Traffic wardens set for streets
Motorists flouting parking rules across Shropshire will be slapped with on-the-spot fines when the county's new traffic wardens start work later this month. The scheme will give drivers an initial two-week honeymoon period.
During this time Park Right attendants will be out explaining to car owners how the new system will work. Illegal parkers will be given a warning and then told where they could have parked safely.
But from November 27, drivers will face a £60 fine, reduced to £30 if it is paid within 14 days, and increased to £90 if it is not paid within 28 days.
In Shrewsbury, three problem areas have been highlighted - Wyle Cop, High Street and Shoplatch - where traffic wardens will watch closely for illegal parking.
Shropshire County Council traffic manager Ron Buzzacott and Eddie McGrath, technical services manager at Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council, explained the new process at a meeting of the Shrewsbury Community and Police Consultative Group last night.
Mr McGrath said: "The areas will be subject to refinement as we learn more and the habits of the drivers in Shrewsbury change. We anticipate a few hiccups but will ease them out.
"There will be 13 in Shrewsbury and the rest throughout the county. A series of hot spots have been identified in every town."
Mr Buzzacott said the scheme was about accessibility, not generating income.
From the end of November, there will be 16 new parking attendants working across the county which will go up to 26 by the end of Spring 2007.
By May, there will be 13 attendants allocated to Shrewsbury, working 12 house a day Monday to Saturday and for eight hours on Sundays.
By Rebecca Lawrence
