Parking in Mile End during the Olympics

What will the Olympics mean for parking in Mile End?

The London 2012 Olympics are "car free".  100% of spectators travelling to the venues will arrive by public transport - or that's the theory!

In order to ensure those living near the Olympic Park are not affected by lots of extra people trying to park their cars in the borough, Tower Hamlets Council has extended the parking controls in the Borough to all those parking zones nearest to the Olympic Park and other venues.

The whole of the Mile End area covered by Mile End Residents Association falls within Parking Zone B2

This means all our roads and parking bays in the Mile End area are affected by the new parking controls for the period of the Olympics.

Olympic Parking Zones in Tower Hamlets 16 July - 9 September

If you've been walking around the area recently you will have seen the new yellow signs indicating that  revised parking controls are now in force.

Parking controls now apply EVERY DAY between 8.30am and 9.00pm.

The major changes are that

• parking controls now apply every day
• the start time remains the same but parking controls are now extended to 9pm at night

This is what the Tower Hamlets website has to say about Parking during Olympic and Paralympic Games

Approximately half of the borough (the areas closest to the Olympic Park and Excel) will be subject to extended parking controls. If you live or work within controlled parking zones (CPZ) A4, B1, B2, B3, B4, D1 or D2, the parking controls in your street will be extended to Monday to Sunday, between 8.30am–9pm during the Games. These changes will be in place from 16 July – 9 September. During this extended period all restrictions will operate as they do now. View a map of the affected CPZs. (85kb PDF).

Other CPZs will have no extension to the hours or days of operation.

The bottom line for residents

If you have a permanent parking permit you have no need to worry - your permit still allows you to

• park your car all day long 24/7 in the zone in which you live
• park anywhere in the borough (where parking is permitted) for up to 3 hours.  

If you do not have a permanent parking permit you will only need a 2012 Games parking permit if you plan to use on-street parking during the extended hours.

The following ONLY applies to those without a permanent parking permit

Apply for a temporary permit

This temporary permit will cover the extended hours of control only and will enable you to park within your CPZ.

To apply for your Games permit, you will have to send a photocopy or scanned image of one of the following proof(s)to qualify:UK Vehicle Registration Certificate (V5C) showing their Tower Hamlets AddressNew keeper supplement (V5C/2) - dated within 8 weeks of the date of application showing their Tower Hamlets AddressSales Invoice - only for a ‘brand new’ vehicle dated within 28 days of the date of application showing their Tower Hamlets AddressVehicle Lease agreement showing their Tower Hamlets AddressCompany vehicle - a company letter dated within 28 days of the date of application to confirm that:

a)You are an employee or a licensed taxi or minicab driver;
b)Your home address
c)You are authorised to drive the vehicle

In addition to the company letter you must also provide a photocopy or scanned image of the UK Registration Certificate (V5C) showing either the company or lease name.

If applying by post please send us a photocopy of your proof(s)to Parking Services, Mulberry Place (AH), PO Box 62475, 5 Clove Crescent, London E14 1GL.

You can apply for your Temporary 2012 Games parking permit with immediate effect by post, and online athttp://parking.towerhamlets.gov.uk/pages/OnlinePermitAppEntry.aspx. If you apply before 2 July you should receive your permit by no later than 9 July.

It is important to note that you will not be able to apply for a permit at a One Stop Shop or via the Customer Contact Centre.

Visitor Scratchcards

The important points about visitor scratch cards are as follows

• you do NOT need new scratch cards for the extended hours
• existing visitor scratch cards will be valid throughout the Games, however, they will cover an extended period of time. If you use a five-hour scratch card after 12.30pm on a week day, your visitor will be able to park until 9pm. 
• When you use a five-hour scratch card on the weekend, it will be valid for the whole day.

More information

If you have any queries then you can

• consult the Council's website
• email parking@towerhamlets.gov.uk or 
• call the council on 020 7364 5003 (from Monday to Friday between 8am–8pm. On Saturday between 8am–4pm).
• get more information about parking and the local area traffic management plans around the Olympic Park and ExCel from the London 2012 website at: www.london2012.com/accessandparking.
• You can also plan your travel during the Games at http://www.getaheadofthegames.com/.

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