Tougher enforcement the answer to problem parking around Hull as residents say 'enough is enough'

Tougher enforcement is needed to crack down on inconsiderate parking in Hull neighbourhoods, councillors have heard.

Residents have complained of parking on grass verges, double-yellow lines and outside homes on match days and during other large events. Some are losing faith in the parking permits system, claiming a lack of enforcement has left them unable to find spaces outside their own homes.

Labour's Cllr Sharon Belcher, of Marfleet ward in east Hull, told councillors that complaints about parking in her community, including when Hull KR are playing at home, were mounting, while posts for traffic enforcement officers were being left vacant. Cllr Mark Ieronimo, the Lib Dem transport portfolio holder, said he supported calls for tougher enforcement of parking restrictions in all areas.

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Councillors backed Cllr Belchers' motion on the issue at the council's full meeting last week. The motion called for traffic officer vacancies to be filled as quickly as possible and for enforcement efforts to be redoubled outside the city centre.

One complaint, from a resident in Coltman Street, west Hull, was highlighted. The resident claimed that a lack of enforcement had rendered a £22-a-year parking permit essentially worthless.

"Zoned times are never enforced, which means we're basically paying for nothing," the resident wrote in an email to councillors. "We do get parking wardens on the street, but they only ticket people who are parked on double-yellow lines or pavements."

"They never come back to check if people have exceeded the limit on parking without a permit. This means that very limited spaces are at a premium, especially in a street with a higher number of houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) or flats where there might be a high number of cars per property."

Cllr Belcher said a lack of traffic officers meant that there was little deterrent to stop drivers breaking parking rules. In addition, she said staff from three local schools had contacted Marfleet ward councillors to ask for traffic-calming measures because of fast driving on nearby streets during pick-up and drop-off times.

The councillor said: "On match days people park anywhere, they don't care where they park, whether it's on grass verges [or on] double yellow lines on each side of the road, which means drivers can't see what's coming the other way. We've had complaints from people who say cars are being parked on their streets without permits. I don't know why the residents even bother paying for permits now because no one's checking.

"Half of the traffic wardens are on scooters now, so they're not walking down the road and checking parked cars. They're focusing on the town centre and they're not going out to check other areas."

Do you have problems with parking or speeding in your street? What should be done about it? Have your say in the comments.

Cllr Tracy Dearing (Labour, Newington and Gipsyville) reported parking problems related to Hull Fair and matches at the MKM Stadium. The councillor said: "In our ward, we're really proud to have the MKM Stadium, we welcome the fans and we're proud of Hull Fair.

"But despite really good communication, we find that people are still parking in an unauthorised way. This really affects residents. We've got a lot of taxi drivers living in our ward who sometimes have to park streets away from their homes. It's affecting their livelihoods.

"During Hull Fair, we've got people parking on double-yellow lines and grass verge. Driveways are blocked. We spent the whole week dealing with parking issues. Our enforcement officers are doing a good job, but it can only go so far. It's only so long before residents say enough is enough."

Cllr Ieronimo said people paying for parking permits should expect to see the rules enforced. The portfolio holder said: "I personally find inconsiderate parking is one of the issues that regularly appears in my inbox.

"In my Pickering ward on the Boothferry Estate some of the issues include vehicle sizes getting bigger, families having more than one car and work vehicles putting pressure on the area. It's also not just about inconvenience, we need to be focused on safety. School dropping-off times are also a real issue.

"We want to see enforcement in all our wards, not just in the city centre, if people are paying for permits then I expect enforcement staff to be there. I support the council making improvements on recruitment and looking at new technology to make enforcement more effective."