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Towns waiting to be removed from parking enforcement

Parking wardens placing notices on cars outside St George's Market in Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann
Parking wardens placing notices on cars outside St George's Market in Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann Parking wardens placing notices on cars outside St George's Market in Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann

ROADS chiefs still haven't implemented plans to remove dozens of towns from routine parking warden patrols 10 months after the changes were announced.

In January, the infrastructure minister said areas with fewer than 10 parking tickets issued on average per month would be removed from the schedule for regular visits.

A review of Transport NI's southern division led to several towns being removed from the list, and the same plan was to be extended to the northern, western and eastern divisions.

According to annual figures on parking tickets issued, it suggests more than 40 areas look set to be removed from regular patrols.

But more than 10 months on, the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) said a decision has still not been made.

Almost 85,000 on-street parking tickets or penalty charge notices (PCNs) were issued last year – an 11 per cent increase compared to 2015.

The review of operations in Transport NI's southern division led to seven towns being removed from routine patrols – Dromore, Rathfriland, Gilford, Tandragee, Crossgar, Richill and Dunmurry.

Announcing in January that the review was being extended to other divisions, then Sinn Féin minister Chris Hazzard said his priority was to "ensure the free flow of traffic".

Senior civil servants have since taken control of Stormont departments following the collapse of the executive and continued political deadlock.

Under the criteria, other towns due for removal from routine patrols would include Lisnaskea in Co Fermanagh, and Fivemiletown and Moy in Co Tyrone.

However, DfI said its review of other divisions has "not yet been fully analysed".

"In January this year the then minister announced that a review of parking enforcement deployment had been carried out in the department's southern division," as spokesman said.

"This resulted in a number of towns in that area being removed from scheduled weekly/daily enforcement. The same criteria was later applied in the department's other divisions but the results have not yet been fully analysed.

"The department will however continue to visit all towns, including those removed from regular deployment, when need arises or when requested and resources are available."

A parking ticket or PCN carries a £90 fine, reduced to £45 if paid within 14 days. Responsibility for off-street car parks transferred to the north's councils in 2015.