Controlled Parking Zones

REQUEST PURSUANT TO FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

I require:

1. A list of individually-defined Controlled Parking Zones, as
defined per Regulation 4, TSRGD 2002.

2. The extent of each individual Zone in item 1.

3. The Traffic Regulation Order or Traffic Management Order for
each individual Zone. Note that you are legally obliged to provide
this under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972, and
therefore should not be included in any cost calculations, since
they shall be easily accessible. Note that Council minutes are
strictly not acceptable, the request is specifically for the final
Orders themselves. The exemption in s.21 shall not apply if the
documents are merely available for inspection or require prior
notice or appointment (s.21(2)(b),s.21(3)).

4. For each zone listed in 1(a), a copy of the design diagram or
specification for the signs on entrance to each zone produced by
the Council. There is no need to provide copies of the diagrams
from Schedules 1-11 to the TSR.

The Council is reminded of its duties under s.16 FOIA, and
rejection on the basis of quantity or specification shall be
treated as a failing in these duties.

I require an acknowledgement of receipt within two working days,
and a summary of the exemptions that will apply along with an
estimate of when I can expect the full response within five working
days - this should allow you more than enough time to establish
whether any clarifications or exemptions are required. An estimate
of "within the 20 working days allowed by law" is not acceptable.
You are reminded that this is a limit, not an entitlement.

In respect of the recent request regarding Controlled Parking
Zones, I notice that 5 working days have passed, and you have
neither acknowledged the request, estimated a timescale for
compliance, nor outlined the exemptions that you consider may
apply. I now require you to do this.

Dear Dennis,

First of all, I note that it has taken 19 working days to reach
this stage. You will be aware that you have 20 working days to
comply, and in any case should comply promptly.

In relation to item 1, a list of all "Controlled Zone" schemes
shall suffice. I fail to see how this would amount to a great deal
of work - Environment or Highways must have such a list on hand.

In relation to items 2 and 3, if the extent of each Zone is
specified in the Order, the Order iteslf shall suffice. I am not
looking for *all* restrictions, only those specified as
zonal/blanket restrictions.

As you are required by law to make Orders available (reg.17 SI
1996/2489, s.228 Local Government Act 1972), clearly they are filed
for easy access and retrieval, and will not themselves contain any
exempt information. In any case, you are reminded that to deny this
part of the request would constitute an offence under s.228(7)(b)
for each Order not provided.

In relation to item 4, unless a non-standard or specially
authorised design is used, it shall be sufficient to list for each
Zone the working diagram number (e.g. P662) with the details of any
variation (e.g. "ticket" substituted for "controlled"), that should
appear at the each entry of that Zone - for the avoidance of doubt,
this should be one item per Zone, and copies of the DfT standard
working diagrams need not be supplied. It will not be sufficient to
say (e.g.) "a Controlled Zone sign", since there are several
different approved designs for different purposes. This information
presumably must be easily accessible in order for the Council to
fulfil its duties under reg.18 SI 1996/2489. If this is not stored
but is derived from the Order by Highways each time a replacement
is needed, it will be enough to say this.

I trust this makes things clearer.

Electronic copies of all documents are preferred, but for any that
are not held in this way, as a last resort I may be prepared to
collect them in person from Civic Centre reception of an evening -
I live in Swansea but work full-time in Ammanford, so getting there
in the day is not reasonably possible.

Yours sincerely,

Chris

Dear Environment FOI,

Thanks for the update. I would prefer PDF, though either format
would be acceptable.

Yours sincerely,

Chris