Anger as £25 charge is kept for parking
A COUNCIL'S refusal to scrap 'excessive' parking charges has been met with anger.
Fareham Borough Council put up charges in two of its most popular car parks for more than four hours from 10 to 25.
This sparked outrage, with shoppers threatening to boycott the town.
But last night, the committee, which brought in the charge at short-stay car parks in in Market Quay and Osborn Road, refused to scrap it and instead changed the maximum stay before the 25 penalty is incurred from four to five hours.
Vicky Mackinnon, 37, of Bury Road, Gosport, was caught out recently.
She said: 'It's ridiculous. Five hours can still fly by.
'For the prices to jump from 1.30 for an hour in Market Quay to 25 for five hours is just crazy.
'The council says to use the long stay car parks but I don't know where they are, there's no clear signs to them. I'm just going to go elsewhere.'
Tracey McNamee, 38, of Rockrose Way, Paulsgrove, was also angry.
She said: 'The whole thing is disgusting.
'They should put it back down to 10. I won't bother going to Fareham again.'
Drivers have said the signs for the new charges were not big or clear enough and the fee was excessive.
Some councillors sympathised with shoppers.
Cllr Katrina Trott said: 'I carried out a survey coming in from all the different points to Fareham and there's no indication of where the long stay car parks are.'
But Councillor Arthur Mandry said: 'Most people are peeved because they failed to see or read the signs properly.'
Councillor David Swanbrow said: 'It's all a bit of a storm in a teacup.'
The executive agreed that five hours was ample time for shopping, and the 25 charge would deter workers from clogging the popular car parks.
The new rules of five hours now incurring a charge of 25 will be brought in tomorrow.
People using the pay and display car parks – which do not include Market Quay and Osborn Road – will get the fifth hour free until March when the machines will be adapted for the new rules.
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Weather for Portsmouth
Wednesday 23 May 2012
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