Residents to pay for street parking?

Half the town centre streets are earmarked for a pay as you stay plan.

In a report to Wigan Highways Committee Borough Engineer John Simm said, if the scheme goes ahead, residents, workers and visitors alike would have to pay for the privilege of parking vehicles.

Permits for residents who own vehicles will cost £10 a year, fixed for three years, and if required one annual visitor parking permit would be available costing £2. Additional temporary visitor one day permits would cost £5 for 20.

Business permits would cost £10 per year for the first holder, £25 for the second and £100 for others.

Visitor business permits would also be available for either morning or afternoon at £20 for 20.

Concessions would mean voluntary organisations would pay residential rate. And OAPs and resident orange badge holders would pay half the normal rate.

The Railway Road proposals cover a huge area from the canal to Grasmere Street playing fields and from Market Street/King Street to Atherleigh Way bypass.

And the sunken gardens opposite Railway Road college would become a pay and display car park.

Proposals include a parking zone Monday to Saturday, 9am-5pm, available only to drivers who have an authorised permit. Additional spaces would be made available

for doctors and orange badge users.

A limited number of free one hour restricted spaces would also be provided.

But in the commercial area on-street spaces would come under pay and display rules.

Charges would be 40p for 30 minutes, 60p for up to an hour, 1-2 hours £1.20 and 2-3 hour £2. Penalties for not paying or overstaying would be £25.

The scheme will cost £50,000 to set-up and cost £30,000 a year to run but it is anticipated income from permits and meters will pay for the scheme after three years.

People will be able to air their views at a public display of the proposals.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.