Shropshire’s parking enforcement agency ParkRight could be in jeopardy after a group of influential councillors called for its contract to be terminated.Shrewsbury borough councillors headed by leader Peter Nutting bel- ieve the authority should end its involvement with the agency and let the county council run it.
But a senior county highways officer has condemned the move, warning it would not leave enough time to introduce a new system.
Eleven councillors have signed the motion, which will go before a full meeting of the borough council on September 22.
It says: “The council will not seek to extend or renew its contract to provide car parking enforcement through ParkRight when the present contract ends.”
Phil Crossland, the county council’s assistant director for transport and highways, said he would be disappointed if the borough ended the agreement ahead of Shropshire’s new unitary council taking over.
“It will present difficulties for enforcing parking both on and off-street throughout the whole of Shropshire if they choose not to continue after the agency agreement runs out at the end of November,” he said, adding that the move could leave all Shropshire without any traffic wardens until April.
ParkRight is administered by the borough on behalf of the county council and the other four district and borough authorities but has been widely criticised.
Borough leader Councillor Peter Nutting said it was only bringing forward by a few months something that would have to be done at the end of March when the borough council ceases to exist.
SABC had received a “lot of stick” over ParkRight, despite the council just being the service’s administrator.
29 Comments
shame on them, park right do a great job, they should not play politics on this one
The police are the correct authority to deal with those who break the law.
Law enforcement should NEVER EVER be placed in the hands of private companies.
Parking regulations fall into this category, and parright should be banished forthwith from the entire county.
Hear, Hear jonny!!! Once again the borough throw their teddy out of the pram. It is alright calling for the end of Park right but have they offered a vaiable alternative. No! they want parking anarchy to reign again. especially as they will NOT be held accountable at the ballot box again.
As has been mentioned many times when the Park Right issue is raised only those who can/will not obey the law or park sensibly have the most to fear! There isn’t one person who cann not, HONESTLY, say that since park right started the town has been easier to access and navigate through!
i dont mind park right , because i obey the law
i have always found them most helpful on my motoring visits to my home town
ParkRight is run by the council so what is Peter Nutting on about!?? If he is not aware of this he should not be a councillor! Traffic wardens have always been unpopular and always will be but that doesn’nt change the fact there is a definate need for them!
great great great common sence at last .
If this is the same company that is in Telford good riddance to them!!!!!
I live in Wellington, and on Market days there is nowhere to park, especially on Saturdays.
people have no option but to park on the side of the road near the high street, You only leave your car there for a short time and they come out and clamp your car.
The problem is that as this is a private company they will clamp as many cars as possible,. therefore there is no discretion,e.g a mother dropping off her children to school. I think it should be back in the hands of the local council, and not a for profit scheme.
I hope common sense will prevail.
Wellington resident.
Kevin tudor. do you think the park right replacement will allow you to park ilegally.
Well self righteous “Rick Shaw” I can HONESTLY say that since ParkRight started the town is just as easy to access and navigate through as it was before they where introduced.
And no I haven’t had a ticket, I do park sensibly and obey the Law BUT what I do see is a company who seem to promote a culture of unreasonable and inflexible behaviour which does nothing for local traders or shoppers.
I have seen them hovering, lurking and even hiding - pathetic and not the image the council or anyone else for that matter wants to see.
I’m quite happy to have the wardens back - at least they talked, were fair and reasonable.
Well said K i have heard them on there mobiles joking about getting the higher end car owner 3 mercs today 2 jags yesterday RIPP OF MERCHANTS in my view, they need to be got rid of , they were seen skulking by my parents house the other week incase some one was parked on the side of the road ie just 2 sec dropp off never been a traffic issue there in the 30 years they have lived there.
give them a break, you would miss them if they were gone, of course i hate shropshire county council like we all do, especially the highways section, but some one has to police the roads, and the police did a ruibbish job, park rite aer ok, so long as you obey their rules
i think cllr nutting is wrong, it is in the best interests of the majoruty of law abiding motorists and pedestrians to restrict and regulate parking in a professional manner, and i think park right do a good job on this front which is helping us protect the town from unconsiderate illegal motorists
Its right and proper to use an agency to solve a problem where one exists.
Park right have created a problem in Whitchurch where none existed.
Brilliant news !!!
I can start parking right outside the shops I want to visit and no one to stop me, no matter how much nuisance it causes.
Be quiet all you ‘law abiding’ moaners who dont want chaos and delays. Some of us just want to park where we like.
Its wrong to enforce the laws in shropshire why dont we axe the police force aswell then we can really do what we want!
Agree with askeric dotcom in ref to private companies dishing out parking fines its always a concern that they have targets and will be over zealous? parking fees in Shropshire are not to bad compared to our Cities where its scandalous! I have friends who push there luck and to be honest bring it on themselves.
you only have a problem if you don’t obey the (common sense) law. Parking where you shouldn’t is a pain for pedestrians (try pushing a pram or navigatin a wheelchair around a car half on/off the kerb) and also restricts access to emergency vehicles. Don’t want a fine…park properly. Can’t park propelry go somewhere else or at a differnt time - the powers that be will realise there should be more parking spaces or public transit. Stop putting your own convenience ahead of others.
Park Right - they will even ticket parents cars in the laybye when they cross their children over the main road and sign them in at the gym by the bus station in Shrewsbury, - after 6.30pm. They are only there five minutes.
If they go, they will be missed ………… like Gary Glitter in the top 10!
Shame on them ….
I think park right do a really useful job, but i reckon the shrewsbury members are playing politics jostling for power on the new council, that said, park right are everywhere in shrewsbury, yet in wem, bridgnorth etc, you hardly see them, so perhaps members there would feel the same if they same armies of blue every day
I agree with Karenk.
They are pathetic.
If you ask them for advice they look at you as if you are a pile of !!!!
Are we getting to the point where human beings are not welcome anymore.
If the public are forced to stay away from our market towns who is going to to do the spending.
Cheaper to go to Trafford Centre. Free Parking for thousands for the whole day
How about they produce statistics on who the have prosecuted and for what?, illegal parking i bet is very very few , i would bet 99% of tickets are for over staying by a few minutes .
As for traffic issues before they came it was a load of made up rubbish and the council knew it
Andrew… Over staying a few minutes is just as bad. Rules are there and should be obeyed…
Im sure some have a bad attitude but you get that in every profession. As soon as you start giving ley way, or bending rules, people take advantage. If its black and white, everyone knows where they stand. 40 mins parking means 40 mins… not 45.. pay the fine if you cant tell the time !!
oh yes, poor businesses, how bad of them to make us obey the law when parking, its so unfair i cant park on double yellows any more, harsh
Parkright do a fine job. I’ve been to Oswestry and Shrewsbury at rush hour times and without enforcement it would be like the ‘WILD WEST’, perhaps that’s what Mr Nutting wants!
PARKRIGHT CARRY ON WITH THE GOOD WORK. PEOPLE WOULD HAVE SOMETHING TO MOAN ABOUT IF WE DID HAVE A PRIVATE COMPANY ENFORCING
Warning
There will be no parking enforcement carried out across the whole of the Shropshire Council Area between November and April 2009.
30 council employees will lose their jobs and be put on the dole over Christmas.
Traffic congestion will increase, pedestrian safety will be compromised and a free for all in both council operated car parks and on street parking will be available for the next 5 months, resulting in hundreds of thousands of pounds in lost income which will fall on the Council Tax payer to make up.
This is the scenario that will befall Shropshire residents if Councillor Peter Nutting manages to force through his proposal not to renew the agreement to administer the ParkRight parking enforcement service by SABC until March next year when it will be taken over as part of the unitary authority.
The decision will be taken at a SABC council meeting on the 22nd of September and if successful will terminate parking enforcement totally in Shropshire until April 2009.
During this period all complaints about inconsiderate parking, congestion etc should be directed to Cllr. Peter Nutting C/O Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council
SALOPIAN I AGREE
I think that Park Right is ok to a degree but in town they don’t give any leeway at all.
If you only want to stop to grab a prescription why pay £1 when you’re only there for 2 minutes??
I stop in a safe area but each time they pop out of the cracks in the pavement and slap a ticket on your car!!
I am told they SHOULD give you 5 minutes before serving a penalty!!
I believe they or at least some are power mad! Give them a uniform and a penalty book with the authority to serve anyone they don’t like and that’s it!!
Best to make friends with them all and buy them a coffee and a sticky bun and we’ll all be able to park anywhere we want to!
Just like greasing the palms of all the politicians then really!!!!