Public Call a Halt to Parking Strategy

One of the central promises that took Ms Fiaz on to the elevated heights of the mayoralty, was the promise to introduce a ‘fair parking’ scheme. As a political slogan it was great. Everybody wants a ‘fair’ system.  One of the problems with ambiguous promises is that different people have different ideas as to what ‘fair’ means.

When the ambiguity is stoked with nod and winks suggesting favourable treatment to one religious community, there is a recipe for disaster. 

In her 100 Days Message Mayor Fiaz promised.

“You’ll be hearing more soon about …the fair car-parking review and a whole bunch of other stuff that I promised to deliver on.”

People expected that the hints about free Friday parking and reduced pricing costs would be turned into policies.

What they got was increased parking charges and a policy designed to get cars off the road.

Having cancelled the first set of consultations because the public got it wrong, roughly 1000 days after her election we got the results of her second consultation on this policy. And the public rejected her proposals. Again. Her flagship policy became a political car crash.

In a massive display of support for the Mayor’s proposals, 19 people backed the plans.

Almost 170 opposed them.

The Mayor who made a major virtue of her willingness to listen to the people and to engage them in participative democracy, has now ridden roughshod over the views of the people as expressed in the consultation.

Clearly, she will listen to the people, but only when the people learn to get it right!