Parking permit scheme fails to impress

2:08pm Thu Jul 22, 2010

I have received my letter informing me that in future I would have to pay £25 to park outside my house, like lots of other people (Residents Oppose Parking Plan, Advertiser, July 16).

I was informed by Nottinghamshire County Council that this comes with restrictions that don’t exist at present.

At present it is a 24-hour permit. Under the new scheme we will have only 8am-6pm. There is no evening, Sunday or Bank Holiday parking for residents.

To add insult to injury the non-resident side of the street is to be made two-hour parking for businesses.

What businesses? None in Lincoln Street, Appletongate or Northgate that haven’t got their own parking facilities.

Northgate rail station has ten minutes free in the NCP carpark, the Robin Hood carpark virtually opposite the station has 30 minutes free and the station has a dropping-off point.

Perhaps the powers-that-be think people would walk into town from here, returning with bags of shopping, all within two hours. I don’t think so.

I have asked the county council what businesses will benefit but its silence is deafening.

I have also pointed out that it is normal for there to be more than one car in a family and that the opposite side of the road is used as overflow until we can get back in.

It is obvious the county council has known about this for some time but as usual the time for objecting has been very limited.

I have pointed out to county councillor Keith Girling that whoever drew up these street plans seems to have sat down with a bunch of crayons and with complete lack of knowledge, or understanding of the consequences, put the pretty coloured lines down.

A child could have done better and I sincerely hope people fight this issue.

— JIMMY JAMES, Lincoln Street, Newark.