Outrage over parking problems

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Friday, 22 February 2019 16:27

By Carmelo Garcia - Local Democracy Reporter

A Hereford resident says he is ‘outraged’ by a county council decision to not introduce parking permit restrictions in a Southside neighbourhood.

Gareth Evans, of Court Crescent, says dozens of people use his street to park to go to work or go shopping in the city.

He said the problem has been made worse by highways contractors painting yellow lines in the area without allocating parking permits to residents.

“The permit scheme would have been ideal,” he said.

“I constantly have to put up with cretins parking their cars outside my house and leaving them for eight hours without any consideration for anybody else.

He said people also park there to go to the gym or to Bishops Meadows.

Mr Evans said he was told by council highways contractors Balfour Beatty that a petition against introduction of the permit scheme put an end to it.

“But then they put double yellow lines everywhere,” he said.

“The yellow lines even go onto the non-housing side of Court Crescent to apparently save the grass verge.

“Better the grass verges than my quality of life!”

Mr Evans asked to see the petition, but his requests were because officers said it would infringe data protection laws.

A Herefordshire Council spokesperson said that feedback from a public showed the community did not want a parking permit scheme.

“While we appreciate the concerns of individual residents, it was clear from the consultation feedback we received from people in this area that there is no evidence of satisfactory community support for permit parking restrictions overall,” he said.

“It is the priority of the council to deliver appropriate parking throughout the city, and we work with all residents to ensure that we understand where the issues are.”