Drivers will no longer be able to avoid traffic wardens by breaking parking rules under the cover of darkness in one west Kent borough.
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has recently carried out night time parking enforcement, which raked in 138 penalty charge notices, and is now planning more nocturnal clampdowns.
Between 9pm and 3am on October 30 and 31, traffic wardens patrolled the street of the town centre and Southborough in response to concerns raised by residents and the police, the council said, revealing that it was likely to repeat the exercise.
Sergeant Diane Webster, from the town’s police force, said: “Parking inconsiderately or dangerously not only causes problems for pedestrians and road users, it also poses a hazard for emergency service vehicles, which may have difficulty in responding to 999 calls because of thoughtless parking.”
She said local residents had told officers through surgeries and PACT meetings (which stands for police and community together) that inconsiderate parking was an important issue to them.
Elsewhere, particularly in London where some areas have wardens patrolling 24-hours a day, campaigners have accused councils of overzealous parking enforcement.
Norman Baker, the Lib Dems transport spokesman, has said that penalising drivers for minor offences throughout the day and night showed Town Halls’ desperation to raise as much money as possible overcoming common sense.
In Tunbridge Wells, one resident, who did not want to be named, said the night time patrols were another example of the council’s “draconian” approach to parking regulation.
“In the High Street and the Pantiles the place is a ghost town,” he said. “It’s not because the shops are not here it is purely because the council is draconian on parking. You don’t have to be more than a minute and a half over the time and you’ve got a ticket.
“It’s always been daylight robbery and now it’s night time robbery.”
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council said it had no plans to introduce night time parking enforcement.
A spokesman for Sevenoaks District Council said there were no plans to change the parking wardens’ schedules.
However, they already patrol until 9.30pm and sometimes later in areas where there are restrictions, he said.
West Kent councils are struggling in the current economic climate, with their income down due to the recession and between them they have to savings of more than £2million next year.
Tunbridge Wells council has to find savings of £800,000 each year for the next three years.
However, the council said that the night time traffic warden patrols were in response to concerns raised by residents and the police.
Cllr Paul Barrington-King, portfolio holder for sustainability said: “We have carried out night time parking enforcement recently in response to concerns from the police and local residents about the increasing number of cars parked overnight on double yellow lines in some areas, which create a hazard to other road users.”
Kent Police’s Sgt Webster added: “Dunorlan Park fireworks night is a popular event that attracts a lot of visitors, so parking wardens were out on that night to ensure people who travelled to the event by car parked safely and considerately.
“The event was a great success and we will continue to work with our partners to address the concerns of local residents by taking positive action.”
POSTED: 24/11/2009 15:27:21
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