'˜Hoo-ha' over Lancaster city centre visitor parking

Lancashire County Council took over the running of parking services in Lancaster from the city council last year, but residents say that visitor permits are being sold to commuters, and students are giving them to friends.

“There’s a massive ‘hoo-ha’ about it,” said a member of Lancaster City Centre Residents Association, who did not wish to be named.

“They’re going to remove the green visitor cards, which at the moment we fill in day by day. Since they’ve implemented the scheme in Zone A, without a consultation, they’ve put in an interim system where they’ve given out green visitor cards for free.

“It’s been abused massively. Residents are selling the green visitor cards to commuters and students are giving them to friends as well.

The council doesn’t seem to want to know about the abuse.

“Often I can’t get a parking space myself, as there are all these green parking tickets.

We’re sick of it. We should be able to park, but they’re not policing it at all.”

County Councillor Keith Iddon, Cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “People should use their parking permits correctly.

“Visitor permits should not be misused, as it restricts the parking options for others.

“Some issues have come to light involving these permits since we took over responsibility for them last year.

“We are currently looking to make changes to the Traffic Regulation Orders for parking, which may help to resolve some of the issues.

“If people have specific concerns, please contact our parking team directly.

“We’re happy to discuss the issues and consider possible solutions.”

Coun Iddon said a public consultation on a proposed new residents’ permit scheme would take place “as soon as possible.”

Coun Keith Iddon added: “While people aren’t able to see the work we’ve been doing, we can reassure you that we are still working on this complex issue.

“I’ve met with local people and one of our county councillors to understand more about it.

“It’s really important to me that any new arrangements will help carers who are visiting people, and this is why our plans are taking some time to get right.”