Pedestrian zones
A pedestrian zone is a road or roads with a temporary restriction on motorised traffic at specific times.
Vehicles are not allowed to enter the zone between these times unless they have been granted an exemption.
The aim is to improve local safety and air quality and make it easier for pedestrians to use the road space.
Enforcing pedestrian zones
Pedestrian zones are enforced using CCTV cameras with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) positioned at the entry and exit points of the zone.
Entering a pedestrian zone during the times of prohibition is an offence under the Traffic Management Act 2004 and may incur a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) if the vehicles are not granted an exemption permit.
The cost of the PCN will be £130, which will be reduced to £65 if paid within 14 days.
Outside of the restricted period, the road or roads operate as normal and no permit is required to enter the area.
Leaving the pedestrian zone is allowed to everyone during camera operational times.
Exemptions to the pedestrian zone
Exemption permits are free of charge and the following are exempt in the pedestrian zones.
- Residents (whose vehicles are registered to an address within the pedestrian zone).
- Local business staff within the pedestrian zone with a requirement to park onsite.
- Disabled Blue Badge holders.
- Registered healthcare workers and NHS staff attending patients who live in the pedestrian zone.
- Emergency service vehicles and other public service vehicles such as waste collection.
- Hackney Carriage taxis, School Transport Vehicles, Dial-a-Ride and other specialist public passenger transport services.
- Marked delivery vans registered as commercial vehicles such as Royal Mail, UPS and DPD.
Because children and families may be using the space in the road, we encourage eligible vehicles to enter and exit pedestrian zones with caution and only where absolutely necessary to maintain safety, ensuring that vehicle volume and speed is kept to a minimum.
How to get a pedestrian zone exemption permit
- Please have any documents you may need to support your application ready.
- Go to our parking permits page and select ‘Go to the MiPermit page to see all virtual permit types available to buy’.
- Scroll down to ‘Pedestrian Zone Virtual Permits’ and select what is appropriate to you.
- Read all the relevant information and then press ‘Continue’.
- Enter all your details.
You'll be asked to create an account during the process of buying your first permit (not before) which you can then login to for further permits and to make changes.
Please note that once you make an account with MiPermit this will be a new account with MiPermit only and it is not your My Havering account login, or other Havering account login you may have with us.
There will be no charge for adding your vehicle to an exemption list, but it will remain your responsibility to keep your details up to date in the event your circumstances change.
Please also take time to read the permit terms and conditions.
Our parking permits are virtual which means you do not get a paper permit to display on your vehicle.
| Applicant | Document |
|---|---|
| Resident | Council Tax reference number or recent utility bill or bank statement in your name and address. |
| Blue Badge holders | Blue Badge details together with a supporting letter from the school whether to staff, pupils or parents. |
| Business staff | Company letter to confirm that you are an employee with a requirement to park onsite. |
| Registered Health Carers or NHS staff attending patients | Evidence of your employment with your duty towards a patient\client living in a school street area. |
| Emergency services Waste collection Hackney carriage taxis Other public transport services Marked delivery vans |
Will be automatically exempt. |
When applying for an exemption permit online via MiPermit you will need to provide proof of vehicle ownership such as the V5 Vehicle Log Book, lease agreement or allocation from your company showing your name and the vehicle registration number.
Examples of where exemptions will not be granted in a pedestrian zone
The following will not be granted exemptions for their vehicle to arrive at the times of the pedestrian zone and may be issued a PCN if entering the area during the operational times.
- Residents living outside the pedestrian zone.
- Parents/carers dropping off/collecting children at a nearby school. (A person providing childcare, similar to that of a childminder – whether it’s a family member or a paid person/organisation, is deemed as visitor and will not be eligible to apply).
- Friends and relatives of residents in the pedestrian zone (visitors).
- Tradespeople.
- Unmarked delivery vehicles.
Instead, it is advised that any planned visitor either chooses to walk or cycle their journey, park their car in a nearby street and walk the short distance to the pedestrian zone or arrive outside of the restricted hours.
Challenging a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) fora pedestrian zone in special circumstances
A visitor or a taxi taking a resident to a doctor appointment sporadically or as an emergency, will receive a PCN which will be able to be challenged providing evidence of the doctor appointment as a mitigating reason.
Tradespeople attending emergency call-outs during the camera operating times may be issued a PCN but will be able to challenge it upon receipt providing evidence of the emergency call-out attendance showing date, time and address.
Breakdown/recovery vehicles attending an incident during the hours of operation would require evidence to be provided in the event of a PCN being issued.