LISBURN’S MOST TICKETED

The car park came in ninth with 1,107 tickets issued during the year. And Antrim Street itself saw another 640 motorists picking up a fixed penalty notice.

In all 7,625 parking tickets were issued across Lisburn in 2011, according to Department of Regional Development figures released to The Detail news website.

Other highly ticketed parts of the city included: Laganbank Road car park 950 tickets, Smithfield Square East Car park 484 and Castle Street 371.

In contrast just one ticket was handed out in Warren Gardens in 2011.

In surrounding areas 357 motorists got a ticket in Hillsborough, the majority of them in Ballyahinch Street car park; 145 in Moira with over half in Main Street; 39 in Dunmurry with all but two in Kingsway; 48 in Crumlin and two in Glenavy.

Many businesses in Lisburn have been complaining that over zealous issuing of parking fines, which are meant to keep traffic flowing, is actually driving customers away.

Last week Lagan Valley MLA Edwin Poots urged the Regional Development minister to re-think on-street parking charges in Lisburn and claimed it is not achieved what was originally intended.

Mr Poots said the initial concept of the charges, particularly in relation to on street parking, was to ensure there was a good flow of traffic uninterrupted by illegal parking and a turnover of vehicles to stop all day parkers.

Mr Poots said most people didn’t mind having to pay a small amount of money for the convenience of being able to call into the local shop with a reasonable chance of getting parked, but said ‘overzealous enforcement’ was giving traders and members of the public ‘bad experiences’.

“I would advocate that rather that raising the fees considerably above the fees for careless driving or speeding, that the numbers used for enforcement is reduced and that greater flexibility is given to those carrying it out to ensure that the basic principles of good traffic movement and turnover remain whilst we do not drive people out of our city centres and towns at the same time.”

The revenue raised by parking tickets is used, along with the income from car parking and other charges, to supplement the overall financing of DRD’s Roads Service by central government.

But the figures obtained by The Detail (www.thedetail.tv) show the cost of enforcing the parking regulations since 2006 was £36.1m while only £22.5m was raised in the same period.