Letter: There should be an Eastover parking ban inquiry

I was somewhat concerned when I read Daniel Mumby's article entitled 'Parking to be restored within two months' published in the April 7 edition of the Bridgwater Mercury, as I understand he is sometimes referred to as the Local Democracy Reporter.

I live in Eastover and was very surprised to see a photograph of Cllr Carole Edmunds with quotes from her.

I have never heard of her coming to Eastover, and what she said showed she does not have any grasp of the problems in Eastover.

There was no quote in the article from any of the traders affected by the problems caused by the no-parking scheme.

Restoring the parking in Salmon Parade will not solve the problem.

The problem is that Somerset Council decided to ban parking in Eastover before there was any consultation with the local population.

When it was pointed out to them that the parking issue needed to be sorted they just ignored the locals.

The only parking in Eastover is two disabled spaces, one of which is badly placed, and loading bays.

Recently, a business owner who was parked in the loading bay unloading his goods was given a parking ticket (his third).

There is nothing for the ordinary shopper although they could have found extra spaces if the council so wished.

I can only presume that the decision of Somerset Council was to make this road (which only measures a few hundred yards) 'green' in their efforts to save the planet.

I feel that an inquiry is needed to make sure this does not happen to any other area.

This does not have to be expensive; a church hall or equivalent is all that is necessary.

I suggest the focus should be on:

• Who decided to make the road one way with no stopping, and how this decision was justified
• How many councillors came to the area to ascertain how the businesses functioned
• When did the council decide the area would not have any customer parking, before or after the 'public consultations'
• What instructions, if any, have been given to the police regarding the 'illegal' parking
• Why were the town council so slow in spotting the problems

As a result of these decisions, businesses have lost trade and in some cases closed down.

One recent closure has been a business which had served Bridgwater for over a hundred years.

The main employers in this country are not the big supermarkets, etc, but the small and medium concerns, some of which have small profit margins.

Unfortunately, this is a lesson which neither Somerset Council nor the town council seem capable of understanding.

Yours sincerely,

Vicki Gardner