ENFORCEMENT of an experimental traffic scheme to tackle commuter parking is due to begin on Monday (1 March).
The scheme, in Clarendon Park, was introduced on 1 February to help address the problem of commuters parking all day for free in the area.
It means that motorists who fail to display a relevant parking permit could now be issued with a penalty charge notice of £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days.
Ward councillors in the area had called on Leicester City Council to look at ways to prevent commuters using residential streets for free, all-day parking.
The latest experimental measures restrict non-residents from parking there between 9.30am and 10.30am on weekdays. Drivers who are unable to return to their cars to move them between 9.30am and 10.30am are unlikely to park there in the first place, freeing up spaces for residents, local shoppers and visitors to the area.
The scheme covers the streets immediately adjacent to Queens Road - which contain around 530 parking spaces - but it does not cover Queens Road itself, so that customers visiting businesses in the area can still park.
The experimental nature of the measures will allow council officers to adjust them to meet local needs, or to stop the scheme altogether if residents feel it isn’t working.
Castle ward members Cllr Danny Myers, Cllr Patrick Kitterick and Cllr Deborah Sangster had called on city council officers to look at how to ease the commuter parking situation in Clarendon Park. Similar parking measures are currently in place in parts of Nottingham and London.
The experimental traffic order includes Cradock Road, Oxford Street, Edward Road, Montague Road, Seymour Road, Cecilia Road, West Avenue, Central Avenue, East Avenue, North Avenue and Orlando Road, as well as parts of St Leonards Road, Howard Road and The Avenue.
Properties on Queens Road and the northern side of Clarendon Park Road that are adjacent to the scheme area are able to apply for permits, although Queens Road and Clarendon Park Road are not subject to the new parking restrictions.
Residents and businesses will be able to give their views on the experimental traffic order throughout the trial period, which runs until 31 August. The scheme can then either be ended, continued, modified or even extended to streets which express an interest in joining the experiment.
Permits are available to residential and business properties in the area, and people are not charged for permits during the trial period. Provision is made for essential visitors such as carers, as well as Blue Badge holders.
Leicester assistant city mayor for policy, delivery and communications, Cllr Danny Myers, said: “All three Castle ward councillors are aware of the problems caused by commuters using residential streets in Clarendon Park for free, all-day parking, which impacts on residents and businesses in the areas. This experimental scheme is designed to help resolve that, by preventing people from parking all day.”
Cllr Kitterick added: “By focusing on the streets immediately adjacent to the Queen’s Road shopping area, we are specifically targeting commuter parking, and trying to keep to a minimum the impact on genuine residents, shoppers and other visitors throughout the day.”
More details of the scheme, including eligibility and how to apply for a permit, are available here: https://www.leicester.gov.uk/transport-and-streets/parking-in-leicester/get-a-parking-permit/clarendon-park-experimental-scheme/