Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Is Encouraging Car use the Best Way for Haringey Council to Support Small Business Saturday?
Photo: Hugh Flouch
I'm all for our council supporting Small Business Saturday, but I'm utterly unconvinced the provision free parking for the day as the main plank of its support is the right thing for Haringey Council to do.
Firstly, it encourages driving in a borough where traffic is already a big problem.
Secondly it sends out the message that small businesses rely on car use to thrive - as far as I'm aware that's not true.
Is this just an easy (yet misguided) way for Haringey to support a good initiative. I thought there might more imaginative solutions. The first page of a Google search on 'council support small business saturday' includes announcements on Small Business Saturday by seven councils including Enfield, Merton, Brent, Dudley, Portsmouth, Poole and Mid-Ulster. Five use free parking as their main plank of support. Only Poole and Mid-Ulster don't offer free parking. The last of these seems the post imaginative offering in five towns a 'free family fun and street entertainment in each of the five towns mentioned from 12noon – 2pm including, face painting, balloon modelling and street performances'.
I bet our public transport is much better than MId-Ulster's.
C'mon Haringey. Please do better next year.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Antoinette on
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Don't think we hadn't spotted the No. 29 bendy bus! Those were the days!
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I completely agree and free parking goes against the Council's Environment strategy and cleaner air targets. So for the price of free parking we can be choked by additional car emmissions. Just want I want for Xmas!
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This is not the solution and at a time when everyone else is trying to encourage people not to use cars due to pollution Haringey is doing the opposite. When though has Haringey ever listened to anyone!
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It's great that other people are noticing this now, I feel like I'm the only one who has a little moan about this every year, maybe we will get noticed now. And while we're here, I call for a ban on weekend daytime parking on Green Lanes!
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Permalink Reply by Alfred Jahn on
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I totally agree, Michael. they should be promoting a car-free initiative and promote other means of transport. How does that fit into their 2020 goals I wonder?? (to be carbon free by then won't work if everyone gets stuck in traffic on Green Lanes which they inevitably will)
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That all sounds like a lot of effort, forgoing parking charges just means not paying a parking warden for a day
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I have noticed that there are a couple of FOI requests in at Haringey for information about this.
1. Evidence for the economic benefits of free parking for Small Business Saturday
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/evidence_for_the_economic_be...
2. How does the council come to the conclusion businesses need free parking on 1st december, to boost sales
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/how_does_the_council_come_to...
Be interesting to see the responses when they come in.....
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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I hadn't really thought about this issue much previously. Apparently Haringey Cyclists have been writing to the Council about it for several years but have never received a reply (obviously not writing via the FOI route). After I published this post there seems to have been quite few people interested. Perhaps I'd just never noticed before.
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This is what the Council I work for have been touting......nothing to do with parking, just get yourselves out and shop local
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Turns out the free parking was at the request of the traders and the council hadn't put any thought into whether it would be a plus or not
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/evidence_for_the_economic_be...
I've said it numerous times over the years but whilst the traders on Green Lanes hold so much sway there will never be the political will to improve Green Lanes for the residents (or anyone other than car drivers). I think the nadir was when they were pushing for the bus lane to be removed for more parking (which fortunately TFL saw off) but we've clearly not moved on much.
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Thanks for this, really interesting response, especially;
"No research has been carried out on the impact of the parking concession. However, SBS overall is monitored and all high street trader groups involved have reported increased footfall, improved consumer spend and positive engagement by local residents in the initiative."
Which is contrary to the actual research which shows reducing parking availability and improving the experience of visiting for pedestrians and cyclists leads to a dramatic uptick in footfall and turnover.
When Waltham Forest, prior to creating their mini-Holland schemes, surveyed shop owners and shoppers, it was clear that shop owners vastly (x2) over-estimate the percentage of customers arriving by car, and valued easy parking much more than actual shoppers. Similar results found in Toronto and New York. But Haringey is special, clearly.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Look hard at what he actually says “SBS (Small Business Saturday) is monitored overall ....”
When the scheme was announced (it national) I looked at what some other places were doing. They included free bus services to shopping areas, street closures, street entertainment, pavement cafe tables moved on to roads, celebrity appearances. In other words, tons of stuff that would make people come to an area which of course improved footfall when a local authority pulled its finger out and did something interesting for people to enjoy. We get free f***ing parking.
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