SPALDING is in line for a purge on illegal parking – but the date of the first autumn swoop by a team of enforcement officers is being kept secret.
Lincolnshire County Council now has a team of 20 enforcement officers who will concentrate on town centre areas to enforce double and single yellow lines, yellow kerb markings and limited waiting times.
Spalding Town Forum heard there has been some police action on double yellows – especially in New Road, Spalding – but limited waiting parking areas have been untouched.
Spalding and District Area Chamber of Commerce president Phil Scarlett said the chamber supports the measure, but felt people needed to be educated about where they can park legally.
But Coun Roger Gambba-Jones said: “The argument that will come from highways and the enforcement team is that the education came when you passed your driving test – that’s what double yellow lines mean – so please don’t come whingeing to me when you get nicked.”
Coun Gambba-Jones said the enforcement team has a pecking order of towns to visit and there will be no warning when they come to Spalding.
He told the meeting: “We have been so lax for so long.”
Coun Graham Dark felt some kind of warning should go out.
He said: “I don’t like people having to learn by getting an £80 ticket or whatever.”
But Coun Christine Lawton felt the onus was on the driver.
She said: “If people are parking illegally nobody has any duty to warn them.”
Now the county has taken over responsibility for policing on-street parking, the county councillor overseeing highways – William Webb – says people need to be aware the rules will be “more regularly enforced now” and should take more care when looking for somewhere to park.