Calling all town centre visitors and shoppers: Where are the best places to park in Brigg to avoid paying and displaying for the benefit of North Lincolnshire Council's coffers? That's not counting the free, short term facilities furnished by Lidl (Spring's Parade) and Tesco (off Barnard Avenue). There's a handful of very desirable spaces on Bigby Street, opposite Mason's solicitors' office. Especially handy for a quick nip to Dave Dent's Nisa Local shop or to pick up a parcel from the old post office. However, after Humberside Police last year decided to say bollards to those of us who used to park our cars on the bit of waste ground on Cary Lane, a very welcome free facility disappeared. You can't blame the police for putting up the bollards to keep out the cars - it's their land. But, months later, this still remains waste ground. Whereas before it was helping to meet a public need, although unofficially.
There's a bit of onroad parking available in Grammar School Road South, near the White Horse; plus a few spaces outside the Cedars, Bigby Road, close to the Monument, if you are visiting businesses in that area. Nearer the town centre, have a look at Cadney Road/Elwes Street. That doesn't leave you with much of a walk.
This topic was inspired yesterday by a drive to Lincoln for a business appointment right in the centre of the city. You can't find a side street anywhere near which isn't covered by double-yellow lines or signs saying Residents' Parking Only. I hate multi-storey car parks yet had no choice but to use one. As my stay was more than four hours it cost £7.
There's absolutely no doubt that car parking charges deter the general day-to-day shopper. Especially in today's economic climate, our small businesses could do with every bit of help going. However, North Lincolnshire Council is also feeling the squeeze and if it could be persuaded to remove the car parking charges in Old Courts Road and behind the Angel there would be a loss of revenue to the public purse. If you are making a special shopping trip to a big city, like Hull, Lincoln or Leeds, paying a few quid to pay and display is something most people would expect to cough up, as part of what amounts to a day out. Sadly, precious few folk come from afar to visit Brigg shops and make a day of it. If you only plan to spend a fiver or a tenner on a few household items, the cost of a car parking ticket suddenly becomes a major factor. And that accounts for a good proportion of customers to our range of speciality shops.
If you know any other on-street parking places close to Brigg town centre - generally available 9am-5pm, Monday to Saturday - please share the information with the rest of us.
Our picture recalls the days when you could park free on the waste ground off Cary Lane, near the police station.
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2 comments:
A bit of clarity, Scribbler....there's no 'Residents Parking Only' in Brigg. There are zones which indicate that qualifying residents who have permits are exempt the time-limiting parking restriction, but that does not exclude other motorists using such bays - assuming they compy with the parking regs.
One of the big annoyances for many in-town residents is that NLC employees can be allocated free-parking in Hewson House car-parking yard and also have a NLC parking concessary permit to park in NLC car-parks - ie Old Courts.
This privilege, I would say, is being somewhat morally and practically abused by an element of such employees by parking in the already over-crowded, but unrestricted Albert St. Last year, for example, the Queen St Action Group (QUAG) who petitioned NLC for residents parking permits, observed that about 50 percent of cars parked in Albert St (the section near Hewson House) were cars carrying NLC's concessary car-parking stickers for NLC car parks.
It was felt that such NLC employees appeared to want both cake and seconds....in practise, depriving visiting car drivers from finding suitable -9 to 5pm, on-street parking near Brigg centre.
While most restricted on-street bays around the town centre (including Bridge St) are for 1 hour...the zones in Bigby Street are restricted to 20 mins.
During the introduction of the Residents Parking Scheme last year, was also the period when the Old Prep School was coming back on-line as a special school....and it was litimately debated that parents needed, as with the Prep School, short-term parking allocation to allow drop-off/pick-up.
However, the spcial school has comparartively fewer pupils; they tend to arrive by MPV taxis and the school, itself is using the extant front playground as a car-park for both staff parking and embark/disembark purposes.
Therefore, the original argument does now exist and perhaps the 20 min bays need to be reviewed and brought in-line with the standardised 1 hour restrictions about Brigg.
Without pre-empting any decision, but if Tesco's application is approved, perhaps one grandious privision by Tesco - the internarional super-store conglomerate - could be to reimburse NLC's annual inclome from Brigg's NLC's car parks...and thus allowing free parking. ((ie upto 3 hours free parking facility - (pay for longer))
Such a concrete gesture would be evidence that Tesco, as they suggest, wants to promote and will be a benefit Brigg's high street shoopers and outlets.
Another avenue is for some of Brigg's struggling pubs to rent parking bays to Brigg workiers/firms who need long-term/standing parking.
Observation indicates that many pub's car-parks are fairly empty for most of the day (and probably during the evening), so why not develop this win-win siuation?
Grammar School Rd....here are 1 hour parking bays, but Brian's DIY has allocated a parking zone for his customers near his premises.
Be careful to note Brian's distinctive notices, 'DO NOT PARK ON PAVEMENT'.
Motorists parking their car on, or partially on the adjoining pavement are opening themselves up to receiving a legitimate parking fine.
Finally, it also still very annoying to observe, that some selfish abled-bodied drivers are still using Disabled Bays - in my opinion this offence should carry a significant fine.
Very good points made, Ken, especially about council workers using Albert Street. However,
my reference to Residents' Only parking was about streets in Lincoln, not Brigg.
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