Town match parking plea by carer of stroke victim

Gigi Fois, of Heathergrove Fold, Dalton, who is a carer for his disabled wife Gillian, angry over getting blocked in by football fans’ cars. Right, matchday parking around Dalton Bank Road and then down to the stadium to save time when leaving after matches finish.

And he is begging Town supporters to show some consideration to residents.

“We live in a cul-de-sac at the top of the estate. Sometimes it’s impossible to get in or out because of the cars that park on the pavements. It’s a three-way problem: Fans coming in, coming out and then the residents that live here fighting to get through.

“Sometimes I need to leave the house quickly but what should be a brief journey takes 15 minutes on a match day because of the volume of vehicles.

“Cars are on both sides. If you try to tell people you get abuse. They’ll say that they pay their road tax so they can park where they like. It happens on every match day and it’s getting worse.

“I care for my wife 24/7. She depends on me for everything. I worry what might happen to her if I’m away too long. If I get stressed out and then something happens to me, what will that mean for her?”

Gigi and Gillian, 56, have raised their concerns with Kirklees Council. They have asked whether double yellow lines can be added to surrounding streets to prevent fans’ access or if a residents’ only parking scheme can be expanded to cover their locality.

Several people living close to the stadium have complained about the influx of cars on match days, which attract near sell-out 20,000plus crowds. With Town’s promotion to the Premier League numbers are expected to increase further.

Kirklees Council has told residents it is unlikely to introduce permit parking in the area as residents are only affected for a limited period and not the majority of the day.

Senior traffic investigation officer Karen North rejected calls for permit parking and said sensible driving meant that traffic was still able to flow freely despite instances of double parking.

“It is not feasible to introduce waiting restrictions to deal with this type of behaviour,” she commented.