Overview:
Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) make it easier for local residents and workers to park near their homes and places of employment. They help reduce traffic and pollution by discouraging commuter parking and can also improve safety by reducing dangerous parking. In 2019 Marlborough Highways began a major four-year programme of CPZ works in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, expanding existing schemes and introducing new school-specific CPZs.
The Challenge
In 2018 Barking and Dagenham Council approved a four-year CPZ programme with a view to improving parking access for residents, visitors, businesses, and blue badge holders across the borough. The works were intended to reduce traffic congestion, enhance access for pedestrians and improve air quality by promoting less vehicle usage and more sustainable modes of transport. As the council’s long-term highway maintenance contractor, Marlborough was tasked with carrying out the entire project, which involved the expansion of existing CPZ schemes introduced at various stages over the last two decades, as well as 20 new school-specific zones located around 51 of the borough’s schools.
Each scheme had to be completed to strict time frames and to budget, with a complex schedule of temporary lane closures needing to be expertly managed. Ahead of the works, extensive stakeholder consultation was carried out by the council, with feedback from residents, businesses and civic organisations taken into consideration. While there was over-whelming enthusiasm for the programme, the planning team did need to consider some objections raised about parking access. As such, the works had to be conducted in a manner that was sensitive to those concerns and cause minimum disruption to the local community.
The Solution
Working closely with Barking and Dagenham Council, and after reviewing the results of the public consultation, Marlborough proposed improvements to the initial CPZ plans, drawing on their experience and expertise of managing of such schemes. Central to the works was the need foster and maintain excellent relationships with local residents and businesses, to ensure objections to the scheme were managed conscientiously and sympathetically. The project team formulated a detailed schedule, across more than a dozen designated zones of work in the borough, each comprising more than 30 streets. Rather than restricting access to entire roads, Marlborough carried out the works one side of a street at a time, allowing for the continual flow of traffic with only temporary lane closures required.
Marlborough carried out the works with precision and expertise, ensuring that each parking bay was compliant with legal traffic regulations, and that emergency vehicles could pass through quickly and easily when required. Road marking and signage teams worked in unison, and permits were issued quickly and efficiently, with whole streets typically completed in just two days. Weekly progress meetings were conducted with Barking and Dagenham Council to effectively coordinate lane closures and to adjust work schedules as required when there was bad weather. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic initially hampering the project timelines, Marlborough extended works to include winter months and where necessary redeployed additional staff to ensure that each designated project zone was completed to schedule.
Fact File
Client Barking and Dagenham Council
Date Q4 2019 – Present
Duration 4 years
Value £1m+
Project
- In-depth planning of borough wide programme of works
- Installation of parking bays and posts
- Road markings
- Fitting of signage
- The assigning and distribution of parking permits
- Coordination of road closures in partnership with the council
Team
- 1 full time Project Manager
- 1 full time Supervisor
- 2 Marlborough Operatives assigned to road marking
- 3 Marlborough Operatives assigned to the installation of signage
Client savings
- Works continually completed to time and to budget despite Covid-19 challenges.
- Additional Operatives brought on site when bad weather delayed works.
Social value
- As part of its commitment to sustainability and to improving the environment in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, Marlborough donated £10,000 to the council for purpose of tree planting near the extended and new CPZs.
Quote from client
“We know one of the biggest bugbears for residents is parking and we’re making our borough safer, greener and fairer for everyone by introducing these CPZs which put people first.”
Councillor Margaret Mullane, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety, Barking and Dagenham Council
“One of the things I value most is their very collaborative and transparent team culture. It makes a big difference to have a contractor that wants to work closely with us and is supportive and responsive. With Marlborough, I get a team who are attentive, work collaboratively and honestly with me and don’t lose focus on delivering first class communications and compliance.”
“From the design stage, Marlborough has been fundamental in delivering the Broad Lane Square improvements scheme. During the works, not only did the team manage to keep to the programme, but they went the extra mile to ensure attention to detail and came up with innovative solutions to address issues encountered on site. My thanks on behalf of Haringey goes out to Marlborough for their dedication to deliver.”
“Working alongside our Term Service Contractor Marlborough Highways, we successfully completed renovations to the Crowstone Footbridge. The designs were provided by Marlborough, and the work was unique. The scheme was completed to budget and ahead of its programme duration.”
“I would like to thank you and your team for your efforts, the Marlborough crews were professional, courteous, and hard working all day and ensured the event went without a hitch. You and the team were a credit to the company, demonstrating commitment and support to the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.”
“I just wanted to say what a pleasure it has been to work with Marlborough Highways over the last six months. The quality of work is superb, and there has been some excellent collaboration between Milestone and Marlborough to complete, what at times, has been quite a challenging scheme. I hope to work with Marlborough on another project in the near future.”
“Marlborough worked with us in constructing a 1.3km cycle track. There were a number of technical difficulties to overcome, and their gifted foreman worked to propose some innovative solutions to the challenges we faced. The result is a facility that the locals are proud of, providing walkers and cyclists with alternative access to the hospital and nearby school. The scheme was a lot of hard work, but well worth it.”
“Marlborough attracts people who take care and have pride in their work. Several gangs of Operatives worked tirelessly for six months to reconstruct drainage networks, lay more than 3km of high quality bespoke granite kerbs and granite channels blocks to ensure positive drainage. The technical compliance, attention to detail and level of quality finish along the entire carriageway was exceptional”.
“We saw huge benefits in appointing Marlborough as our full service contractor and we’re impressed – they’ve delivered consistent high quality service and superior quality control across every project. Marlborough, provide us with a ‘one-stop’ shop solution – we get the same quality of service and better control across all aspects of the project.”
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