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I WOULD like to thank Barbara Dowty for her contribution to Postbag regarding council parking.

Her photograph of an illegally parked council van has enabled me to identify a particular difficulty facing certain types of council vehicles working in that particular location.

Ms Dowty rightly makes the point that on this occasion a council employee did flout parking regulations, though from my investigations, this was not done deliberately or with any contempt.

I understand that a carpenter who was working in Shopmobility was using the van in the picture. The van was carrying ladders on its roof and the carpenter was concerned that he might not be able to gain access to the Shopmobility unit under the Maltings car deck.

He therefore parked, despite signs to the contrary, on the approach road to the Sainsbury's service area, tucking the van into a corner to ensure that passing vehicles would not be obstructed. The parking violation was therefore committed with the best of intentions, although is still something that should not have happened.

I have asked the parking manager to liaise with drivers carrying out council business to try and discover a more acceptable and permanent arrangement for council vehicles parking in this vicinity.

The important point to conclude with is that parking restrictions do apply to all and we will be working with our staff to ensure that we do not fall foul of our own regulations in the future, however accidental it may be.

In my experience we demonstrate a very even-handed approach to the issuing of penalty charge notices - as many of my colleagues who have been on the receiving end of them will no doubt testify!

ERIC TEAGLE, Head of Planning & Transportation - Salisbury District Council

12:26pm Thursday 20th March 2008

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