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Residents given tickets for parking outside their homes

11:00am Monday 27th October 2008 in News Photograph of the Author By Ben Perrin

Crystal Brennan, Kirsty Jennings and Kleo Robinson with parking tickets they have received Crystal Brennan, Kirsty Jennings and Kleo Robinson with parking tickets they have received

FURIOUS residents have called for traffic wardens to stop issuing them with tickets outside their Swindon homes.

Locals in Limes Avenue, Pinehurst, say they can park nowhere else other than on double yellow lines.

They say road markings allowed a bus route to run through their street – but the bus has not been operational for at least a decade.

Some tickets have been issued as early as 6am and 7am.

Mum-of-six Kleo Robinson, 45, has been issued with 15 tickets since September last year. Six were slapped on her car in the last week. Nine of these tickets have since been revoked.

“It’s getting to the stage where it feels like a personal vendetta,” said Kleo.

“It’s really irritating people now. Where are we suppose to park?

“If we park on our side of the road we get tickets.

“It’s strange as well as someone seems to be blacking out these double yellow lines.

“Then the council comes out and paints it up again.

“The residents on the other side of the road can park outside their homes but we can’t.

“I really hope a solution can be found.”

Coun Maurice Fanning (Lab, Gorse Hill and Pinehurst) said he was aware of the situation and sympathised with residents.

“It sounds like the enforcement officers are being a little more over-zealous than they used to be,” he said.

“They could do with using a modicum of restraint.

“I know it’s difficult. We need to look at this otherwise these problems will continue.

“If we don’t introduce dropped kerbs and allow parking in front gardens these problems are never going to ease.”

North Swindon MP Michael Wills said: “I’ve been dealing with this issue for some months. This is clearly a big problem and is yet to be resolved.

“I would like to say that council officers are taking a constructive approach to the problem and I’ve always found these officers willing to do their best for the people of Swindon.”

Swindon Council spokesman Richard Freeman said: “We are aware of the matter and are looking into it.”

Comments(23)

aynsley says...
11:36am Mon 27 Oct 08

Shock news... People continually park on double-yellow lines; said people continually get parking tickets!

I can't park outside my house either and I've occasionally done so and got a ticket. I haven't gone running to the paper as I accept I've parked illegally. Parking restrictions are there for a reason.

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Always Grumpy says...
11:46am Mon 27 Oct 08

Yellow lines = no parking.

It's not rocket science, although it seems it might just as well be to these people.

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Bobfm says...
11:53am Mon 27 Oct 08

Obviously I agree that these tickets appear to be justified, however if as has been said the reason they were put there originally for a bus service that doesn't exist, then surely common sense should prevail. Come on Peter G. We know you are a celebrity now but this does appear to something easily resolved one way or the other.

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sn5 says...
12:27pm Mon 27 Oct 08

North Swindon MP Michael Wills said: “I’ve been dealing with this issue for some months. This is clearly a big problem and is yet to be resolved.

- shows how effective an mp he is (NOT)

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Born and Bred says...
12:43pm Mon 27 Oct 08

Well I just wondered do they get a chance to purchase parking tickets for residents or offered parking somewhere else ,If not then I can see why they are complaining ,But yes its time all residents were issued with one free card that allows them to park at any time ,You have to keep renewing if you forget to renew on time , ,they slap a ticket on there ,even though they know you live there Do they expect us all to park on a local field like Honda ,

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her_in_doors2 says...
12:50pm Mon 27 Oct 08

Wake up B&B they are parking on double yellow lines not residents parking. Yellow lines are there for a reason - you can just see the headlines if one of her 6 children were to be run over whilst playing in the road between the cars. You shouldn't purchase a car until you have somewhere off-road to park it.

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The ModFather says...
12:51pm Mon 27 Oct 08

I have been driving since 1996 and I have never received a parking ticket. There is no excuse for it. Double Yellow lines mean no parking. Fact! However, I do sympathise with the residents though. There is no need for the yellow lines to be here, lets get them painted over and put this whole spectacle to bed. I bet the MP for the Pinehurst Constituency doesnt have yellow lines outside of his Ivory Tower.

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Big Mac says...
1:11pm Mon 27 Oct 08

Swindon Borough Council have done well to honour their pledge to remove fixed speed cameras.

They should now build on this achievement by finally getting round to painting over the miles and miles of pointless single and double yellow lines around the town.

It's been much discussed and much promised but has yet to have started to happen.

I live in a very short road, but even here it is blatantly obvious that the council could safely and easily free up at least three additional parking spaces.

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Worz says...
2:04pm Mon 27 Oct 08

I don't know the road. If there isn't room for one lane of moving traffic in each direction plus two sides of parking, then the council are right to yellow line one side.

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Mick12 says...
2:07pm Mon 27 Oct 08

Adver should change the headine to "Residents given Tickets for parking on Double Yellow Lines".

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scottyincs says...
3:49pm Mon 27 Oct 08

and anyway, aren't most of the cars in the photo parked on the pavement?

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Oik1 says...
4:11pm Mon 27 Oct 08

Given where those vehicles are parked in the Adver picture they deserve a parking ticket and quick removal.
Drivers who park in such an ignorant fashion get no sympathy here.
What about the safety of kids, older residents and disabled access along those footpaths when the lazy and bone idle want to park outside their homes?
Yes, I drive and no I can't always park outside my home either.

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faatmaan says...
4:18pm Mon 27 Oct 08

How many others suffer because one or two families in an area have three or more cars, underminding the amount of spaces available, and yes I also live somewhere with double yellow lines and no bus service.If you can't park your car legally, use your own front garden etc, but don't blame others for the problem, also the area in question has a poor reputation, as re:crime prevention article, people do not want to park in designated spaces , they want it in front of their homes,regardless of whom they inconvenience.Zero tolerance enforcement is the only way to clear up the area and this will assist in people being able to leave their cars legally parked.

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Robh says...
5:15pm Mon 27 Oct 08

These roads are not wide enough for cars parked on both sides plus it would pose a greater danger for kids playing.

There is nothing to say you should be able to park outside your own house, many can't. Just park on the other side of the road.

In Rodbourne they are starting to remove double yellows and making some double yellows into single yellows.

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yeti says...
5:25pm Mon 27 Oct 08

they are fully aware that they shouldn't be parked there.it is not the job of the traffic warden-police officer to care about residents gripes with a lack of spaces.
as they deliberately park there, i hope they get more tickets and increase the fines!
they could always get a drive laid.but that would mean the lazy buggers having to do something themselves rather than moaning to the council to do it with our taxes.

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The Witch says...
7:49pm Mon 27 Oct 08

yeti wrote:
they are fully aware that they shouldn't be parked there.it is not the job of the traffic warden-police officer to care about residents gripes with a lack of spaces. as they deliberately park there, i hope they get more tickets and increase the fines! they could always get a drive laid.but that would mean the lazy buggers having to do something themselves rather than moaning to the council to do it with our taxes.
Yeti even if they had a drive laid, they would still have to apply to SBC for a dropped kerb to approach the drive. It is an offence to drive over the pavement, they would have to submit plans and then who ever does the work has to build the dropped kerb to the council's set standards and have public liability, not so cut and dried as you think.

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Jiver says...
11:19pm Mon 27 Oct 08

Big Mac wrote:
Swindon Borough Council have done well to honour their pledge to remove fixed speed cameras. They should now build on this achievement by finally getting round to painting over the miles and miles of pointless single and double yellow lines around the town. It's been much discussed and much promised but has yet to have started to happen. I live in a very short road, but even here it is blatantly obvious that the council could safely and easily free up at least three additional parking spaces.
A lot of these "extra" double yellows went down (coincidentally I'm sure - NOT) when resident parking schemes were introduced

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Taffynut says...
7:50am Tue 28 Oct 08

I agree with Faatman, too many householders have 3 cars and some are not roadworthy! There should be some consideration for those single car householders. The Council SHOULD issue a permit to allow them to park. But the road seems far too narrow, so why not create a "Parking Space, so that single car
householders can park legally, multi car householders SHOULD think twice.Slap a ticket on the illegal parkers, but not thye permit holders. It is disgusting for those who are on a single income to be penalised just to park close to their properties. The Borough SHOULD permit for a drop kerb free so that the cars can be off the road and create ample space for the Emergency Services to drive through without juggling to avoid scratching the vehicles.

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PaulD says...
8:34am Tue 28 Oct 08

it looks justified to me

http://snipurl.com/4
rrbk

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yeti says...
3:05pm Tue 28 Oct 08

The Witch wrote:
yeti wrote: they are fully aware that they shouldn't be parked there.it is not the job of the traffic warden-police officer to care about residents gripes with a lack of spaces. as they deliberately park there, i hope they get more tickets and increase the fines! they could always get a drive laid.but that would mean the lazy buggers having to do something themselves rather than moaning to the council to do it with our taxes.
Yeti even if they had a drive laid, they would still have to apply to SBC for a dropped kerb to approach the drive. It is an offence to drive over the pavement, they would have to submit plans and then who ever does the work has to build the dropped kerb to the council's set standards and have public liability, not so cut and dried as you think.
i'm fully aware of the procedure thanks.i had one done myself.

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Captain Sensible says...
11:04pm Tue 28 Oct 08

I thought double yellow lines indicated where a) delivery lorrys and vans delivering parcels could park, b) taxi drivers can park to pick up and set down and c) where shoppers can do the same or people can wait to pick up friends. At least thats what I had assumed from observing drivers in Swindon. Is that not right?!

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Worz says...
12:36pm Wed 29 Oct 08

Captain Sensible wrote:
I thought double yellow lines indicated where a) delivery lorrys and vans delivering parcels could park, b) taxi drivers can park to pick up and set down and c) where shoppers can do the same or people can wait to pick up friends. At least thats what I had assumed from observing drivers in Swindon. Is that not right?!
IFAIK, double-yellow zones can be used for loading and unloading, unless they're also no stopping zones as well.

I have yet to find the clause in the Highway Code which states that you can park anywhere you like, as long as you turn all your indicators on :-)

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TheBlackHand says...
8:46pm Wed 29 Oct 08

Double Yellows are ther for a purpose so if you park on them you deserve the fine. It annoys me daily along Ermin St, there are cars parked on yellow lines/pavements daily, it's not much fun for the wheelchair users, mums, bus drivers the visually impaired and the rest of us who are held up constantly having to dodge these illegally parked cars, it's the same people all the time. The police should pop round the corner from there base and have a look for themselves and enforce the law!

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