There is plenty of parking in St Albans for residents, visitors and those employed here but it’s pretty safe to say, the zones, charges and penalty systems are less than easy to understand – and often a somewhat controversial issue.
The City & District Council does have a parking strategy which is due for review on April 31st this year (clearly the council haven’t noticed that there are only 30 days in April…). It does repeat itself in places, but it shows what the Council are trying to achieve in terms of the type of car parks we have in the city, the fees, signage, car park management and safety, how any funds from penalty charges have to be used and how reviews of parking arrangements in particular areas or streets are carried out and managed.
As schools have expanded in St Albans to accommodate the growing number of children living here, parking during the school run becomes a flash point throughout term time. There is so much anecdotal evidence that the rules of the road are just abandoned by parents who are so keen to drop their children off as close to the gate as possible – especially in wet weather. We know that the Council and Police do patrol the school areas and issue penalty charges to those breaking the law so if you want to avoid a ticket – park safely a little further away and stride in!
Unless there is clear signage, parking on verges is also something that you can receive a penalty notice for. Even if there is ‘grass-crete’ instead of grass along a verge, unless there is a sign giving you permission to park on the verge (for example there are some places in Folly Lane where it is allowed), it’s still forbidden.
There are plenty of areas in St Albans were parking is free and ‘uncontrolled’ – in these cases, providing your vehicle is taxed and road worthy, you can park for any length of time. However, just because you live on that street, you’re not automatically entitled to a place to park on that road (this may seem obvious but…) and certainly doesn’t entitle you to a space to park outside your house. Equally, in controlled parking areas, residents’ permits don’t override parking vouchers or pay & display tickets.
If you believe a car has been abandoned or is illegally parked, Herts Police have this guide on their website about what to do – although we do realise it’s harder to identify untaxed vehicles now the paper tax discs are being phased out. In many cases the Police do refer you back to your local council – so for St Albans, they send you here which contains pretty much all the information you should need about parking in St Albans and Harpenden.
The Council have produced a guide for anyone parking in St Albans on how to avoid Penalty Charge Notices which again, is worth a read. One thing it reiterates is that you must check the signs wherever you park as there are some streets where the restrictions are different at one end of the road to the other (for example Clarence Road) and on our longer roads (Hatfield Road, London Road), restrictions vary within a matter of metres.
Traffic management and parking is a problem where there is no single solution – however, being courteous, staying within the law and perhaps walking a little further (where you can) can make life easier and less stressful for all of us.