Local man Eddie Dahl has expressed concerns about the repercussions of parking charge hikes brought in by Mendip District Council.
Eddie Dahl, who lives in Frome, says that as a result of the new charges, people are either parking in inappropriate places or not visiting the town centre at all.
Eddie told the Frome Times, “I myself have had my car vandalised after parking it in a street instead of a more secure public car park. The wing mirror got knocked off which has cost me about £200 to replace.
“What with the new regulations that have come into force at the South Parade car park, people who would normally park there are having to park on the streets as that is the only option they have. This in turn is a nuisance for the people that live there.”
Eddie has also raised concerns that the parking charges may spark the decline of Frome’s market and shop trade. He said, “I know many of the traders at the antique and collectors’ market at the Cheese and Grain are concerned. As well as having to pay for their pitch, they now have to pay an additional £5 to park in the car park for the duration of the market.
“This is a very good market and something that we don’t want to lose in the town, but the council is not making it easy for the traders.
“If you walk around all these car park in the town they’re all empty. I understand the council has to earn revenue from its car parks but if these charges are going to stay in place until next April, then it is very worrying for the town.”
There is also anger at the way in which parking regulations are dealt with in the town. Local man Roy Facer has criticised regulations and signage in the South Parade car park. “I was informed as I parked up that I couldn’t park there as after PM it is for permit holders only – by an obnoxious parking official, gleefully waiting for PM to arrive so that all those vehicles without residents parking permits could be issued with a ticket,” he said. “The parking charge signs and conditions are in such small print that it is very easy to miss this information and I suspect that this is a deliberate attempt to catch out unsuspecting motorist.”
As someone who encountered the problem on his way to carry out a repair at a local shop, Roy said: “This appears to be yet another step towards turning Frome into a ghost town.”
