Parking permits survey launched
Leicester City Council has sent out surveys to thousands of residents living in its Freeman and Aylestone wards asking if they are willing to pay to park where they live.
The area being looked is bordered by Saffron Lane in the east, the old Ivanhoe railway line in the north, the River Soar in the west and along Wigston Lane in the south running to the Pork Pie roundabout.
Council bosses say the area suffers badly from people using the area to park for work and especially before home fixtures for the city's football, rugby and cricket teams.
If it went ahead, parking attendants working for the city council would patrol the area to make sure cars had permits.
Residents' permits would cost £25 each year and business permits would cost £100. The owners of cars caught without a permit would be fined £70.
The council cabinet member for highways, Councillor Patrick Kitterick, said: "This is the biggest area we have surveyed but whether any scheme would be this size is another thing.
"It would be fair to say that the northern area is particularly bad because of people parking on match days.
"Some streets may want a scheme, but others elsewhere may not. This is the information we want to get from residents. It will be their decision."
The council is allowing people until July 10 to send back their survey or fill one in online.
Aylestone city councillor Nigel Porter said: "There's an ongoing issue around the cricket ground, but the current restrictions are not properly enforced there.
"At the moment, they don't give tickets to people when they are parked on double yellow line or on corners.
"I hope this is not just an exercise for the council to pay for more wardens.
"People are telling me that they want a space to park outside their home but do not want to pay for it. It will be interesting to see the results of this consultation."
When the consultation ends, the authority will tot up the votes for and against in each street, and if there is support for a scheme then it will be centred around the streets where it is most popular.
Another consultation would then take place, but if, like in Clarendon Park last year, the idea of having permits is not popular then the council says there would be no scheme at all.
Grace Road resident Claire Boyes said: "When there is a cricket match on it is dreadful around here, but whether it is worth having one here at all times is another matter. You would not be guaranteed a space outside your home."
The consultation is also available online at at the website below.
Anyone with further enquiries can contact Frances Hayes on 0116 229 4112.
www.leicester.gov.uk/ aylestoneresidentsparking.
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