VOTE: Even more wardens on patrol in parking revolution

A parking revolution will hit the streets of Bognor Regis this summer.

The town's small group of traffic wardens will be replaced by council parking enforcement officers to patrol the kerbsides and car parks.

The change will see the nine Arun District Council officers, currently patrolling off-street car parks, joined by five others for the biggest change in parking matters to affect the town for almost 20 years.

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They will take over from the current 5.5 full-time equivalent traffic wardens based at the town's police station who cover the town centre and the surrounding roads.

They will be handing out 70 or 50 penalty charges to motorists who wrongly park on double yellow lines or outstay their welcome in sites such as Hothamton and Fitzleet multi-storey. The cost will be halved if the fine is paid promptly or increased by 50 per cent if payment is late.

Kevin Basford, Arun's head of environmental amenities and community safety, said the move to civil parking enforcement would lead to 'improved enforcement efficiency', as well as offer more flexibility and innovation compared to the current rigid criminal rules which surround on-street parking.

Problem areas for parking could be tackled within 24 hours of being reported, he said.

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But Nyetimber county councillor Mike Coleman said he feared the new regime '“ set to start on June 26 '“ would leave outlying areas without any means to control parking.

"This change does not give me any feeling the situation is going to get any better," he said.

"The day the council takes over, the police will pull out and there is no-one who is going to enforce the parking measures. It will take years to build up the resources to employ more enforcement officers."

But Cllr Paul Wotherspoon, a district councillor for Middleton, said: "I am not so sure we will get problems because the on- and off-street enforcement will work together and the police will still issue tickets for dangerous parking."

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County council parking contracts manager Chris Barrett said the arrival in Bognor of civil parking enforcement would end the current split in parking duties between the county and district councils. Arun controls the off-street sites, while the county's rules along the kerbsides are tackled by traffic wardens.

Police community support officers often get involved as well in hotspots such as Aldwick Road.

Any surplus money from the parking fines would be reinvested into the scheme once it made a profit in about three to four years, he said.

The enforcement changes are separate from the controlled parking zone around central Bognor where permits are needed for vehicles on the kerbsides.

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This zone is due to be reviewed next January and could be extended if public consultation is in favour.

Arun has also launched a wide-ranging parking strategy review for Bognor to decide how best to cope with predicted demand for spaces.

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