Low Traffic Neighbourhood sample FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Please see our Frequently Asked Questions below.
Why is the traffic so bad in Placeville?
A lot of it is caused by traffic from south of the river and the west. With Dalia Bridge Road at traffic capacity, satellite navigation and smart devices mean that many out-of-borough motorists are using residential side streets as a rat-run.
How will this new scheme reduce traffic?
The latest smart camera technology will enable us to install control points in residential streets and to identify and issue penalty charge notices to non-Placeville residents who rat run through them. We expect these drivers to seek alternative routes.
Which ‘permitted vehicles’ can pass the control points without being penalised?
Placeville residents top the list of those permitted to drive through the control points without penalty. Other permitted vehicles are as below:
- Visitors with visitor permits (see below)
- Business permit holders
- Black taxis
- Buses and coaches
- Royal Mail postal vehicles
- Council services and contractors (e.g. refuse and recycling, housing repairs, social care)
- Emergency services.
Will warning notices be issued or will non-permitted drivers be penalised straightaway?
From three weeks from 6 August 2022, drivers without permits will get a warning notice instead of a penalty charge notice. These will contain details of how to apply for free access as above for vehicles that should be permitted. After three weeks, penalty charge notices will be issued for vehicles that are not on the permitted vehicles list.
How can visitors, deliverers, builders, taxis, etc. avoid a penalty?
Anyone non-resident can reach any property in the area without needing to go through a control point. Delivery drivers, mini cabs, etc. should use these alternative routes.
Small sections of Petunia Lane and Rosemary Road are within a control point and have “for access” signs. Cameras will see if a vehicle is making a delivery or picking up so they won’t get penalised.
To discourage rat running, the new access controls are different from parking controls and apply 24/7. This means that visitor permits are required even outside controlled parking hours or if the visitor parks in a bay.
So if a visitor chooses in advance to reach you by driving through control points (bearing in mind that they can access the area without doing this), you must apply for an on-street visitor permit for them so they can drive through control points on the day.
There is a charge per hour for permits at times when parking is controlled and they are free when parking is free.
Even if your visitor intends to park on your driveway or a private car park, and not the street, you will still need to get them an off-street visitor permit. This will be free.
Motorcycles can still park on the street for free but will now require a free visitor permit to drive through a control point without being penalised.
Is it possible to avoid the cameras and control points?
Yes. All of South Placeville remains accessible without driving through one of the control points. The aim is to stop non-Placeville residents rat running through residential streets.
What if you go through a control point but then pay for parking?
Non-Placeville residents will receive a penalty charge notice if they drive through the control points at any time even if they then use a pay and display bay. To stop rat running, all visitors who plan to drive though a control point on arrival or departure, even if they don’t park in a bay, must have a visitor permit in advance.
What if you go through a control point outside parking control hours?
The new access controls are separate from parking controls so a penalty charge notice will be issued. The access control points operate 24 hours a day seven days a week.
Will this scheme cause congestion west of Petunia Bridge Road?
We don’t expect so as during the experimental closure of Dalia Terrace it didn’t happen. But we have installed a camera to monitor this and will also use automatic traffic counters. We urge residents to provide feedback here.
Won’t this cause congestion, slow buses and increase air pollution?
We expect South Placeville traffic to reduce overall as out-of-borough traffic stops cutting through residential streets. Local traffic should flow more easily and air quality improve
Isn’t this just a money-making scheme by exploiting drivers?
Far from it. We want to make all our streets safer and less congested, with cleaner air. Only rat-running non-residents will be penalised, encouraging them to use alternative routes.
If I have an unexpected visitor who gets a penalty, can they apply retrospectively for a visitors’ permit to be let off the charge?
No. You need to buy a permit by midnight on the same day to avoid your visitor being penalised. To tackle rat running, the permits are 24/7 and for access, not parking, so you must get one even if parking on private land. They’re free after parking hours.