On Friday 13th April, The Stamford Mercury reported:
"Stamford Chamber of Trade & Commerce President. Tim Lee, said: "It should be noted that when they bought or rented their propertoes they did so in the knowledge that there was no unrestricted parking available in their street.
"Our local businesses are dependent on a flow of customers and we are concerned that any such future residents' scheme should not be introduced in a way that restricts the availability of current free one and two hour parking spaces."
Mr Lee said a decision on permits should not be made until the new parking powers had been in place for 18 months."
Just sent the following to Tim Lee:
ReplyDeleteAfternoon Tim
I just read your letter in the Stamford Mercury and was just wondering, based on your alternative perspective, if you’re not in favour of residents’ parking then what are the residents who work in Stamford meant to do?
Here’s a scenario for you: two St Leonard’s Street residents, lived there for 14 years, both work in premises in the centre of town although one of them uses a car to visit customers around the UK twice a week.
Under your proposal of not actually doing anything and letting Lincolnshire County Council take over the enforcement of the restricted parking (signage indicates 2 hours max), what am I and every other resident who works in town meant to do with their car?
Under your proposal of rolling over and doing nothing, here are my options:
1. Move my car to one of the pay and display car parks in town every day, because even on the days when it is being used, it isn’t being used for the whole day.
2. Move my office to premises with off-street parking
3. Move house to an area of town with off-street parking
Do you understand the reason why, as residents, we’re not rolling over and seeing what happens for 18 months?
Let me put the cheapest option for me, option 1, into context for you, using the Wharf Road car park for 5 days a week for 18 months equates to £1,155! That’s why the residents’ voice is so strong at the moment and that’s why we’re not rolling over and doing nothing as it appears the Stamford Chamber of Commerce is.
Please remember that those of us who work in town are not visitors just popping in once a week, we’re there every day of the week and supporting the local business community in a stronger and more valuable fashion than a lot of the visitors.
I’m sure that though you represent some of the Stamford business community, you’re not representing all of the business community so please consider your short sighted opinions before voicing them in public.
James,
ReplyDeleteParking for customers is just a smokescreen. If Tim and his coterie were worried about customer parking, they not would park (and allow their employees to park) all day on Broad Street taking up precious free customer parking slots.
No, Tim’s real agenda is that he wants him & his employees to continue to park for free and are backing a longstanding proposal that they be given FREE parking in the cattle market car park. His opposition to residents’ parking is a tactic to achieve this end.