Parking Strategy for Orkney

April 2014

IMAGE: The Orkney Islands Council crest and logo appear above the title. A large blue parking symbol appears below the title.

Contents

• Summary
• Background
• Introduction
• Requirement for a Strategy
  • National Context
  • Local Context
• Development Planning and Development Management
• Parking Provision and Principles
  • Car Parks
  • Monitoring of use
  • Issues identified
  • Pay and Display Car Park tariffs
  • On-street parking
  • Enforcement
• Disabled Parking Provision
• Expenditure and Income
• Plugged in Places Programme
• Options for Change
• Conclusion
• Appendices

Summary

Orkney has one of the highest levels of car ownership in Scotland. As a result, there are demands for parking; particularly in the towns of Kirkwall and Stromness, for residents, businesses and shoppers wishing to access the centre of town.

This strategy takes into consideration that parking may have an effect on town centres and that effective management can act as a means to promote economic growth and help sustain the businesses of Orkney.

Unsuitable parking management can have a number of adverse impacts including reducing the profitability of local businesses and compromising the vitality of town centres. This can lead to inconsiderate on-street parking which can result in safety implications for pedestrians and other road users.

The perceived availability of parking in Orkney is a concern to a number of stakeholders including businesses, residents and shoppers. Except for a small number of areas identified within this strategy, where there is a perception that parking is a problem, Orkney has sufficient levels of existing parking to meet the needs of the area. However proper management is required to ensure best use is made of the available parking.

Parking will continue to be monitored by Orkney Islands Council’s (The Council) Roads Services Team in order to look at interventions which may improve the use of parking and promote Orkney as a sustainable, thriving and achieving area.

IMAGE: A blue and white sign reads “LONG STAY CAR PARK”. It includes the Orkney Islands Council logo, symbols indicating prohibited vehicle types, and the following conditions of use: “Vehicles to be parked in accordance with the relevant Off-Street Parking Places Order. The order is available to view at the Council Offices, Kirkwall, upon request.” It also states: “PENALTIES - An excess charge of £30.00 is payable for not displaying a valid parking permit, valid ticket, overstaying time, parking outside a marked parking bay or otherwise contravening the provisions of the order.”

Background

Orkney has a high car ownership rate compared with the rest of Scotland (Smarter Choices, Smarter Places Reporting). In Kirkwall, 75% of households have access to at least one car, with households most likely to own two cars. The rise in car ownership presents a range of issues which the local authority must try to minimise through the use of initiatives such as promoting sustainable travel and effective car parking management.

A review of parking in the county was undertaken during the period February to June 2013 to establish whether supply met demand. Kirkwall and Stromness were evaluated as there were no reported parking issues out with the main towns. From the results of the car parking survey, it shows that in most areas demand does not exceed supply.

A number of options were considered for car parking in the short, medium and long term. These were:-

1. Review pay and display car parks to ensure they remain cost neutral to the Council yet meet the needs of the town centre;
2. Manage parking to prioritise key users such as shoppers and short stay users;
3. Manage parking to consider long stay car parking for town centre workers and residents;
4. Expand supply, this would involve identifying potential new car parking areas in Kirkwall and Stromness; and
5. Consider parking permits to help address the perceived issues on residential streets on the periphery of the town centre.

Following a proposal from the Kirkwall BID steering group, the Council agreed to revise the pay and display parking charges with effect from October 2013. The amendment resulted in free car parking (during the months of October to June) for the first hour in the car parking areas which are deemed as town centre parking for shoppers. The pay and display charges out with the first hour will remain the same. This will also be introduced in the Ferry Inn Car Park, Stromness.

It is envisaged that the free parking will increase the number of residents and visitors of Orkney to the centre of town. As this is a new initiative, the trial will be monitored on a regular basis to ensure that it continues to meet its original objectives.

Introduction

At its meeting held on 9 July 2010 the Roads and Transportation Sub-committee recommended that the Director of Development and Environment Services should undertake a strategic review of on-street and off-street parking throughout Orkney, prior to initiatives with regard to parking restrictions being progressed further.

This Parking Strategy for Orkney is the first document to be developed to review parking needs in the County. The Council’s transport strategy is due to be reviewed once the national Transport Strategy has been updated, however the current Orkney Islands Council’s Local Transport Strategy 2007-2010 - A strategy for all of Orkney section TP3: review and develop a parking strategy for Orkney states:

“Parking is an essential part of the journey when using a car to travel to Kirkwall or Stromness for work, shopping or leisure purposes. By reviewing where parking is available, changes can be introduced that will influence vehicle usage. The introduction of parking charges in sensitive areas can bring about a reduction in local vehicle traffic, while parking restrictions at the urban core can encourage the use of alternative forms of transport such as the bus or walking. The parking strategy will be implemented with full consideration given to how it can contribute to the Strategy objectives.”

IMAGE: A parking sign reads “Pay at machine” with a right-pointing arrow and “Display ticket”.

The availability and effective use of car parking is an important tool in managing traffic and local environmental quality and has a role in supporting local economic vitality.

The Parking Strategy should therefore be developed in order to meet the following objectives:

• To analyse the delivery of parking services
• To promote sustainable travel patterns
• To reduce parking congestion
• To improve the local environment
• To co-ordinate on-street parking controls and off-street parking capacity
• To ensure that the car parks managed by the Council
  • contribute positively to the appearance of the Islands
  • are designed and maintained so that people feel safe to use them
  • are self-financing
  • are accessible to all members of the community
• To provide a framework for the development proposals for on-street parking controls
• To ensure adequate parking is provided for new development, particularly major development schemes
• To analyse the quality of the walking environment between Kirkwall’s car parks and the Town Centre and other amenities

IMAGE: A sign reads “GREAT WESTERN ROAD (SOUTH) CAR PARK. THE SALE OF VEHICLES IN THIS CAR PARK IS PROHIBITED BY ORDER.”

Requirement for a Strategy

National Context

The Scottish Government aims to promote economic growth, social inclusion and sustainable development through a safe, integrated and efficient transport network.

Scottish Planning Policy Parking Policies Section 171 – 173 states that the availability of parking can have an important influence in reducing reliance on the car. Planning authorities should apply maximum parking standards to on-site parking at new development to encourage modal shift. Parking restraint policies should be supported by measures to promote the availability of high quality public transport services. Authorities should also consider promoting park and ride schemes on commuter routes.

In order to provide consistency in the level of maximum parking standard applied to specific types and scales of development, the following national standards have been set:

• Retail (food) (Use Class 1) 1000m2 and above – 1 space per 14m2
• Retail (non-food) (Use Class 1) 1000m2 and above – 1 space per 20m2
• Business (Use Class 4) 2500m2 and above – 1 space per 30m2
• Cinemas (Use Class 11a) 1000m2 and above – 1 space per 5 seats
• Conference Facilities 1000m2 and above – 1 space per 5 seats
• Stadia 1500 seats and above – 1 space per 15 seats
• Leisure (other than cinemas and stadia) 1000m2 and above – 1 space per 22m2
• High and Further Education (non-residential elements) 2500m2 and above – 1 space per 2 staff plus 1 space per 15 students

Where an area is well served by sustainable transport modes, more restrictive standards may be appropriate. In rural areas where public transport is scarce, less restrictive standards may be appropriate. Local standards should support the viability of town centres. Developers of individual sites within town centres may be required to contribute to the overall parking requirement for the centre in lieu of individual parking provision.

Specific provisions should be made for parking for disabled people in addition to general parking. In retail, recreation and leisure developments, the minimum number of car parking spaces for disabled people should be:

• 3 spaces or 6% (whichever is greater) in car parks up to 200 spaces, or
• 4 spaces plus 4% in car parks over 200 spaces.

Employers have a duty under employment law to consider the disabilities of their employees and visitors to their premises. The minimum number of car parking spaces for disabled people at places of employment should be:

• 1 space per disabled employee plus 2 spaces or 5% (whichever is greater) in car parks up to 200 spaces, or
• 6 spaces plus 2% in car parks over 200 spaces.

This Parking Strategy supports, where possible, the national objectives.

IMAGE: A sign with a blue parking symbol reads “Have you paid and displayed?”

Local Context

In Orkney managing parking demand would appear not to be problematic because of the available space in most towns and villages. Only in Kirkwall and Stromness do any problems occur with limited space in specific locations and localised capacity issues in the town centres at times.

Orkney has traditionally had a high level of car ownership as a result of a relatively poor level of public transport in the past and the need for many people to travel long distances for work, shopping or education. The use of maximum parking standards as required by national guidelines has not therefore been an effective method of determining parking provision for Orkney.

Attempts to manage parking demand in Orkney have not always been successful. In particular the introduction of pay and display parking has proven to be unpopular in some areas, resulting in the usage of some car parks falling.

On-street parking is free and for the most part unregulated; however traffic regulation orders are in place to restrict parking in certain streets. In some locations free on-street parking is regulated during the day to provide a turnover of parking spaces. Off-street parking is managed and enforced by the Council.

On-street parking is currently regulated and enforced by Police Scotland, however at the time of writing this document they are proposing to remove the traffic warden service. Although some local authorities have introduced Decriminalised Parking Enforcement (DPE), where on-street parking is not decriminalised powers for enforcement will remain with the police.

The scope of this Parking Strategy is therefore wide ranging and has involved the following:

• Review of parking provision in Orkney, in particular Kirkwall and Stromness and the rest of Orkney
• Review the perception that people have of parking provision in Orkney
• Review national, regional and local policy context
• Review as far as possible how regeneration objectives and development proposals may impact upon future parking provision and management
• Review parking management and enforcement
• Review the Council’s role in providing and managing parking facilities
• Review special parking requirements (disabled, cyclists and lorries)

IMAGE: A sign reads “Motor cycles only.”

Development Planning and Development Management

The national planning policy context is established in Scottish Planning Policy (SPP). Designing Streets – A Policy Statement for Scotland sits at the same level as SPP.

Designing Streets updates and replaces PAN 76 New Residential Streets and in doing so, marks a distinct shift, raising the importance of street design issues from the subject of advice to that of policy. This document provides the legislative context at a national level for the design, construction and maintenance of new, and the regeneration of existing, roads within town and settlements.

Designing Streets states that walking is the most sustainable form of transport, and that streets should therefore be designed not only to allow for walking, but to actively encourage it to take place. It also draws attention to the fact that the propensity to walk is influenced not only by distance but also by the quality of the walking experience.

Designing Streets states that ‘walkable’ neighbourhoods are characterised by having a range of facilities within 5 minutes (up to about 400m) walking distance of residential areas which residents may access comfortably on foot. Where amenities cannot be provided within this area, good public transport links to relevant facilities should be accessible.

To inform this Strategic Parking Review, walking distances between the Kirkwall car parks and the historic Town Centre have been measured and analysed, and are attached as Appendix 3. This analysis indicates that the town centre car parks are generally within, or close to, sustainable development threshold distances, and that there is a perceived problem with car parking, rather than a real one.

The local planning policy context is established in The Orkney Local Development Plan and any relevant Supplementary Guidance and Development Briefs.

The Kirkwall Central West Development Brief 2010 establishes the detailed planning and design context for key brownfield re-development opportunity sites KB-10, 13 and 14, to the west of the historic Town Centre.

The exact scale and nature of potential development on these sites is not known at this stage, however the Development Brief provides an overview of potentially appropriate development types which include commercial, hotel/hostel and residential. It is likely that any new development in this area will have an impact on the existing car parking provision, and it is therefore a requirement of the Development Brief to undertake analysis of the current provision and use of car parking. This information will be used to help the Council in assessing planning applications in this area.

The Development Brief advocates that car parking should be considered strategically for the development area and in relation to the historic town centre, rather than on a site by site basis. This is in order to encourage pedestrian movement between the Kirkwall Central West development area and the historic Town Centre.

A Placemaking exercise will be carried out on the Central West Area during 2014. This will be based on the analysis of traffic data and is likely to propose amendments to the road network in this area to improve the quality of the pedestrian environment and encourage connections to the historic Town Centre, the Peedie Sea and the Harbour Front in accordance with the Development Brief principles.

A Development Framework for the Kirkwall Harbour Front will also be carried out during 2014. This placemaking exercise will also be underpinned by traffic data analysis and will identify proposals for amendments to the roads, streets and public realm along the Harbour Front to increase sense of place and the quality of the walking environment.

Improvements to the public realm at Broad Street are also planned during the lifetime of the recently approved Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) and Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI).

There will be links between the Harbour Front and Broad Street projects and the placemaking project at Central West. It is intended that construction works on these projects will be carried out during the lifetime of the THI Project, currently estimated as 2018/19.

IMAGE: A sign with a blue parking symbol reads “Permit holders only.”

Parking Provision and Principles

Officers from Roads, Transportation and Strategic Development have identified specific issues in both Kirkwall and Stromness that will be looked at as part of the Strategic Parking Review.

In Kirkwall there are a number of parking issues to be analysed and considered including pay and display car parks, long stay car parks and on-street parking in selected residential areas.

Following development of the Kirkwall Business Improvement District (BID), changes to pay and display parking tariffs have been introduced in the town centre car parks. This includes 1 hour free parking during the period October to May. Pay and display car parking tariffs are referred to in Appendix 4 to the parking strategy.

Concerns have been raised in relation to on–street parking on Great Western Road, Clay Loan, Buttquoy Crescent, Glaitness Park and streets around the Council Offices.

Parking on residential streets creates a number of issues for residents and visitors. In many cases residents believe that there is a right to be able to park outside their front door. Parking in and around the car parks at the Council Offices in Kirkwall continues to be perceived as a problem with residents in the surrounding streets concerned with the number of vehicles obstructing access to and from driveways. It should be noted however that at the time of writing this strategy there had been no representations from residents in 2013.

Parking in Stromness is predominately located around the pier head area where recent development has seen the provision of new long stay car parking on the east side of Ferry Road. The main concerns in Stromness relate to the lack of parking in residential areas such as Pumpwell Park, Hellihole, Alfred Street and South End, with the perception that there is no long stay parking available within a reasonable walking distance.

The recent re-development in conservation areas and of listed buildings associated with the Townscape Heritage Initiative, in particular in the south end of Stromness, has brought new residents to this area and a subsequent demand for increased car parking. In many cases it is not possible to provide parking for these developments to a contemporary standard. Residents may have to accept that development in such areas will result in parking some distance away from their property.

In both Kirkwall and Stromness it is recognised that there is a need to cater for a number of users, residents, shoppers, tourists, workers and ‘mobile’ tradesmen. The balance of need depends on individual locations, however in general it can be assumed that:

• Shoppers generally require short stay convenient parking. In consultation with the Kirkwall BID steering group, the short stay pay and display car parking charges in Kirkwall and Stromness town centres were amended in October 2013 to provide free parking for the first hour from October to May. It is hoped that this will encourage more people to shop in the town centres and will be reviewed.
• Workers and tourists require longer stay car parking and can generally be encouraged to walk further to their destination. The review of car parking in Kirkwall included monitoring the time taken to walk from the long stay car parks into the centre of town. Times ranged from approximately 2 minutes from Junction Road into Albert Street to just over 6 minutes from Great Western Road (South) into Albert Street.
• Long stay car parking has also been considered out with the centre of Kirkwall. However given the relativity long walking distances and times involved this was not considered a feasible option without the introduction of an effective park and ride bus service. This service would be expensive to run and would be unlikely to be used if fares were considered excessive.
• Residents (where off-street private parking is not available) want on-street parking as close to their homes as possible. Preference could be given to local residents by the introduction of residents parking zones. However this would require implementation of resident parking permitsand would incur costs, some of which would require to be levied on the residents.
• Visitors and tourists may require either short or long stay parking depending upon the various tourist attractions. This would need to be considered at each location.

IMAGE: A sign reads “Loading only. Mon - Sat 8 am - 6 pm. 20 mins.”

Car Parks

There is a number of long stay and short stay pay and display car parks in both Kirkwall and Stromness.

Recent development in Stromness has seen the provision of new long stay car parking on the east side of Ferry Road. Parking in the vicinity of the pier head will be affected by the redevelopment of the area however it is not envisaged that this will have a major impact on parking provision in the area.

The recent decision of the Development and Infrastructure Committee to introduce additional Pay and Display Parking in the Great Western Road (South) Car Park, Kirkwall, and to continue to charge for parking in the Great Western Road (North) and Burgh Road Car Parks, Kirkwall, has highlighted that the Council wishes to continue to maintain a balance of short and long stay pay and display parking.

Monitoring of use

Data has been collected on a number of occasions to show the usage of the car parks and on-street parking in Kirkwall and Stromness. A summary of the data is attached as Appendices 1 and 2.

The average usage of all pay and display car parks in Kirkwall is 34%. This means that there is 66% free capacity in the town which is not in use.

Issues identified

In general there is sufficient capacity for all types of parking in town centres. There are some pressures as follows:

• Certain short stay car parks are more popular than others and users will wait for spaces in these car parks rather than use other short stay alternatives
• On-street parking both in town centres and adjacent streets can be at a premium despite there being capacity in off-street car parks
• Long stay car parks near to harbours in Kirkwall and Stromness are very popular and currently operate at near capacity

There is a need to ensure that all town centre on and off-street parking is controlled in some fashion. Pay-and-display off-street parking should be retained in central locations, however free parking should be identified for locations further from town centres.

Where deemed necessary the Council will investigate the need for additional capacity for car parking, in particular long stay car parks, where it can be justified in supporting town centre economic vitality and viability without unacceptable environmental impact.

IMAGE: A pay-and-display sign states “PAY & DISPLAY at machine ticket inside windscreen” and “DAILY PARKING CHARGES”. It lists charges for October–May and June–September: up to 1 hour, free or £0.40; up to 2 hours, £0.50 or £0.70; and up to 3 hours, £1.50. It also states that vehicles must be parked in marked bays, disabled badge holders have no charge, and motorcycles have no charge if parked in a designated bay. The sign gives conditions of use and an excess charge of £30.00.

Pay and Display Car Park tariffs

Evidence suggests that increased parking charges will tend to displace demand to other areas of the town centre. Where areas with existing parking charges are still over capacity parking charges should be reviewed to see if an amendment to tariff would help to manage the demand.

Following a report to the Development and Infrastructure Committee in June 2013, it was agreed that, for a trial period from 1 October 2013 to 31 May 2014, charges in the Albert Street, Castle Street, St Magnus Lane and Gunn’s Close Car Parks, Kirkwall, and Ferry Inn Car Park, Stromness, will be 1 hour free, 2 hours 50p and 3 hours £1.50.

At the same meeting it was decide to retain charges in the Burgh Road and Great Western Road (South) car parks and to introduce a similar tariff on a section of the Great Western Road (North) car park nearest to Pickaquoy Road, Kirkwall.

Income from car parking charges has been significantly less than budgeted for in recent years and in order to balance the budget maintenance of the car park infrastructure has been reduced. Whilst this can be sustained in the short term in the longer term the potential for funding car park maintenance from capital budgets should be investigated.

The current and proposed pay and display tariffs are shown in Appendix 4.

On-street parking

There are no on-street parking charges in Orkney. However on a number of the town centre streets parking is time limited. This fits with the principle of prioritising town centre spaces for short stay premium parking.

The following roads in Kirkwall and Stromness town centres are currently covered by a prohibition of waiting order. Maps showing the location of these roads are attached as Appendices 5 and 6.

Kirkwall – Ayre Road, Broad Street, Burnmouth Road, Castle Street, Great Western Road, Harbour Street, Junction Road, Main Street, Palace Road, Tankerness Lane, Victoria Street, West Castle Street and West Tankerness Lane

Stromness – Alfred Street, Church Road, Dundas Street, Franklin Road, Hellihole Road, John Street, Ness Road, North End Road, Pumpwell Park, South End, Springfield Crescent, Victoria Street, Whitehouse Lane

On a number of the town centre residential streets in both Kirkwall and Stromness concerns have been raised by residents in relation to the lack of on-street parking provision Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm. The suggestion is that this provision is taken up by workers.

It should be made clear however that a resident does not have a right to park outside their house or even on their street for that matter. Although introducing Parking Permits on some of the town centre residential streets could address concerns from residents it would have cost implications for both residents and the Council.

Enforcement

On-street car parking in Orkney is free. Traffic regulation orders are in place to restrict parking in certain streets for traffic management and safety reasons. On town centre streets in the main urban settlements on-street parking is regulated by order during the day to restrict parking in marked bays to a short period in each hour. This provides a turnover of parking spaces for shoppers and visitors in Kirkwall and Stromness.

Off-street parking is managed and enforced by the Council. On-street parking is regulated and enforced by the police. It should be noted that Police Scotland withdrew the traffic warden service on February 2014. Although the Police will retain the powers to enforce on-street parking regulations it is unlikely that they will continue to do so unless the parking is considered to be dangerous.

Legal Services have confirmed that the principle of corroboration still applies in Scotland and that if a parking contravention is disputed by a motorist it is better if the offence can be corroborated by a witness. For this reason the Car Park Attendants generally patrol in pairs.

The existing strategy with regards to off-street car parks is that they should be operated on a self-funding basis. The income from the pay and display car parks should therefore cover the rates on all car parks, the cost of enforcement and all maintenance costs.

The management of car parking including enforcement and cash collection is a service provided by Orkney Islands Council.

Enforcement levels are balanced across the county to achieve the intended use of the car park, or on-street parking arrangements.

IMAGE: A sign reads “FERRY ROAD (WEST) LONG STAY CAR PARK” and shows symbols for prohibited vehicle types.

Disabled Parking Provision

Each of the Council’s pay and display and the town centre long stay car parks have provision for disabled parking. Since the introduction of the Disabled Persons Parking Places (Scotland) Act 2009, the Council has made various traffic regulation orders for both on and off-street disabled parking places.

The Act makes provision for a holder of a blue badge to request a disabled parking space outside their property. This is subject to certain conditions and the provision of the space is at the discretion of the local authority.

Expenditure and Income

Income initially needs to cover the cost of operating a parking service for Orkney. This should include:

• Car park maintenance
• Ticket machine maintenance
• Staff costs
• Enforcement costs
• Rates

Beyond meeting these costs, the income can be used to support other transport functions and parking facilities the Council seeks to provide.

The existing strategy with regard to off-street car parks is that they should be operated on a self-funding basis. The income therefore from the pay-and-display car parks should cover the rates on all car parks, the cost of enforcement and all maintenance costs.

This strategy of providing off-street car parking on a self-financing basis requires to be re-confirmed or otherwise prior to consideration being given to car parking charges in general.

Plugged in Places Programme

Scotland has set itself far reaching targets for carbon reduction with ‘almost complete decarbonisation of road transport by 2015 with significant progress by 2030’.

The key message is that the following will be significant:

• The adoption of electric cars and vans;
• Improved vehicle technologies, namely, the shift to hybrid and electric vehicles;
• An electric charging infrastructure to support the use of plug-in hybrid vehicles across Scotland;
• The need for additional planning and demand management measures through to 2020 to reduce the need for travel and the carbon intensity of travel; and to maximise active travel (e.g. walking and cycling).

IMAGE: A graphic reads “ORKNEY’S Electric Future?” in stylised lettering.

The Plugged in Places (PIP) Programme is a nationally funded Government initiative led by the Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV).

The PIP Programme seeks to implement the UK’s first electric vehicle charging infrastructure with a view to:

• Supporting the early market for electric vehicles;
• Contributing to carbon reduction targets;
• Creating a connected network of infrastructure enabling everyday use of Electric Vehicles (EVs);
• Testing different approaches and models for charging EVs;
• Collecting data on the use of charging posts and EV user behaviours which will influence the national roll out of charging infrastructure.

Transport Scotland is leading the Scottish bid to become part of the UK Government's £30 million "Plugged-In Places" initiative, which provides match funding for the installation of charging points for electric vehicles.

The funding meets with the Scottish Government commitment to achieving the target of almost total decarbonisation of road transport by 2050.

“Encouraging use of electricity to power vehicles fits with Orkney’s potential as a renewables centre – electric vehicles could be one way for the county to capitalise on over-production from wind and marine turbines and strengthen our case for improved grid connectivity which will in turn help attract renewables developers to the county”

Convener, Orkney Islands Council

Orkney Islands Council recognises the development of a low-carbon, multi-modal and integrated transport system, ‘now, tomorrow and for future generations’ and the vision remains to achieve a ‘sustainable future for transport’.

In April 2011 electric vehicles were introduced to the Council fleet in conjunction with the installation of a number of charge points through initial funding from Transport Scotland.

The electric charge points are located at:

• East Kirk Car Park, Kirkwall;
• St Rognvald’s House, Kirkwall;
• Braeburn Court, St Margaret’s Hope;
• Dounby Primary School Car Park, Dounby;
• Old Academy Car Park, Stromness.

Funding was also received during financial year 2013/14 towards the cost of an additional charge point to be located in the county.

It is expected that funding will be available during financial year 2014/15 for the installation of quick charge points and this will be explored further by officers.

The Council will develop a policy on electric vehicles and associated infrastructure to consider a process for additional vehicles and points in the county as and when funding opportunities arise.

IMAGE: A graphic reads “Energy of ORKNEY”.

Options for Change

There are a number of Council car parks in Kirkwall and Stromness and other villages which are not controlled by car park orders. In some locations there is reluctance, particularly in some of the older housing developments, from residents to use off-street car parks due to the misuse of these areas. The introduction of a car park order to these uncontrolled long stay car parks would allow the Council to enforce their use.

The introduction of Parking Permits on some of the town centre residential streets could address concerns from residents. However permits will also bring their own problems.

• Who would be entitled to a permit?
• Availability of parking bays
• Requests from blue badge holders removing availability
• Cost of applying for a permit
• Cost of administering a permit system
• Management and enforcement

Improvements to the quality of the environment for pedestrians walking from the car parks into the town centre would encourage drivers to consider using the long stay car parks further from the town centre. This would involve upgrading the surface, lighting and surroundings on many of the lanes that lead onto the main town centre shopping areas.

A review of the current on-street parking and prohibition of waiting orders would determine how appropriate they are to the current requirements for traffic management in the towns and villages. In addition with the potential for decriminalised parking in the future this would ensure that areas where there are perceived issues with parking would be enforced and controlled correctly.

As part of any review, it would be an opportunity to consolidate the existing prohibition of waiting orders. Over the years with changing road layouts, new development and parking needs many of the current orders are no longer appropriate or enforceable. Some orders are confusing and in some circumstances bear little relevance to the needs of the traffic management requirements today. It would also be an opportunity to introduce new or more stringent orders or remove other orders all together. It is therefore recommend that a long term review be carried out where resources allow.

Conclusion

Keep under review pay and display car parks to ensure they remain cost neutral to the Council yet meet the needs of the town centre.

Manage parking to prioritise key users such as shoppers and short stay users and consider long stay car parking for town centre workers and residents.

The introduction of parking permits could help to address some local issues on residential streets; however this will have implications, in relation to administration and management, costs and enforcement.

Carry out a long term review of existing traffic regulation orders pertaining to on-street parking.

Provide safe, appropriate pedestrian access to the town from car parks and on-street parking.

IMAGE: A sign with a blue parking symbol reads “All day parking £1.00”.

Appendices

• Appendix 1 – Summary of on and off-street parking usage in Kirkwall
• Appendix 2 - Summary of on and off-street parking usage in Stromness
• Appendix 3 – Kirkwall Car Park Pedestrian routes
• Appendix 4 - Pay and Display Car Parking Tariffs
• Appendix 5 – Kirkwall Town Centre On-Street Parking
• Appendix 6 – Stromness Town Centre On-Street Parking
• Appendix 7 – Kirkwall Other On-Street Parking

Appendix 1 – Summary of on and off-street parking usage in Kirkwall

Appendix 1a – Off Street Long Stay

Appendix 1b – Off Street Short Stay

Appendix 1c – On Street Parking

Appendix 1d – Off Street Pay and Display Car Parks

Appendix 2 – Summary of on and off-street parking usage in Stromness

Appendix 2a – Off Street Long Stay

Appendix 2b – On Street Parking

Appendix 2c – Off Street Pay and Display

Appendix 3 – Kirkwall Car Park Pedestrian routes

Appendix 4 – Pay and Display Car Parking Tariffs

New Car Park charges

Some Pay and Display car parks will incorporate seasonal charges. The seasons are:

• Winter (October – May)
• Summer (June – September)

Summer charges are in brackets.

Appendix 5 – Kirkwall Town Centre On-Street Parking

IMAGE: A detailed map of Kirkwall marks the town centre and surrounding streets, including the harbour, Peedie Sea, car parks, roads, public buildings, churches, hotels and other landmarks. Blue highlighting identifies the roads covered by the town-centre on-street parking restrictions.

Appendix 6 – Stromness Town Centre On-Street Parking

IMAGE: A detailed map of Stromness and Stromness Harbour marks the town, harbour, piers, roads, car parks, residential areas, schools, playing fields and surrounding coastline. Blue highlighting identifies the roads covered by the town-centre on-street parking restrictions.

Appendix 7 – Kirkwall Other On-Street Parking

IMAGE: A detailed map of Kirkwall and surrounding residential areas marks roads, housing developments, schools, public facilities, playing fields, car parks and other landmarks. Blue highlighting identifies additional roads covered by on-street parking restrictions.