Street parking fee plan revealed

The city's residents will vote in zones of around 500 homes

Residents in Bristol could soon be forced to pay for parking on the streets outside their homes.

Bristol City Council is planning to introduce a residents' parking which would mean people would have to pay £40 to park a vehicle outside their home.

The cost would rise to £80 for two and £500 for three. The council plans to ballot 40,000 people, asking them if they want permits introduced.

Locals will vote in zones of 500 homes. Charges could start late in 2009.

This is not a money-making exercise Councillor Mark Bradshaw

Councillor Mark Bradshaw said: "This ambitious scheme will make it easier for motorists living near to the centre of our city to park nearer their homes, while improving road safety and removing obstructions from the roads which can cause serious delays for emergency vehicles.

"This is not a money-making exercise. All the money collected from the sale of permits will be used to administer, maintain and enforce the scheme."

A large part of Bristol's suburbs and the inner city would be covered by the scheme.

At North Street in Southville, one area of the city that would be affected, a resident told BBC News: "I think it's just another tax, basically the council will benefit from this.

"If everyone buys one of these parking tickets, we are going to be in no different situation to the one we are in now."