News

Nov 20, 2023

‘Parking meters asked drivers to pay on bank holiday and Sunday’

Journal reader Lynda North has written to the Journal after noticing parking

Journal reader Lynda North has written to the Journal after noticing parking meters were asking motorists to pay on a Sunday and bank holidays.

Lynda wrote: "I used Grantham's Welham Street and Watergate SKDC car parks last weekend (May 6-8) and was shocked to find that the parking meters there indicated drivers needed to pay when, in fact, both Saturday, May 6 (Coronation Day) and Monday, May 8 were classed as Bank Holidays, so parking should have been free, according to the car park notice boards.

Also, parking has been free on Sundays in Grantham for many years, but the parking meter (see picture) still indicated that drivers should pay the usual expensive rate.

Surely in this age of technology it must be possible to program all SKDC parking meters to read ‘parking is free today, Sunday, May 7’ or a similar message.

With another Bank Holiday at the end of May and a new Sunday every week, these unnecessary charges should be stopped asap, with either a cover over the meters stating parking is free, or a simple digital message on the meters.

I hope anyone who mistakenly paid for parking in Grantham on any of the three free parking days last weekend is able to claim their money back from SKDC.

But with no public access to the brand new SKDC offices nor a letter box outside the office (well spotted Rob Hearmon [Journal letter, May 5]), seeing anyone in order to make a claim will be a challenge.

I trust our many new local councillors will address all these matters plus numerous other local problems.

By the way, parking is free for all cars after 6pm every evening in Grantham's SKDC car parks, including Welham Street near the cinema and Watergate near the fast food outlets, so there is no reason for cars to block local streets every evening."

Lynda North

Grantham