Local residents are getting caught out by parking on London Road, on the stretch outside Tesco Express.
Initial plans were for Tesco's loading bay to be on Clifton Street, but probably as a result of objections from local residents, when Middlemede Properties Ltd submitted their revised planning application in July it stated that no HGV's would use Clifton Street. Instead the application featured a 25m loading bay on London Road.
Use of the loading bay is restricted to 7am-10am and 3pm-7pm which means parking is only allowed outside of these hours, with waiting limited to one hour. Two signs are placed either end of the loading bay, as above, but many local residents haven't noted the change and as a result parking tickets have regularly been issued on this stretch of the high street since the store opened on February 5th.
A couple of our members contacted us recently to say they had received tickets for parking during the restricted hours:
Sally Hirst said "Please don’t get caught as I did, the traffic warden is ready and waiting as a whole row of us were given penalties. Outside the Tesco Express I received a parking ticket because of the change from general restricted to loading bay at 3pm. I have contacted Cheshire East yesterday to challenge the ticket.
"Only on reading the penalty charge did I realise that this area became a loading bay. The signs indicating this change look no different to the others around the village other than being slightly longer. Only when close up are you aware of the additional restrictions. No other information has been erected regarding change of use and no letters have been painted on the road as is usual with a permanent loading area saying ‘LOADING BAY’.
"I believed I was correctly parked and had endeavoured to return to my car within one hour. I am now informing all I meet of the change, not one person has said they knew of the restrictions when I have spoken to them."
Ricky Lee added "My wife didn’t know the bays changed to loading bay from 3pm either and also received a ticket a few weeks ago, it seems the traffic warden knew the time of the change for those bays as she was given a ticket a few minutes past 3.00pm.
"When you see the warden waiting at a strategic position with his fingers ready on the ticket machine, it doesn't paint a good picture at all. I understand the value of having the warden to stop car users abusing the system but it would be nice to see some compassion.
"I see it as very unfair, many residents knew those spaces as normal spaces before Tesco, yet the change should have been given more publicity and more visible markings."
As I walked past just after 3pm today, three cars were parked in the loading bay and the traffic warden was standing by, though I didn't see him ticket any of these particular cars.
He said "They don't read the sign properly, they think they are OK to park for an hour and then I get it in the ear."
It is also worth noting that a number of changes have been made to the taxi ranks in Wilmslow which came in to effect on Monday. Whilst these changes have added some extra parking spaces in the town centre, drivers need to take note where and when they park, particularly on the service road on Alderley Road, to avoid getting a ticket. For full details read our article on wilmslow.co.uk.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
Maybe the council would know the exact number of tickets issues here each day but it is definitely in double figures. Quite simply the restrictions are not clearly marked in this bay, it feels as if the council are tricking people out of their money.
A parking ticket should be a fine for people who abuse the parking regulations. The number of people getting caught out here must indicate there is a problem with the signage.
The traffic warden will give people 5 minutes before he tickets the car.
P.S. The traffic warden told me I could park at the festival hall without paying as they are not enforcing this car park at the moment.
I have also requested figures for the revenue generated from these tickets.
A month or so ago the Tesco manager called the police to get cars removed from the bay as there was a lorry waiting, they ticketed all the cars and then went to several resturants located the car owners and got them to move their cars!
Tesco have a purpose built loading bay at the side of the building but have been prevented from using it due to power struggles between the local residents and Tesco, which has led to this messy arrangement being put in place.
I have noticed the traffic wardens are too keen to book people in front of Tesco on London Road but do do not book people on Clifton Street at the side of Tesco despite the restricted parking signs. When I asked two of the traffic wardens why this was so both said they had been told by their supervisor not to book anyone on Clifton Street. The result is that the Tesco manager, her staff and other traders are free to park here all day .
People who have been booked in front of Tesco should be reimbursed
I feel what should have been done for the first month was a big banner saying the parking hours had changed. It's just due to habit that people have missed the change. As this didn't happen, I would say its down to someone (the council I presume?) just 'following the rules' as usual, and not using common sense instead.
When I ask the wardens why this is they tell me the parking arrangements are up for review on the street as the residents have been pushing for residents parking permits, they are instructed not to book anyone on Clifton Street. Untill this is sorted out the Tesco staff are perfectly entitled to park there.
Given that most journeys by car are less than 2 miles, some people can avoid tickets by walking instead. This has several advantages; improve health and fitness; good for the environment; cost-effective; avoid traffic queues and parking; no drinking and driving.
I have been in to ask Tesco's if they can put a warning sign outside their shop or even in the window, but they say the council won't allow it. Does this mean that everytime we park our cars we have to read the notice because the council are not to be trusted. In fact it is time the council made their parking restrictions uniform so that they could be understood easily.
If Alderley Edge Authority want to encourage people to shop locally they will have to stop being so deceitful about their parking arrangements I have a mind to distribute leaflets to inform people of the new, sneaky restrictions - does anyone want to help me? Furious Jenny
A response isn't due until the end of the month but in the meantime I came across an interesting article:
A London council has taken an average of £1,400 in parking fines per day from a single Tesco loading bay in Twickenham. Over 20 months 10,000 fines were incurred. http://bit.ly/8XULE5
Where is the single yellow line outside Tesco Express? If their rules had been followed I would not have got a ticket!!
Go and shop in the coop instead. Pay the small charge to park for an hour and enjoy a nice latte at Fruitcake as well.
This is to raise awareness so that the majority of our villagers would not ended up being fined without having noticed that the rules on these spaces have changed. The new parking restriction is fine, it's just that most people knew those spaces as normal parking spaces and did not realise the change to look at the new signs (facing the road).
Vin, if you think the parking at London Road is an issue, please come round near the schools in the mornings and in the afternoons.
Brian, when was the last time you were able to park directly outside to where you were going to shop? I would guess only a small percentage of people parked at those spaces actully shopped at Tesco.