Ex-mayor warns over changing Newport's parking bays

Cars in the High Street are currently parked in bays parallel to the pavement.

Now Telford & Wrekin Council's highways department has been asked to look at changing the bays to a herringbone style so that people drive nose first into angled spaces with the rear of the vehicles pointing out towards the road.

Drivers would then have to reverse out of the bays.

If the plans went ahead, it would be a return to how cars were parked until parallel parking was introduced in the late 1980s.

But Eva Allan, who was a town councillor at the time the parking changes were made, said it would not work. She said: "The reason it was changed in the first place was that angled parking was terrible.

"As you pull out from the space you can't see what's coming down the road and it's dangerous."

"I think it would cause more problems."

The plan has been put forward by Councillor Peter Scott and has also been backed by Newport Chamber of Commerce.

Councillor Scott believes that the reconfiguration of the 18 parking bays down the east side of the street would create much-needed additional parking spaces, which would be good news for businesses and shoppers.

But Mrs Allan, 80, questioned claims that each of the current bays could be split into three if they were angled.

She said: "You'd be able to get three into each space, but I'm not sure how you'd get out of your car. There would be no room. There is also more traffic on High Street than there was in the 1980s.

"When we had the bypass built it was supposed to reduce the traffic but that hasn't been the case.

"We all want more parking on High Street, but what would the impact be?"

Angled parking is used in other towns, including Bridgnorth.