Furious Stafford homeowners have hit out at “audacious” motorists who are using their street as a “free car park” to dodge £6 a day charges for the railway station car park.
People living on Brunswick Terrace say rail commuters are dumping cars outside their homes every morning before walking the short distance to Stafford Station and catching trains.
Incredibly, they have also seen holidaymakers parking up and unloading their suitcases before going away on trips – leaving their cars in the street for weeks at a time.
But the homeowners are powerless to do anything about the situation. If agreed by the council, a residents-only parking scheme could be brought in but the process of approving the move could take years.
Emma Smith’s grandmother moved into the new development when it was built two years ago. Miss Smith said she finds it increasingly hard to find a space when visiting her gran as more and more commuters realise they can park for free – often using residents’ private parking bays if the street is full.
The 24-year-old said: “Over the last couple of months, it’s just got worse and worse. I have people waiting for us to pull out while I’m picking my nan up. It’s disgusting – they’re parking there all day just because people can’t be bothered to pay at the station car park. They wouldn’t like it if they had 60 cars parked up and down their street and if you live in Stafford, why can’t you get the bus to the station?
“And I can’t believe people have the audacity to park in front of people’s houses and then go away for two weeks – I’ve seen them coming back trundling their suitcases down the street. It’s ridiculous.”
Miss Smith, of Hollins Drive, said the situation also causes congestion and has warned that double-parked vehicles, along with cars parked on the corner of Brunswick Terrace’s junction with Newport Road, could cause a serious accident.
Staffordshire County Council is responsible for administering residents-only parking schemes but the process of setting up the areas can take several years.
Spokesman Tom Hobbins said: “A local parking committee made up of county and district councillors considers areas to be put forward for residents’ parking schemes. The first chosen in Stafford is Castletown as this has been a problem area for a number of years. A consultation is taking place at the moment with residents so it can be decided whether to take this forward.
“Other areas are included on a database and will be considered in the future by the committee based on their need for a scheme.”
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