‘Sick' of what he believes is a lack of parking in Boughton, one Spital Walk resident is calling for resident parking permits to be introduced to the area.
Teacher George Beasley has had to fork out a total of £362 in fixed penalty notices since Janaury last year.
Branding the parking situation on Spital Walk – which has single and double yellow lines along it – an ‘absolute nightmare’, Mr Beasley is asking Cheshire West and Chester Council for leniency for people who live in the area, struggle to find a parking space when they return from work and are unable to move their cars in time in the morning.
He said: “The tactics used by some enforcement officers can only be described as aggressive – most tickets have been issued just after 8am when cars have been left the night before because there simply is nowhere to park.
“The bottom line is that residents around here are sick of the lack of parking. There are just not enough spaces.
“What bothers me the most is their complete refusal to take in the fact that it’s an absolute nightmare to park in Spital Walk – everyone parks there for walking into town or even working in town - and if you leave your car for a few minutes over you get a ticket just like that.”
Proposed solutions
Mr Beasley claims there are similar problems on other nearby streets, including Alma Street, but thinks the solution is parking permits for residents.
He has also suggested the council grant temporary tickets for early in the morning for cars parked on the pavement or yellow lines to give residents a chance to move their cars without incurring a fixed penalty notice.
“The thing that I find the most annoying is the issuing of tickets first thing in the morning before resident have had a chance to move their cars off the yellow lines – like the one my wife had issued at 8.10am on a bank holiday Monday,” he explained.
But the borough council has already explored the possibility of special parking for residents.
Assessment undertaken
Cllr Mark Henesy, cabinet member for environment and community, said: “I can confirm that we have issued fixed penalty notices to a couple of vehicles in Spital Walk for parking on the single and double yellow lines.
“The area was assessed last year for a possible residents parking scheme and it was found that the majority of the road is of insufficient width to accommodate both designated parking bays and emergency vehicle access.”
Do you think there's a parking problem in Boughton? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @ChesterChron.
