I don't disagree with you that maybe the police officer was in the wrong - to a point. However, I don't like the work ethos of those clamper people and also what the charge, which is daylight robbery.

I never said they blocked the road at 6:30. Go back and read my post and actually pay attention. I said they BEGAN arriving at 6:30... by 8am our road would be blocked. And as my parents house was only 4 houses down from the church, the road outside my parents home would be blocked by 7:00-7:30. Who wants to get up before 8am on a Sunday, specially my father who worked monday-saturday (and even sometimes Sunday) running his own business.

I do understand that the roads are for everyone's use, but as a CONSIDERATE road user, I find it rude to park in front of other peoples homes to go into town to shop or go to work. I would only do that as a last resort (ie. No parking available in the car park - which has never happened to me).

Don't put words into my mouth. I never said it was illegal to park there (although in many roads around Newbury now, it is) or that it was everyone's right to park in front of their own home, I just said that it was rude to do so. I only asked that you think about the people you may be inconveniencing.




You make it out like it's so easy, it really isn't. We're first time buyers and can't just 'spend more money'. We have a very tight budget and we're trying our hardest to find the perfect house to start with. For our budget we can really only afford a small house closer in to town, if we had the choice (money) then we would live in the country side where a drive really isn't that important. I don't know how old you are or if you remember when you purchased your first home, but it's stressful and extremely difficult when you have a budget.

I agree with Andrea here.

If you live out of town on an estate then, yeah parking in front of someones house is fair game as most people will have their own drive anyway. If you live near town, then its likely you wont have a drive to park your car and it is unfair for people to even park in the street if all they are doing is going into town. Those people doing that should use the car parks like everyone else.

Strafin, your comment about paying road tax should entitle you to park where you want it just plain stupid, as that would mean that we would be able to park in public carparks for free too or park up at the side of the road actually in town outside the shops i wanted to use.

We pay road tax to maintain the roads WE use, it doesnt mean we own them.

People should have a right to park outside their house in my opinion

Bit of a contradiction here with your last two lines.
This is simple, you own the house not the road or the pavement in front of it and although it would be nice to leave the space vacant for the home owner to use it isn't always possible and the home owner should not expect it any differently.
There are resident parking schemes which allow residents to have priority over other drivers providing they pay. This seems to work.

Thats what i was trying to get at Bloggo, i didnt mean to park right outside their house but at least in the same street. I agree with the reseidents schemes, I was dis-agreeing with people parking in those streets as a way of free parking to shop in town.

I think people would rather find a free parking space over one you have to pay for.
Also people will park where it is convenient to do so whether or not they have to pay.
Human nature!!!!

Do you know how much it is to pay for a space? Just curious

I disagree with your second point though, people would rather not pay for parking then pay the ridiculous parking fees that Newbury has. I used to work with someone who would park a 10 minute walk away from his work (in a residential street - for free) rather then using the car park right beside the building. I can't quite remember, but I think it costs £9 to park for the entire day! The council need to bring that cost down... it's causing more problems then it is solving any!

No I don't know how much it costs but I have a feeling it is not exorbitant for local residents.
Yeh, on second thoughts maybe you're right about my second point.
Also I agree about parking charges. They are far to high for parking for a second rate shopping experience.

It is a right if you have paid for a residents parking permit. Residents who have paid annually for a permit wouldn't be too impressed if out of towners filled all the spaces & nothing was done about it. Obviously the Traffic Wardens are not patrolling streets with no yellow lines / parking bays. What they are doing is looking after the rights of residents who have paid for parking.

I have been parking in Newbury for 15 years & have never paid to park & have never had a ticket.

Annual fee of £25 for residential parking per vehicle, maximum of 2 per houshold. Book of 5 vistor permits avaiable for £2.50.

It was introduced round here a few years ago and has made a huge impact. Parking is avaiable to residents most of the time now and parking on pavements, corners etc. has been stopped too. It's enforced regularly too.

Even though I have a drive, it gets a huge thumbs-up from me.

Thanks Darren, that sounds totally reasonable to me. More areas should enforce this.

I understand that a residents parking is for an area, not necessarily outside your house, but anyway, I said provided a car is parked legally.

Some of the problem is actually caused by the councils policy on the cost of town parking, but that isn't all of it. Some people whose car is precious won't use a car park because of potential door damage. Notwithstanding policy on car parking space allocation on new developments and the fact many of Newbury's streets were built before cars were a 'problem'.


That's one of the problems of course, is the availability of spaces for visitors, friends, doctors, social workers, etc. Local residents can end-up being' hoist upon their own petards'.

I heard that that can also cause constipation.

I recently recieved a parking ticket in Bartholomew Street - I had inadvertently parked in an (unmarked) loading bay. The small road signage is very confusing and the council have removed "loading only" white road markings. I never usually park in Bartholomew Street and when I queried this with the Council they were sympathetic but still enforced my ticket. I have lived in Newbury for over 25 years and I work in Andover - this has put me off visiting Newbury (I only really go in to use the banks) and will now go to Thatcham which although costs a little more in fuel does have the advantage of free parking. What a shame that shoppers in Newbury are again being put off visiting by over zealous parking attendants. Again, the shopkeepers are up against it. As a retailer myself I sympathise - can the Council not see that they are killing the town by this aggressive enforcement of parking tickets?

No, it's OK if you wiggle it around a bit. So I'm told

The road markings were removed because the loading bay only applies Monday - Friday. The parking attendants are not 'over zealous' , they are doing their jobs.

And why do people never blame themselves? Did you check the road signs before leaving your car? If I was parking , as you said you were, in a location I'd never parked before I certainly would check that it was okay to do so. This thread is begining to start like the bollards thread - people need to accept responsibility for their actions.

If all you came to Newbury to do was banking, you are no loss to the town's retailers.

Are you still allowed free parking at Sainsbury's for a couple of hours?

...so there!

yes -