Call for 'common sense attitude' over city centre parking

LISBURN Council is asking the Roads Service to allow traffic attendants in Lisburn to be allowed to use common sense rather than having to strictly enforce rules.

Representatives from the council met Roads Service officials recently to discuss car parking issues in the city.

And the issue was also raised at last week's meeting of the council's Planning Committee when members discussed complaints from shoppers dismayed at the parking system and "aggressive" enforcement of penalty fines.

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The Mayor, Alderman Paul Porter said that he, along with Councillor Thomas Beckett and Chairman of the Planning Committee, Councillor Ronnie Crawford had met Roads Service officials to put across local people's concerns. They said a common sense attitude was needed to encourage shoppers to come to the city.

"We want shoppers to come to Lisburn, not stay away because of the parking system" Mr Porter said. I"Roads Service have agreed to attend a Planning meeting at the Council where the matter will be discussed further."

Mr Crawford also backed the call for a change in how the rules are enforced.

"I raised it at the Planning meeting because of the number of complaints I had received from people around the city centre" he said. "Traders unloading goods are being hassled and one lady received a ticket for being 12" over the line between spaces. A car behind had encroached on her space but when the ticket was issued that car had gone."

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He continued: "Parking does need to be regulated in the city centre and my complaint is the lack of flexiblilty and reasonableness by some of the traffic attendants.

"We are trying to increase footfall in the city centre but this driving shoppers to out. The traffic attendants ought to have the free movement of traffic as their priority."

Alderman Cecil Calvert said an alternative approach was required.

"If we want to improve the economic situation and retail in Lisburn we need to ask for the suspension of car parking charges in the weeks leading up to Christmas" he suggested.

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"People are sick, sore and tired of not being able to park their car close to where they wish to go. People are going outside the city centre."

A spokesperson for Roads Service said: "Roads Service met with members of Lisburn City Council area to discuss the provision of parking enforcement in the Lisburn city centre area. Roads Service listened to their concerns and are now considering issues raised."