Council To Implement new Residents’ Parking Scheme In Harold Wood To Reduce Commuter Congestion.

Havering Council will implement a new residents’ parking scheme in Harold Wood to reduce congestion from commuters writes Sebastian Mann, local democracy reporter.

Harold Wood Station is the final stop on the Elizabeth line within Zone 6, before train fares rise considerably. As a result, the ward has become a “hotspot” for commuter parking as they try to save money, the council says.

Several controlled parking zones (CPZs) are already in place across Harold Wood, but there has been overspill from the Kings Park estate and the council is concerned it will “increase significantly” as more and more people realise the roads are unrestricted.

“Given the estate’s extreme proximity to the station, it is likely to be only a matter of time before it becomes a well known free parking option for commuters,” officers said in a report published this week.

In a bid to curb the problem, the council has proposed a CPZ to control parking between 8am and 6.30pm, Mondays through Fridays.

In order to park within a CPZ, drivers will need either a parking permit or to pay for on-street parking. It will not affect residents parking in their own private driveways.

Residents have been supportive of the proposals, but the majority said they wanted it to be in effect all day.

Some 91 residents told the council they supported the five-day CPZ, while 72 said they would like to see it in action all week.

It will cost the town hall around £29,000 to implement, including advertising costs.

The council is also planning to install new road safety measures in Upminster in a bid to reduce accidents.

Proposals were successfully put forward for an additional exit lane, staggered pedestrian crossings, new signals on the right-hand lane and new traffic islands at the junction between A1306 New Road and Upminster Road North.

There were ten accidents on the road between November 2019 and November 2024. Only one of them was classed as serious, while the others were ‘slight’.

The council says that, based on the history of collisions, improving the safety of right turns from Upminster Road North and South and providing “formal pedestrian facilities” should be a priority.

The scheme will also involve lengthening the footpath on the southeast corner of the junction and introducing two new lane merges on New Road, at the exit from the junction.

It has been costed at around £155,000 and will be funded by a grant from Transport for London.

The council launched a public consultation for nearby residents. More than half said they supported it.

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