Parking issues around Birmingham Queen Elizabeth Hospital have ‘increased exponentially, according to local

By Local Democracy Reporter

A Birmingham resident has claimed he is unable to park within half a mile of his house amid parking woes in streets near a hospital.

Birmingham City Council recently acknowledged there were “significant pressures on parking” near the University of Birmingham and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital site and is proposing a resident permit scheme on certain roads.

In online consultations launched last month, it said recent expansions at the site meant more people are now travelling to the area.

“Together with new homes and an increase in car ownership, there are now significant pressures on parking in local streets,” it continued. “This can have a negative impact on access for deliveries, buses and waste vehicles, and on the safety of all road users.”

It went on to say that many properties do not have private off-street parking and there are “increasing demands” on the limited supply of public on-street spaces.

“We are therefore proposing measures that prioritise parking provision for local residents in local streets and improve access and safety of local roads,” the council said.

Parking issues around the QE hospital ‘increased exponentially’

Sid Werrin, a resident living on a street close to the hospital and already part of a current parking scheme, reacted to the consultation by telling the Local Democracy Reporting Service that parking issues had “increased exponentially” in the area.

“Regularly I will return home to find that I am unable to park within half a mile of my house,” he said.

“Challenging drivers can engender a range of reactions from thanks for saving them a potential penalty notice to begrudging removal of their offending vehicle.”

He claimed visible permits to display in resident, or their visitors’, vehicles are currently not provided by the council.

Mr Werrin was sceptical the new proposals would make a difference, saying: “Illegally parked vehicles, if one can identify them in the absence of a visible residents permit, can be reported to the council.

“However, more often than not, the offending vehicle will have moved well before any enforcement officer appears.

“Will the proposal actually deliver any benefit to local residents, who have to endure the situation every hour of every day?

“If it’s to have any benefit to residents, it will need to be much more emphatically policed than the local authority appear able to do so at present.”

“Even then, putting a penalty charge notice on a vehicle does not immediately make a parking space available to an eligible resident,” he added.

Virtual parking permits

A spokesperson for the council said virtual parking permits were introduced during the pandemic in 2020/21 to support remote working and improve service delivery.

“Since this change, planned enforcement has continued and officers patrol randomly throughout the day and check vehicle registrations electronically,” they continued. “A visible permit is not needed for enforcement.

“Penalty Charge Notices are issued to improve compliance and deter drivers from repeat parking.

“Vehicle removal is not routinely carried out in permitted parking places but used more so at restricted locations or during major events.”

“The university and hospital parking measures are currently at the proposal stage, so there is no enforcement in place yet,” they added. “We encourage residents to take part in the consultation to help shape the final scheme.

“In areas where new schemes are introduced, enforcement is usually increased initially and may include warning notices.”

The council said previously that it is working with the university and hospitals to encourage as many people as possible to make their trips by public transport, cycling and walking.

“Where this is not possible, we want to make sure that visiting cars are parked in appropriate places, with local residents having priority for the kerb space near their homes,” it said.

The roads included in the consultations were:

Cross Farm Road, Merryfield Grove, Grasdene Grove, Leahurst Crescent, Leabon Grove, Metchley Drive, Malins Road, Lynwood Walk, Leeson Walk, Bantock Way, Cadleigh Gardens, Candem Close, Langford Grove, Mill Farm Road, Poole Crescent, Quinton Road and Rodbourne Road.

“On streets where people live, we are proposing a resident permit scheme which will operate between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Saturday,” the council said. “During these times, only vehicles displaying a resident parking permit (or resident’s visitor permit) would be allowed to park there.

“Only local residents will be able to apply for permits.”

The proposal is part of the Hospitals and University Campus Masterplan, an objective of which is “to reduce the demand for car based travel to the campus, and address the impact of congestion and on-street parking on the local community”.

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