Frequently Asked Parking Questions

1) I have not yet received a letter from the Council about how to apply for a permit.           

If your property fronts one of the roads where the new restrictions are being introduced and you have NOT received a letter by the end of October please contact our Parking Office on 023 8064 8579 or e-mail parking.services@eastleigh.gov.uk

2) Why do I have to pay for a permit?

The Council has to charge for permits to offset the ongoing costs of administering and enforcing the residents’ parking scheme.

3) What happens if I use one of the parking bays without a permit?

The restrictions come into force on 19 November 2007. From this date onwards if you contravene a parking restriction you will liable to receive a Penalty Charge Notice. Refer to our Parking in Eastleigh page for details about the Penalty Charge Notice fine and how to pay it.

4) Can I get more visitor permits if I run out?

You will not be able to obtain any more than your allocation of free visitor permits. Six day permits can be obtained at a charge of £18. The Council does not issue an unlimited supply of visitor permits as this would undermine the residents’ parking scheme and may result in abuse of the system (eg people trying avoid the need for a second permit).

• Further information about permits

5) I am not happy that a new sign post has been erected outside my house. Can it be moved?

The signs have to be located at particular intervals or the restrictions would not be enforceable. The locations for the signs have therefore been specifically identified. Wherever possible, the Council will try to locate the signs so that they are not immediately outside of someone’s house, but this is not always possible.

6) Why has a parking bay been marked in front of my driveway?

To maximise parking space and reduce the amount of signs needed, many parking bays will be marked continuously across driveways. White ‘bar’ markings within the bays will be used to highlight entrances to driveways where there are dropped kerbs.

The alternative approach would have been to stop bays either side of driveways and mark a yellow line in between. This approach was not chosen as it would prevent residents from parking in front of their own driveways and would also require significantly more signs for each short section of parking bay, adding clutter to the street scene.

7) I used to be able to park outside of my house but there’s now a yellow line there that that will stop me doing this. Why has this happened?

The new restrictions were designed to reflect existing safe parking behaviour. In some instances this has not been possible. For example, on roads with through-traffic a single yellow line restriction may be used to assist traffic flow during the day, but allow parking at night.

8) My road suffers from parking problems, so why aren’t new restrictions being introduced?

The main reason for introducing these parking restrictions is to help residents to park near their homes. The effect of introducing these new restrictions will be monitored to see if it causes difficulties in other roads.

9) There are no parking problems in my road, so why are there going to be new parking restrictions?

Although there may not appear to be parking difficulties in some roads at the moment, the very nature of restricting parking could move the problem elsewhere. Other roads have therefore been included to reduce the likelihood of problems for residents.

10) What happens to the income the Council receives from permits and parking fines?

Legislation states that the Council can only use this income to cover the cost of enforcement and running the residents parking scheme. Any surplus would have to be spent on highway or transport improvements.

11) Can I use my permit to park in other Zones?

No. You can only park in the Zone for which your permit was issued. The signs in the permit parking areas will have a number on them to let you know which Zone they are in.