Surbiton’s Green councillor, Sharron Sumner, is calling on Kingston Council to reduce the cost of secure cycle parking. At Thursday’s Surbiton Neighbourhood she highlighted that an on-street parking permit cost £90 a year whereas the secure cycle parking ‘hangers’ which take up half the room of a car parking space cost £70 per bike and each hanger can take up to six bikes. This means the council will make nine times the revenue from cycle parking than from car parking on each space.
When Cllr Sumner urged the committee to make a request to the relevant strategic committee to look at reducing bicycle parking charges all 11 Lib Dem councillors on the committee opposed the suggestion – one claiming the council had no money. This is despite the Lib Dem administration halving the cost of car parking at its town centre car parks costing hundreds of thousands in revenue.
Cllr Sumner commented, “This was an easy opportunity for Surbiton’s Lib Dem councillors to make a difference by encouraging people out of their cars by making it cheaper to securely park cycles. I just do not accept they don’t have the money to do it as they have subsidised drivers by halving the cost of town centre parking.
“Last year this council signed the climate emergency declaration. Sadly, they have done little to back their words with actions. Cycling and walking need to be encouraged if we are to reduce car use, pollution and emissions. I cannot understand why the simple measure to look at reducing the cost of secure cycle parking was rejected out of hand particularly given their subsidies to drivers.
“It seems to me the Lib Dem administration just pays lip service to the climate emergency and environmental protection and I feel we’re in danger of becoming a ‘Green wash’ council.”