We can't park in our street during Friday prayers

7:00am Thursday 22nd January 2009

By Sarah Hilley

BROADGREEN residents are appalled by a call from Muslims asking wardens to spare them parking tickets while they pray.

Muslims are getting tickets for parking on residents’ parking spaces near Broad Street and Manchester Road mosques for an hour on Fridays.

In the past, Swindon Council wardens largely ignored illegally parked cars during prayers.

But now wardens are ticketing without restraint after ward councillors Derique Montaut (Lab, Central) and Junab Ali (Lab, Central) said the law should apply to everyone.

Broad Street Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator Karen Coulthard said she dare not leave the house during Friday lunchtimes for fear of losing her space.

She said: “The area gets completely clogged up. There have been incidents when we have been out shopping and come home on a Friday lunchtime and there is nowhere for us to park.

“We had to go away and come back again. They seem to park everywhere, even up alleys so we can’t even enter the back entrance. We have to rush out and get back early, or stay away until after 2pm.”

Last week, Muhammad Ali – a representative of the Marat Shahjalal mosque in Manchester Road – told the Adver that residents’ parking spaces were often empty during Islamic prayer time anyway. He hopes Swindon Council will reconsider its ticketing policy during Friday prayer times.

But Mrs Coulthard said residents pay £25 annually for their resident parking permit to secure their spaces.

“If a space is empty it should stay empty until a resident returns,” she said. “We have paid for those spaces. A lot of residents have the same view as me.

“We know everyone has a right to pray but they cannot expect special privileges in a residential area. Lots of residents come to me saying: ‘Karen we cannot find parking’.

“We are trying to be sympathetic. No-one is being vicious but we just want things to be fair.”

The original story has generated a strong reaction on the Adver website with 76 comments.

One writer, living in Stratton, wrote: “Well they could change the law and let people park around the area between noon and 2pm on a Friday. I can't see this being a problem if the residential parking areas are freed up from people being at work.”

And Why oh why, of Swindon, wrote: “If they are allowed to get away with not having a permit I think everybody who does have to pay for one should apply for a refund from Swindon Council.”

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