'No answer' to 'parking nightmare' in West Bromwich

People living in Law Street have long struggled to find spaces near their homes as workers and shoppers leave their vehicles in the road to avoid paying to park in the town centre.

In response, Sandwell Council offered people a residents' parking permit scheme which would stop unregistered vehicles taking up spaces in the road.

But following a consultation with the homeowners, just 11 out of the 38 people said they were in support of the scheme. Councillors are set to abandon the idea at a meeting tomorrow.

Ward councillor Patricia Davies said: "I don't know what the answer is.

"Because of parking by workers and shoppers it is a parking nightmare for people living in the street, as it is in other roads near West Bromwich town centre.

"The residents' parking scheme we all felt was going to be the cure.

"But the questionnaires had a mixed response. We are desperate to sort this, so it was disappointing."

Under the proposed scheme, residents would have paid £20 for a permit to park their car in the road, then £25 for a second vehicle.

Councillors are also looking to set up a similar scheme for people living in Montgomery Walk, which is accessed from Hargate Lane.

There are no other permit parking schemes in West Bromwich.

Councillor Davies said: "It's difficult in Law Street. You have people leaving their cars to walk into town, then there is there is Hargate Primary School.

"It hard for people not being able to find a space near their homes."

Fellow ward Councillor Paul Sandars said: "It is crammed around there. It is the oldest part of the town and the roads are very narrow.

"If people did vote for it it would have allowed some of the problems to be alleviated but if people don't vote that isn't going to happen.

"It was a great plan, very well organised.

"A lot of hard work went into it. But at the end of the day if people don't want it they don't get it.

"Elsewhere in Sandwell there are excellent schemes but if people don't return and don't put 'yes' (on the questionnaire) it doesn't take place.

"I am afraid in this case people were quiet or simply didn't want a residents' parking scheme."

Questionnaires outlining the proposal for the parking scheme were sent to 60 residents in Law Street in September.

Out of the 60, 38 were returned, with 27 against the proposal and 11 for.

In a report to tomorrow's cabinet petitions committee, officers said: "The majority of residents who returned questionnaires were not in favour of a residents parking scheme and it was therefore proposed to take no further action."