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Councillors want action on parking
NEAABE120201e2, hazardous parking in Kimberley. Christine Brown, Dot Saxton, Jim McDonald and David Nunn.
KIMBERLEY Town Council want police to have the same powers as traffic wardens to deal with the increase in hazardous parking in the town.
Town councillors said drivers were parking ‘anywhere and everywhere’ and there were not enough traffic wardens to deal with the problem.
Chariman Roy Plumb said: “They’re parking on yellow zig zag lines, blocking junctions, pulling up outside shops in Main Street and all sorts.
“These streets were built before there were cars and there’s just not the room that’s the trouble.”
Cllr Plumb said at last week’s council meeting that were not enough traffic wardens in the town to control the problem.
And he called for police to be given powers to issue tickets, as they had several years ago.
“It’s crazy,” he added. “A ridiculous state of affairs. Police used to have the powers and they were taken away. You would think they would work in a team.
“You see police beat officers out and about and we should utilise them.
“At the minute they can see illegally parked vehicles and they have to just walk past them.”
A spokesman for the police said traffic enforcement powers were handed to the council to free officers up to tackle crime.
But Cllr Dave Nunn said: “There has to come a time when police should come involved. It’s not just inconvenience, it’s a matter of road safety. It could cause a loss of life.
“It just seems illogical to me.”
The force spokesman added: “The enforcement powers for dealing with waiting restrictions, for example yellow lines, disabled parking bays and loading areas, was passed to Nottinghamshire County Council in 2008.
“This was after several reports were commissioned which found that dealing with these minor parking infringements was not an efficient use of police time and resources.
“With the constant demand on police officers to deal with a wide range of criminal offences, Nottinghamshire Police would not support a move to transfer or share powers for dealing with decriminalised parking offences.”
There are the equivalent of 5.5 full-time traffic enforcement officers working in Broxtowe.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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