Parking fines not the ticket
9:19am Thursday 15th May 2008
COUNCIL officers have caused havoc in Urmston after putting up parking restriction signs with the incorrect times and days on them.
Residents in High Road, who have been parking outside their homes for years with virtually no problems, were stunned when traffic wardens began slapping tickets on their cars in March.
Investigations showed the council, who had replaced the old faded signs earlier that week with new ones, had put the wrong ones in, and immediately agreed to cancel all the wrongly issued tickets.
They also pledged to inform council employed wardens not to issue any more tickets, and said the right signs would be corrected as soon as possible.But two months on, and with more tickets being issued every week, residents say the council has failed to act.
"We have no idea how long it is going to take to get the amended signs in place, and until they do we are just going to be issued with more incorrect parking tickets," said Deborah Cassidy, who lives in High Road and has been twice ticketed following the town hall's clanger.
"In turn this will cause more work for the council thus more Trafford residents' money being used and, more unnecessary stress for us, the residents," he added.
Her husband Thomas added: "All our neighbours are sick of this. There's going to be a confrontation before long if something isn't done.
"I'm having to get up early on my day off on Saturday to move my car so it doesn't get a ticket. This is the council's mistake and yet it's us who are paying," he fumed.
The council, however, is now claiming the original signs were incorrect, but said they were now looking at relaxing measures to allow residents to carry on as before.
A town hall spokesman explained: "When we came to replace the signs at this location it was discovered the wrong restrictions were being adhered to, which is why different restrictions were listed on the new signs.
"The council is working to put into place the restrictions which were previously being adhered to - Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm - as quickly as possible, though this may take a few months.
"Residents will be kept informed and consulted during this process and there will be no enforcement of parking fines at this location in the meantime."