More concern about illegal parking in Trowbridge

Cllr Edward Kirk, the Tory ward member for Adcroft, has said that illegal parking, such as in loading bays and on double-yellow lines is an issue that has “ruined” parts of Trowbridge’s town centre.

He said: “In terms of Wicker Hill, people don’t want to pay, so they park in loading bays. There’s just not enough enforcement in those areas to stop people doing it.

“It’s not just Wicker Hill. They’ve ruined Church Walk. I know of one business who left because of problems with parking.

“I’ve got businesses so I know it’s like, but a loading bay should be used for loading only. Most of the time it’s just people nipping into Trowbridge to do a bit of shopping.”

However, Cllr Kirk, who owns a number of local businesses, including Sportsbug and Scholars Schoolwear, also said that limited availability of parking spaces in the town centre had made him somewhat sympathetic to motorists resorting to using the bays.

He added: “You can’t blame them for it because they don’t have anywhere else to park.

“If it was down to me, I’d have far more short-term free parking like they do in Devizes, where people can park for a few hours and not worry about paying.

Responding to Cllr Kirk’s call for increased enforcement Cllr Nick Holder, cabinet member for highways, said: “We vigorously enforce all loading bays across Wiltshire to ensure they remain accessible for those carrying our deliveries, and haven’t received any complaints recently from businesses in Trowbridge.

“Free parking schemes are funded by local town councils and not Wiltshire Council.”

In January, the Wiltshire Times reported that Trowbridge Town Council leader, Cllr Stewart Palmen, had also called for stricter enforcement.

READ MORE: Call for crackdown on illegal parking in Trowbridge

Photographs published in the paper showed a number of cars illegally parked on Wicker Hill in the town centre, on stretches of road with double yellows and signs clearly stating that the area is a ‘no parking zone’.

The leader of Trowbridge Town Council, Cllr Stewart Palmen, said that illegal parking was still a big issue facing the town centre, and that while efforts are being made to tackle it, more needs to be done to deter it.

Cllr Palmen said: “I did recently see a car there that had received a fine, so it’s clear they do patrols, but it’s just not frequent enough.”

In response to Cllr Palmen’s calls for a crackdown, Cllr Nick Holder said: “We vigorously enforce all loading bays across Wiltshire to ensure they remain accessible for those carrying our deliveries, and haven’t received any complaints recently from businesses in Trowbridge.

 “Free parking schemes are funded by local town councils and not Wiltshire Council.”