People in Kingsdown and Clifton Wood have been sent maps showing them where they may have to pay to park under the proposed Residents Parking Zones (RPZ).

The schemes were proposed after residents living in the pilot zones complained they cannot park near their homes due to commuters using spaces in the morning and then walking into the city.

They have also raised concerns about students taking up a large number of spaces, and of poorly parked vehicles blocking access for the emergency services.

Once people vote on the finalised pilots, the city council cabinet will have the final say, with the authority to have the zones up and running by the end of the year or early 2010.

The maps show a boundary for each pilot scheme, and questionnaires quiz residents on their car ownership, what kind of scheme they would like to see and any parking problems they have.

The results will then be used by the council to draw up a detailed scheme for each area, intended to address inner-city parking problems.

Once that scheme is produced, residents will be given the chance to vote yes or no.

Anyone living within the zones would pay £30 for one vehicle, £110 for two and £310 for three, and up to £50 for visitor permits.

Pay and display bays would be provided in each zone, but buying a permit does not mean a guaranteed space outside a person's home.

In Clifton Wood the proposed zone is bounded by Victoria Park to the north, Hotwell Road to the south, Berkeley Place to the east and Clifton Wood Road to the west.

The Kingsdown zone is bounded by Cotham Road to the north, St Michael's Road to the south, Dove Street to the east and stops just short of Woodland Road to the west.

A number of roads are split by a blue line on the map. It appears that if you were to park two cars on either side of the line in a split street, one would have to pay and the other not.

The leaflets address a number of concerns raised by supporters of the zones.

A House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) would be entitled to the same number of passes as other houses, but tenants would not be able to apply for them as individuals.

The same rule would not apply to a house divided into six individual flats, as each flat could apply for up to three permits.

The questionnaires state residents in future, low car ownership developments may not be eligible for permits.

Yes to RPZ campaign group member Stephen Perry, 64, of Clifton Wood, said: "The questions appear to be designed to make sure the officials gain a good understanding of the needs of our streets.

"If the final scheme is well designed it will make life easier not only for local residents but for the emergency services and tradesmen working in our area.

"We will be issuing a leaflet to all households urging everyone to complete the survey forms by the deadline date. It is in everyone's interest to do so.

"We want a parking scheme but not just any parking scheme. It must be well conceived if it is to earn support when there is a yes/no vote."

Last summer the council sent out 53,000 questionnaires to homes across the city asking people whether they wanted RPZ.

Although the majority of people in Bristol said no, in six areas more than 50 per cent of people said yes.

All six are around the existing Controlled Parking Zone in the centre of the city.

The consultation came in for heavy criticism from opponents who felt it was biased in favour of the zones, and who fear introducing RPZ in one area just moves parking problems to the area next door.

Opponents of the zones feel the latest consultation exercise is no better than last year's.

Keep Parking Free group member Bernard Cooke, 53, of Clifton, said: "Sadly, we seem to have another sales document from the council.

"To say that a 'residents' parking scheme is planned for your neighbourhood' in the very first sentence of the document suggests that the council has decided what it wants to do, whatever the rest of the document might say.

"And to explain that an annual permit cost of £30 is 'equivalent to nine pence per day' is a technique used by insurance salesmen.

"To launch a consultation in two of the areas of the city with the highest density of university students and staff during the Easter vacation is almost unbelievable, especially after the criticism the council faced last year for carrying out a previous consultation during the summer vacation."

A council spokesman said: "We appreciate that people may be on holiday for some of that time, but we hope that the survey being open for a month will enable people to complete it even if they are on holiday for some of that time.

"The blue line on the map shows the area where people asked us to draw up a proposal in last year's consultation.

"November's cabinet report stated that these were not intended to be the final, fixed boundaries.

"As we have explained in the letter, everyone living within the yellow line on the map will be able to vote yes or no to the final scheme.

"The point about adjacent properties is, however, a valid one.

"Unfortunately, wherever there is a boundary we will get the situation where one property is within it and the next one is outside it.

"If an RPZ goes ahead, we will make sure that the boundaries are operationally viable."

The deadline for returning the questionnaires is May 8.

Operating hours:

9am-5pm, Monday to Friday in Kingsdown.

8am-9pm, Monday to Saturday, Clifton Wood.

Cost: one permit £30, two permits £110, three permits £310.

First permit free of charge for lowest polluting and electric vehicles.

Permit costs to be held for first three years of scheme, afterwards will increase with inflation.

Each zone to include at least 1,000 households.

First 50 visitors get permits free, then 50 more at £1 each.

Pay and& display bays will be free for first 15 minutes.

Junctions and crossing points will be protected by double yellow lines.