SHOP OWNER FURIOUS AT ‘RED ROUTE’ TRADE LOSS
New rules will mean heavy fines for parking outside shop
NEWSAGENT Neelan Nithiya is losing trade - after falling victim to one of Stoke-ontrent’s newest red routes.
The double-red lines have been painted outside his Leek Road shop in Stoke - and any motorist caught pulling over is now fined £70.
Stoke-on-trent City Council brought in the Leek Road red route in an attempt to improve traffic flow on the route between Stoke and the Joiners Square roundabout.
Now the 35-year-old is calling on the council to compensate small businesses affected by the red route.
The Nekan Superstore owner said: “I’m very angry. People are scared to park here so I’m losing my customers. Normally people would have parked up here, but now it is no parking I’ve lost so many customers because of the red lines. This is a business property, they have to let the customers park here to come to the shop.
“I don’t know why the council has done it, it’s a stupid thing to do. I’ve been here running this business nearly four years now, there has never been an accident, never any problem. Now nobody is stopping their car here.
“The council has to do something - and other shops tell me the same story. But for me especially it’s my business. Nobody’s coming, nobody’s coming because they get fined.
“I need to tell the council to help me out to improve my business. This is not fair.”
The council has defended its use of red routes across the city.
Councillor Daniel Jellyman, cabinet member for infrastructure, said: “Red routes reduce congestion and help traffic flow more freely and safely on some of the busiest roads in the city.
“They are proven to speed up journey times which is vital to businesses and supporting the economy, particularly as we begin to emerge from lockdown in the coming weeks.
“Extensive public consultation was held over the introduction of red routes in the city, which included letters to properties on the routes, and we revised several of the original proposals based on the feedback received and only installed what was needed.
“The majority of red routes previously had yellow lines, so parking restrictions are nothing new for many of them.”