Debate over council raising parking fees

AS someone who is in the Dundee city centre area daily, I welcome the council’s increase of parking charges and hopefully it will help alleviate the traffic problems, particularly on Union Street.

I just hope the council is up to monitoring and applying penalties accordingly.

In fact, I would like to see a more Americanstyle policing approach against the growing disrespect being shown by drivers in the city centre area.

Let’s have on-thespot fines for offences or CCTV capturing incidents such as double parking and people blocking roads (Union Street, Crichton Street and Castle Street in particular), running red lights, speeding, faulty lighting, lack of use of indicators, going through restricted vehicle areas and also doing 180-degree turns in the middle of the road.

All of this could bring in additional council services funding.

Don’t get me started on cyclists delivering food, cycling on pavements without lights at night and the smell of burgers wherever you go – and I am surprised the council isn’t considering a visitors’ tax.

SO the council is going to increase parking fees.

This will affect people like myself, whose street outside their home is already full with folk dumping their cars and walking into town to avoid paying for parking.

It would be easier to prohibit parking on side streets such as Crescent Lane and every other street in Stobswell, and meter the car parks such as Ferguson Street and Dura Street – at least the council would make money.

For 12 years we have been going on about this and all the promises that something would be done.

I would say now is the perfect time with all the cuts.

WHILE accepting times are hard for the council, the proposed almost doubling to £15 for Menzieshill residents unfortunate enough to live near Ninewells to park their cars is not fair.

The charge was not introduced to provide income to the council, the nominal charge of £5 was to prevent cars from the hospital swamping local streets.