Preston Park Parking

Before October 2009 this view would have shown a near continuous line of parked vehicles, including travellers' vans, as far as the eye could see.  Then  the Council, in its wisdom, extended Central Parking Zone J to include Preston Park Avenue with the dramatic result you see here. Perhaps the planners failed to notice that there was free all-day parking along the parallel service road. Whatever, if the intention was to give residents and passers-by a better view of the Park the scheme must have succeeded beyond all expectation.  However, if another intention was to add to council income it has failed badly and, at the present rate of use, it looks as if tax-payers will be bearing the costs for a long time.

Evidently, Preston Park Avenue before the restrictions was mainly attractive to long-term parkers, and now, even if people are prepared to pay, a maximum time of 4 hours is of no interest. On the other hand of what use is 4 hours to anyone else? Preston Park Avenue has no shops or restaurants and many properties have private parking spaces.  In fact the main group of people who will now be disadvantaged are users of  Preston Park itself: being  now less likely to find a free space within the Park perimeter they will be forced back to the road to pay for a facility previously available free. . .