes the development of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and exacerbates asthma. Our CPZs will help to improve air quality and residents’ heath by reducing the amount of time drivers spend driving around in search of available parking spaces, reducing the amount of pollution that vehicles give out into the air. The CPZs could also encourage more sustainable types of travel such as public transport, cycling and walking.

More information 

Residents that live within the four new CPZ zones can view full details of the scheme on the New and Proposed Traffic Parking Schemes webpage. This includes information on permits costs, how to apply for permits and the support that is available for residents who don’t have access to the internet or who may need additional help. 

The web page also provides information on when works will start in each area.