People in Grange Court and Abbey Court, Waltham Abbey want residents-only parking back after its success during the Olympics
1:27pm Tuesday 21st August 2012 in Where I Live By Clare Hardy, Reporter
Residents including Jennifer Barker (third from right) who want to see residents-only parking zones stay
THE success of a scheme run during the Olympics to ensure people could park outside their homes has sparked calls for it to be made permanent.
People in Waltham Abbey were given residents-only permits during the Games, while the canoe slalom events were taking place at the Lee Valley White Water Centre nearby, to stop visitors parking
outside their homes.
Grange Court and Abbey Court resident say that since the end of the events, workers from nearby businesses, mainly Apollo property maintenance in Church Street, are blocking up their streets again.
June Economou, 72, of Grange Court, said: “It’s horrific. They park on the white lines and block the driveway.
“I walk the dog with one of my friends at 6.30am and by 7am, they’re coming down.
“People are having drives put in because of it and that’s expensive.
“Parking permits made it a lot better. Having permits would be better – as long as they’re not extortionate.”
Jennifer Barker, of Abbey Court, who has organised a petition in the past for something to be done about the problem, said: “Cars park right on the corner.
“When I go out of my drive, I have to go out of the turning on the wrong side of the road because I can’t get onto the right side of the road.”
She said she would support the idea of residents-only permits and added that companies should be given more permits so more of their staff can use council car parks.
“They might not be getting the full car parking fee, but something is better than nothing,” she added. “The car parks are empty.”
Keith Harris, finance manager for Apollo, said: “We pay employees to park in council car parks – they claim the fee back.
“I’m happy to help the residents and speak to them, but we do all we can.
“We have a fleet of 800 vehicles and we’re maybe talking about one or two people.
“If residents tell us the registrations, we can tell if it’s our car or not and can give the person a ring.”
The Guardian has contacted the North Essex Parking Partnership, which is responsible for new schemes, regarding permits.
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