Eastbourne parking review - Consultation results - East Sussex ...

Findings
Stage 1 - How well does the current scheme meet the key objectives set out in
the Eastbourne Urban Area Local Transport Plan (EUALTP)
This part of the consultation looked at how well the current scheme meets the
objectives set out in the Eastbourne Urban Area Local Transport Plan. This includes
residents being able to park near their homes and reducing illegal and inconsiderate
parking in the town centre. It also considered other readily available data, such as
traffic and congestion levels, to assess how successful the scheme has been.,.
The results suggest that the current scheme is broadly meeting the key objectives:
Many residents finding it easier to park on the street near their home.
There is a significant perception that illegal and inconsiderate parking has
reduced.
There is general satisfaction with the level of charges for permits (however,
many residents also believe that pay and display charges are too high).
Shoppers and visitors continue to travel to Eastbourne by car.
There is also good evidence of evidence of modal shift towards more walking
and bus use (increase in bus use is also supported by the Stagecoach’s own
figures).
Bus users believe that bus punctuality has improved.
Traffic monitoring shows that peak time traffic levels have reduced in line with
other coastal towns since the controls were introduced.
However, views and perceptions among the business community respondents were
generally less supportive. 60% of businesses that responded believe it is now more
difficult for both employees and customers to park near their premises (compared
with 23% of residents). Overall the business community respondents were generally
less positive about the scheme.
Stage 2 – Review of existing parking controls in the town centre area
This stage looked at the current town centre parking controls and asked respondents
for comments and suggestions about:
• the days and hours of control
• the length of permitted stay
• seafront pay and display charges
• possible changes to the layout and types of controls in their area.
Hours of control
The findings show that there are mixed views on the current days and hours of
control:
• More residents but fewer businesses are in favour of the current hours of
control (8:00am to 6:00pm).