The Sections
     
     
     
     
     
     
   PRO-MaSS says …
  • If we believed all these penalty charges, clampings and towings-away did any good, we would go along with them. PRO-MaSS is not "anti" all forms of control.
  • But far from doing good, we believe real harm is being done.
  • Penalising car users also punishes shops and small businesses.
  • PRO-MaSS estimates small shops rely on car-using customers for up to a third of their turnover.
  • When small shops close down, High Streets go into decline ; house prices too. The soul goes out of the community.
  • Decaying high streets are also a breeding ground for crime.
  • Out-of-town "mall" shopping has free and ample car parking ; all the more reason to create a "level playing field" for high street shops.
  1. PRO-MaSS says : "high street blight" is a real environmental disaster.
  2. We also think that hounding car-users

    3. by deliberately restricting parking availability is politically dishonest

  3. Finally, PRO-MaSS says councils have no electoral mandate for their zero-tolerant anti-motorist policies. Electoral challenge is long overdue.

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Pro-Mass
Sections

Council "Nest feathering"    The ultimate irony
PRO-MaSS ..principles     PRO-MaSS ..policies
Pro Mass Says               Pro Mass Address


London’s Parking Scandal

( Transport Committee for London figures: 1997-98 )

"3,702,244" Parking Fines !

TICKETS

BARKING
BARNET
BEXLEY 
BRENT
BROMLEY
CAMDEN  
CORP of LON 
CROYDON
EALING
ENFIELD
GREENWICH
HACKNEY
HAMMERSMITH
HARINGEY
HARROW
HAVERING 
HILLINGDON
HOUNSLOW
ISLINGTON   
KENSINGTON 
KINGSTON  
LAMBETH
LEWISHAM  
MERTON
NEWHAM
REDBRIDGE RICHMOND
SOUTHWARK
SUTTON   
TOWER HAMLETS
W/THM FOREST
WANDSWORTH
WESTMINSTER
 CARS TOWED  

21,127 
97,469
72,616 
90,019   
63,102
292,977
105,223
 96,065
111,550  
77,781
70,945
87,585
145,964 
104,920 
104,357
37,805 
 48,051
21,127
79,009
216,820
39,742 
68,458 
43,920 
43,920
91,504
58,958  
76,552
101,762 
43,195
102,552
113,376 
110,092
863,701

 

 COUNCIL ISSUED






15,607
1,800 




7,443 



57



13,060


 
5,972



 
28,065

 CLAMPED AWAY




3,910
53
6,643
2,169
4,851

1,594

1,076
2,696 
66

 9



9,548

5,000





1,972



1,666
17,593

             

PRO-MaSS’s "MISSION"

  1. TO GET THESE FIGURES …..down !!!

    2. And by so doing :
  2. FIGHT LONDON’s "High Street Blight"

- every high street parking fine is a nail in the coffin of local business turnover.

 
 Council "Nest feathering"  Top

In October 1999, PRO-MaSS wrote to 32 of London’s 33 Councils.

We wanted to know what car parking facilities each Council provides for : Its Mayor, councillors and council staff. Also, how much was spent on leasing ?

Only three Councils replied : Newham (550 spaces) Croydon (240) and Ealing (473).

PRO-MaSS had found out that Harrow Council has 431 spaces reserved for car using staff. They even have a further 200 spaces for council "customers". And as at Feb 1999, the Harrow Observer reported that £645,273 was being spent leasing Mercedes, Audis and Volvos for 177 of their top staff.

If you can help PRO-MaSS with information for any of the remaining 29 councils, we’d be very grateful !

If councils really believe in Government policy, they shouldn’t just impose restrictions on everybody else but themselves. Let councillors lead by example !

The ultimate irony………Top

In 1991, the Conservatives introduced "decriminalisation". Parking enforcement was given over to councils. Councils in turn could sub-contract to profit-motivated private sector companies. Many councils have done and are doing just this.

The "decriminalisation" process is working with a vengeance under this Labour government. In 1998-1999, nearly four million offences were clocked up. PRO-MaSS talks of "bounty hunters" being at work !

But, isn’t it the ultimate irony ?

"decriminalisation" – the process that’s making

law-breakers of us all !

PRO-MaSS ……principles Top

 

PRO-MaSS’s principles are centred around :

 

  1. Londoners’ right to drive and to general mobility

    2.  

  2. And, above all, Londoners right to park.

( Central London, the ‘West End’ has to be an exception. Ten million or so tourists visit London each year. Central London’s shops are sustained by billions of pounds spent by non-car-using tourists. Long may this continue ! )

 

PRO-MaSS ……….policies Top

INCREASING PARKING AVAILABILITY:

  • More money for car-parking : both, on- and off-street. And parking for "scooter-commuters" too.
  • Review and extend parking-time/s-allowable as indicated on time-plate signs ( whilst still excluding long term "commuter-type" parking ).
  • Review and wherever possible remove unnecessary yellow lining .
  • Wherever pavement widths allow, create "service-road" customer parking outside shops, or alternatively, create "echelon" parking ( parking at an angle to the kerb ) for "small-size" cars.

HELPING MOTORISTS AVOID PENALTIES

  • Colour coding of kerbs. (i.e. ‘bright red’ where it’s never possible to park ).
  • All "time-plate" parking signs to be made larger and more legible and to face on-coming motorists.
  • PRO-MaSS would reduce London’s parking fines which are 2 to 3 ( and in some cases "4" ) times higher than in other European cities. WHY so ?
  • Clamping to be outlawed with the single exception of non-payment of road tax.
  • Towing away to be conducted only on the authority of a Police Officer or Parking Warden where genuine obstruction has occurred. Some parking attendants employed by Councils or private sector profit-motivated companies are abusing the authority granted to them under the Road Traffic Act 1984 ( Section 99, I (a) .
    • BUS LANES : A poor utilisation of scarce road resources. PRO-MaSS would remove bus lanes where in operating hours the flow of buses per hour and passengers in them is considerably less than the car equivalent.
    • SPEED CAMERAS: Sheer "1984" "Big Brother !" PRO-MaSS believes speed cameras should only be used where accidents occur due to speed – not for generating revenue !

    POLICIES FOR SMALL SHOPS

    • FREE ( yes, "free" ) PARKING in the high street by means of "green clocks" similar to the orange ones already given to the disabled.
    • LOCAL ELECTION VOTING: PRO-MaSS wants all proprietor commercial rate-payers to vote in local government elections on a special "commercial role". At the moment there’s "taxation without representation". The case for "devolution" here is overwhelming !
    • THE POLICE : PRO-MaSS strongly supports Police policies to see their numbers proportionately reflect London’s ethnic composition. It’s in all our interests to support the Police where- and whenever we can.
    • YOUTH CRIME: Young men want to "change status" from "overgrown schoolchildren" into "fully-fledged young adults". It’s completely natural for them to want to do so. So PRO-MaSS supports the institution of a really tough program which youngsters would respect and London should pioneer to help them make this transition by means other than youth crime.

     

    • "IF IT AIN’T BROKE – DON’T FIX IT "

    Many things in London work well - without a Mayor . A PRO-MaSS Mayor would therefore be dedicated to "not" interfering

PRO-MaSS has just been registered as a Political Party.

We are not actively seeking members. First and foremost we are after votes. However, if you strongly agree with our cause you’re very welcome to join. We need 2000 candidates for council elections in 2002; and a good few for this May.

PRO- MaSS 

(PRO-Motorist and Small Shop)

www.pro-mass.co.uk

e-mail: geoffreybn@lineone.net

 

PO Box 348, Harrow, HA3 0XW

Phone: 0181-907 2219

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