Free Parking or the Environment?

Climate campaigners are pointing out that Brent Council's policy to offer free parking at some town centres in the run up to Christmas sits uneasily with its declaration on climate emergency, and I agree with them.  I agree for the same reasons I gave previously:

• When I was looking at changes to Harlesden Town Centre, I was assured that only about 15% of shoppers to an average London Town Centre came by car.  Most travel on foot or by public transport.
• To some extent, the free parking policy will encourage negative factors such as poor air quality and traffic congestion that make the centres less attractive to shop in.
•  Thirdly, the free parking only forms an attraction where there are Council parks that are part of the scheme.  Places like Kilburn High Road lose out from any supposed benefit because it has no Council owned park.

The policy was always a bad one that was inconsistent with Brent Council's generally environmentalist approach to transport.  It was only forced through during the early period of Cllr Butt's Council leadership.  In fact I continue to believe that some charging needs to remain for both environmentalist and congestion reasons.