Cottingham Lib Dems challenge East Riding parking charges

9.10.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Sat 13th Jun 2009

Cllr Win Knight presents 6,000 name petition

"We are saying no to any parking charges here in Cottingham," said Lib Dem Cllr Win Knight as she presented a petition containing over 6,000 names to Cllr Felicity Temple. The time and place was 5.15 pm at the Civic Hall in Market Green in Cottingham during the last East Riding Council Parking Charges Roadshow on Thursday 11th of June.

The Roadshow was set rolling around the county to persuade everyone that the charges would make it fair for every town and village in the East Riding. Some towns like Beverley, already have parking charges and their councillors want the same to apply to everywhere else in the county. But with the local Hull Daily Mail collecting a petition of over 20,000 names against the charges the Roadshow organisers will have to think again.

The Cottingham roadshow was extremely well attended and gave Cllr Win Knight an excellent opportunity to present the petition gathered during the preceding months at venues all over the village. The following points were raised against the charging policy:

1. It will raise very little revenue after costs.

2. It will damage local shops by diverting their customers to supermarkets own car parks.

3. It will encourage parking on residential streets.

4. It will do very little to reduce car journeys or encourage alternative methods of transport.