Campaigners increase pressure on council to bring back Southsea parking zones

Critics fed up with ongoing parking problems in Southsea have lobbied new Tory traffic official, Cllr Jim Fleming, to bring back the MB and MC zones – which formerly covered thousands of homes until they were axed.

And they’re frustrated as they say Cllr Fleming was not aware of a pledge made in Tory preelection leaflets to consult residents over a potential ‘Southsea-wide parking scheme’.

It comes as talk continues over the creation of a commercial van park for workers in the city to ease pressure on people’s roads at nights.

Lib Dem councillor Lee Hunt, who represents the heavily-congested Central Southsea ward, believes much more needs to be done.

Cllr Hunt said: ‘People have written to him, and he said he wasn’t aware of any pledge from the Conservatives to do a Southsea-wide scheme, which was in their election leaflets.

‘We are very happy if the zones come back as part of a Southsea-wide scheme; it’s very important that the Tories fulfil their election promises.

‘Parking in the area is getting worse, and more and more people are living in the area.

‘It’s filling up and more people are bringing in cars. Residents must come first.’

In an email to Cllr Hunt and other Central Southsea councillors, Cllr Fleming said: ‘I’m not aware of any current plan for a Southsea-wide parking consultation, however, it just so happens that I raised this possibility with officers in my first day proper in the job today, but it was certainly not pointed out to me that any plans were already in place.

‘I am very determined to resolve the problems that residents across the city have in regards to parking, and will almost certainly be considering moving away from the failed and costly approach of the last decade, which in most cases simply caused displacement and moved problems to neighbouring streets, rather than actually resolving them.’

Cllr Fleming was yesterday unavailable for comment.

It comes after Tory council leader Donna Jones wrote to companies requesting they allow their staff to use their land to park at night.