'This area got 600 parking tickets in one month - after 5 mins there I know why'
Traffic officers handed out nearly 600 tickets on cars in one inner-city Birmingham patch in the month of June, with half of all the fines issued to vehicles on one road.
The amount of tickets handed out on Stratford Road, Springfield Parade, have had little effect on the road as double parking, cars parked on junctions blocking viewpoints, and vehicles parked on double yellow and red lines, are all commonplace. The road is a main shopping hub, busy with tourists, the majority are on foot but a significant amount of cars pull up to the area for short amounts of time to drop people off and pick up large items.
There are a few spaces with restrictions along the red route of Stratford Road, but the side roads which are largely residential areas with no driveways are filled with cars leaving little space for vehicles, or people to pass.
Half of all of June's tickets were placed on vehicles on the main Stratford Road alone. (BPM Media)Some drivers have parked diagonally into what little space they have found, blocking pavements as a result. Local Councillor Nicky Brennan and traders have tried to resolve the parking issues in the area and have found no solution.
Habib Mohammed, owner of 'It's A Knockout' on Stratford Road, told BPM Media that: "Every single customer who asks about parking spends half an hour or an hour looking for a space, they need a car to take a heavy item away. "Lots of people have asked the council for a car park. We are opposite a crossing, so there's nowhere to put items, if there was a car park, customers could use it.''
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On Springfield Parade you can see double parking, cars prohibiting view as well as vehicles on on double yellows and red lines. (BPM Media)"I see traffic wardens in the morning, I have seen people park cars on the main Stratford Road for two or three days, sometimes for a week until someone checks it." The lack of council parking claim is denied by Brennan who said there are two bookending the Springfield Parade.
One is situated at St John's Road costing £1 an hour and the other is free and a 10-minute walk away in the opposite direction. Brennan thinks the 586 fines issued in June for the ward were high but could be higher.
The road is a main shopping hub and bustling with visitors. (BPM Media)She said: "There's so much irresponsible parking in the ward, people want to park for convenience instead of taking 10 extra minutes to park legally and safely. "It's particularly bad at school times. There's a lack of public transport as the buses get blocked by the number of illegally parked cars.”
"We lost the number 41 bus which used to go along Stratford Road to Springfield Road, we need more reliable buses as there's no train station or tram.” "Paving slabs are broken because people park on them. Pedestrians have nearly been hit because of the double parking. “
“We want people to feel safe walking so they don't rely on their cars." Khan, a local man in his 20’s said: "It's a busy area and how can people park up?
“They should have a space where they can park up and pay, they could create a space on Oakwood Road which is one way." A woman who has lived in the area for 50 years said: "I walk to Stratford Road every day for shopping or a walk, people park everywhere.
"It's a main shopping area and there's little parking."
The Mirror has contacted Birmingham Council for a comment.
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