Time’s up for parking meter by my door that turns the air blue
A FORMER carer is fighting to get rid of a temperamental parking meter that is just two feet from his front door.
Richard Hynes, 72, said the constant noise of motorists stopping outside and then getting angry when the machine plays up has left him “a nervous wreck”.
The pensioner, who lives alone, said people often shout and swear out of frustration at the meter because it has a tendency to swallow their money without issuing a ticket in return.
Richard said yesterday: “I’m at my wit’s end. When people can’t get a ticket, they are kicking it and it can get frightening.
“There is noise all the time and I feel uncomfortable being in my own home. It is scary.”
He conceded that the meter, which charges between 9am and 6pm, was already there when he moved in to his retirement home in Wallsend, Newcastle, four years ago.
But now things have got so bad he is pleading with North Tyneside Council to move it somewhere else and has also written to his MP. However he claims: “They don’t want to know.”
Council chiefs say they are restricted by budget constraints after being asked to make a £41million saving by 2023. So Richard is worried that moving a parking meter and the associated labour costs may not be a priority.
A council spokesman said: “This machine has been in the same location for a number of years and was there before Mr Hynes moved in.
“He has previously been in touch with us about it and we have tried to address his concerns. On-street pay and display machines are situated in the most suitable locations, sometimes outside residential properties.
“Officers regularly check that machines are functioning correctly and if we receive a report of a fault we will always respond in a timely manner.”