Hands up who got a parking ticket?
What has happened on Queen Street? Suddenly there are empty parking spaces, the loading bays are bare and who knew there was a yellow line on the side of the road?
Perhaps the recent arrival of parking ticket distributors (aka Civil Enforcement Officers) has something to do with the new found quiet and open vista of our main shopping street? Perhaps indeed.
Enforcement of the free parking for one hour only on Queen Street (on the cobbles, not the loading bays) has been enacted recently as the County Council takes over parking enforcement duties. It may not have been exactly ‘shock and awe’ tactics but several locals have been issued with parking fines, with others only given a warning.
Opinions are, of course, divided. Some fear that enforcing these restrictions will drive potential shoppers away from Amble altogether. Some think that other streets will become more crowded as a result, while others believe it is a good thing, since many of the spaces were taken up by shop owners who parked outside their businesses all day.
The County Council says that in its capacity as Highway and Traffic Authority, it has taken over on-street enforcement from Northumbria Police, using powers contained in the Traffic Management Act 2004.
A team of Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) now carry out enforcement of parking restrictions, waiting and loading restrictions as well as the continued enforcement of Council owned or managed car parks. CEOs will issue Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) to vehicles parked in contravention of the Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs).
Northumberland County Council lists the benefits in this scheme:
- Reduction in obstructive parking
- Effective management of ‘on- and off-street’ parking throughout the county.
- Improved road safety for vulnerable road users such as children, mobility groups, elderly people and cyclists
- Improved conditions for public transport, taxes and disabled parking
- The cost of operating CPE will be met from funds raised from Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) with any surplus funds used for traffic safety initiatives
If you are unlucky enough to be issued with a fine, you can always pay it at the library in Middleton Street, as part of the increased facilities on offer there.
