A REGENT Street resident has called on Monmouthshire County Council to do more for residents and workers when considering the changes to parking charges in Abergavenny reports GEMMA BALL.

Many workers in the town park their cars on nearby side streets in order not to pay parking fees. This particularly happens on Tuesdays when the free car park, Byefield Lane, charges £2.50 to park all day.

However, residents of Victoria Street and Regent Street feel their lives have been blighted by the number of cars parked on the narrow side streets often meaning they are not able to park their cars outside their homes.

One resident told the Chronicle, "While I do sympathise with the workers who not only have to pay parking charges but also fuel for the vehicles before they start to earn a penny, surely residents are entitled to have a quality of life in their own residential street.

"The constant noise level from the excessive activity of the street being used as a car park is an intrusion of our privacy when our street should be a quiet side street used by and for the people who live there.

"Very rarely can we gain access to our properties as the street is used as a constant car park.

"It is time Monmouthshire County Council sorted the parking problems out in Abergavenny but proposals to scrap the free parking in Byefield Lane is the final straw."

She says residents have lobbied local councillor Douglas Edwards, attended a meeting in the Salvation Army Hall and Town Hall and have had a visit to Regent Street by the highways department, they are still no further ahead in resolving the on street parking problem.

She adds, "Our residential side streets were not built for the volume of traffic they are currently attracting or to be used as car parks.

"Also the risk of emergency vehicles not being able to get access to our properties in a life threatening situation is an accident waiting to happen.

"So I urge local councillors and Monmouthshire county Council itself to take on board these issues and set the wheels in motion as Abergavenny residents and workers do deserve consideration and a fair deal as we are all council tax payers.

"No doubt when the next council elections are due we will be promised the earth once more an go back to stage on again.'

Monmouthshire County Council is proposing a number of changes to the county's car parks including scrapping Abergavenny's only free car park.

Charging hours will also be extended from 9am to 5pm to 9am to 6pm from Monday to Sunday.

Councillor Douglas Edwards says he's met with residents on a number of occasions to discuss the traffic issues.

"We tried to implement residents' only parking in Regent Street and the highways department suggesting moving the double yellow lines from the 'evens' side of the road to the 'odds' but unfortunately not many residents wanted this to happen. Unless they all agree to it then nothing can happen. It is a difficult situation and they have my sympathies."

The proposed parking changes that were discussed at an Economy and Development Select Committee last week and Councillor Edwards said that of the 20 county councillors at the meeting no-one spoke in favour of removing the free car parks.

Councilor Edwards added, "Abergavenny has the highest number of parking spaces in the county. Of the £1.2 million MCC takes from the car parks £600,000 to £700,000 comes from us.There is no need to raise parking charges.

"MCC can not raise the parking charges to make a profit, it can only be used for maintenance. Car parking maintenance costs around £420,000 a year, therefore, they are making a profit of £800,000, if that is not enough to maintain the car parks then there is something wrong with MCC officers."