City traders 'struggle to park'

The council says delays cost traders £250m each year

Claims that "over-zealous" parking enforcement in Brighton is undermining small businesses have been rebutted.

Campaigners say removal of spaces and increased charges for other berths have led to traders "struggling to operate".

Rita Pedersen, of the Forum of Private Business (FPB), said "the council needs to exercise common sense and reason".

But the city council has said traffic delays, caused partly by illegally and dangerously parked cars, cost south coast businesses £250m each year.

"Brighton council's aggressive parking policy has only succeeded in exacerbating the existing parking problems in the city," Ms Pedersen said.

We should not underestimate the contribution illegal and dangerous parking makes to traffic congestion Councillor Gill Mitchell

"Our members are angry that their businesses are being hammered by the council's insistence on removing parking spaces and raising the cost of existing parking in the remaining berths."

She said FPB members were "struggling to operate normally, even making and taking deliveries, without being penalised with parking tickets".

She said that the National Parking Adjudication Service revealed last year that the council had issued the second highest number of parking tickets in England and Wales, excluding London councils.

The regional forum representative said that 230 parking spaces had been removed to prioritise pedestrians.

Traffic congestion

But Councillor Gill Mitchell, environment spokesman, said: "Businesses in the city and along the south coast have said that they lose an estimated £250m a year because of delays in moving goods and people.

"We should not underestimate the contribution illegal and dangerous parking makes to traffic congestion.

"Good parking enforcement means our roads can remain unobstructed and traffic flow maintained."

She added that a limited number of business permits were available in controlled parking zones.