WOLVO PARKERS DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION

02-02-2007

Plans for tougher parking enforcement could raise thousands of pounds for one West Midlands city - but Edward Cameron reckons it will just put motorists into reverse.

From next week there will be even more incentive to shop in Brum, Telford and Merry Hill.

As of the fifth of February Wolverhampton Council will double the number of parking wardens on the streets of the city centre.

Now shoppers who outstay their welcome by boosting the local economy a bit too much are going to be twice as likely to get slapped with a fine of £30 (or £60 if they fail to cough up within a fortnight).

Currently the city has around eleven wardens issuing fixed penalty notices so expect a big clamp-down, if you'll pardon the pun, come next week.

The wardens will also be able to get you for driving in a bus lane.

Now when it comes to double yellow line parking and people who just openly flout the rules I'm all for it.

Except that Wolvo Council has never been that hot at working out what it can do to actually encourage people in to the centre.

Adding in all those bus lanes, especially the ridiculous system which uses up half of the A449, serves only to irritate car drivers.

A few years back the local authority spent thousands of pounds filling in the recesses for buses to stop in so that drivers would be forced to let them out - and put up with being stuck behind a stationary bus.

But instead of coaxing them on to the buses, which are late, dirty and crime-ridden, it just persuades us to find another route - and a shopping centre with free or cheaper parking.

It has been reported that around 24,000 tickets could be issued during the first 12 months, bringing in more than half a million pounds in revenue.

Maybe Wolverhampton City Council can use it to reduce the parking charges in the first place, so that fewer people shop somewhere more driver-friendly.