COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

The top ten streets in Coventry where drivers are most likely to receive a parking fine have been revealed - with one road alone netting a staggering £28,000 for Coventry City City in a year.



The most ticketed roads are mainly in Coventry city centre where on-street parking spaces are scarce – and usually limited to an hour or less.

At the top of the list is Friars Road.

A whopping 1,364 tickets were tucked under car windscreen wipers by traffic wardens in 2011 – bringing in £28,000 for the council.

The mainly residential street has waiting restrictions of 30 minutes with tickets handed out to anyone who leaves their vehicle for too long.

The road is within walking distance of a row of estate agents and the job centre.

Nearby Little Park Street and Much Park Street came second and third in the list where a combined total of 2,124 tickets were handed out.

Little Park Street actually brought in more money than Friars Road – £35,900 – even though less tickets were issued.

This is due to the fact that the size of the fine increases if there is a delay in payment.

Greyfriars Lane and Lower Holyhead Road completed the top five hot spots with 879 and 856 tickets being issued respectively for a combined value of just under £40,000.

The league table has been issued to the Telegraph by the city council following a Freedom of Information request.

Drivers in Friars Road – where there is a waiting limit of 30 minutes – were not surprised by the figures.

In the last year, Coventry City Council brought in £201,968.84 from the top ten streets.

A spokesman for Coventry City Council said the money generated from parking fines is used to fund the council’s parking services.

Budget plans for the next year include the possibility of paying to park on some streets of the city centre.

Teacher refuses to pay parking fine after leaving car in Coventry 'shared space'



A teacher is refusing to pay a parking fine after being given a ticket for leaving his car in one of the new “shared spaces” in Coventry city centre.

Christopher Sidwell is furious after Coventry City Council refused to overturn his fine for parking in a bay next to the junction in Gosford Street.

The father-of-two says there are no signs or road markings telling motorists not to park in the space opposite The Phoenix pub, which appears to be a parking bay.

A spokesman for the council said while people are allowed to park in the bays they must ensure their vehicle is entirely within the space and that there are temporary signs advising people.

But Mr Sidwell, a design and technology teacher at Alice Stevens Special School in Whitley, said he saw no signs when he parked to visit an art exhibition.

The 58-year-old says he knows of a number of other occasions where people have been caught out in the same spot.

“There are no road markings there and no visible signs,” Mr Sidwell, of Princess Street, Foleshill, said.

“I came back two hours later and was staggered to find my car had a ticket.

“I went over the road to Whitefriars pub to speak to a friend of mine who I knew was in there, and he had one as well. I couldn’t believe it.”

The bay areas were created during work to change the road layout and create a European-style “shared space” at the junction with Cox Street and Whitefriars Street.

The whole “shared space” scheme in the city has attracted controversy, especially after a pensioner was killed after being hit by a bus in the junction between the Burges and Hales Street.

But as reported in the Telegraph yesterday the scheme is set to stay, with the council planning to remove traffic lights in other spots around the city.

Mr Sidwell took pictures of the spot where he received the £35 fine on January 26 while visiting the Herbert Art Gallery. He said the council declined his offer to look at his pictures and insisted the fine would stand.

The original £35 parking fine will now rise to £70 as it has not been paid within the initial time period.

“The council said they had sympathy but the ticket had to stand and I have to pay it,” Mr Sidwell added.

“But I feel very strongly about this. I’ve been parking there for several months and there are people parking there today with no problems, it appears. I shouldn’t be in this position.

“They should have the good sense to rescind it and they need to put road markings up. If they made it clear no one would have a problem. Until they make it clear, people need to be aware it’s a danger.”

A Coventry City Council spokesman said: “People are currently allowed to park in the bays, as long as they are entirely within them. There are temporary signs advising people they cannot park outside the bays.

“The appeal will determine whether this ticket was valid based on evidence presented by Mr Sidwell and the civil enforcement officer.”