Support Salisbury's Small Businesses

I do not believe that Salisbury Council really support the small businesses like they should. Last year my brother drove 300 miles to see me and his very sick niece, we went shopping in Salisbury, bought the car parking ticket. When we returned well within the time he found a parking ticket on his screen, we stopped a parking warden and explained that the ticket was in the foot well it had fallen off when we closed the car door and we failed to notice. He promptly replied that once the ticket was issued there was nothing he could do about it but that we should write to the ticket office and explain with a copy of the ticket and they may void it. We did and fully explained these people were visiting the city ect, the reply we got was that as far as they were concerned it was an offence not to display the ticket so they had to pay. That has put my brother of coming into the centre again; from then onward he only goes to the areas like Southampton Rd which has free parking.

On the same lines I called at the Fish and Chip shop on Devizes Rd last week to pick up a quick lunch, I pulled into the only free bay that did not have residence only parking marked on it. Two people behind me had pulled in but were on the yellow lines as no other parking was available, they told the staff, who said they would rush there order through. Just at that point the traffic warden came into the shop to say he had put tickets on their vehicles they explained as did the fish shop owner that they would only be two minutes, they were not on the main road or obstructing anyone, he just shook his head and left. The fish shop owner told me that he is loosing so much business now as the traffic wardens now always come on lunchtime. The Fish shop needs the passing trade, they need the lorry drivers to stop and buy.

It seems to me that there seems very little common sense around anymore could that traffic warden not have come in and said you have five minutes to move your vehicle, he knew they were just buying their lunches, and the fish owner needs community support to survive.

Our city centre is dying, we need to be in there enjoying it but with high parking charges, traffic wardens who I have been told are supposed to be ambassadors for the city, but act like the gestapo, how can we support the small traders. I must make clear that we do have one or two very good wardens who I have seen being very courteous and charming, giving people the chance to explain or show tickets that had fallen, they do a lot for the city making people want to come back.

I hope the people who make the decisions within our beautiful city begin to understand it is down to them to start supporting small traders; offers of free parking will draw a lot of people back to the city.

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