Posted online: Nov 22nd, 2007

Fed up residents in the Long Tower Court area have called on Roads Service to reverse the parking nightmare which means they can no longer park outside their homes. 

By Alan Healyalan@derrynews.net 

And people living in the area are furious about the introduction of a 1 hour parking scheme in

without – a scheme they claim Road Service undertook no consultation on before its implementation.

The parking problem has also been further worsened by those working in the city centre leaving their vehicles in outlying residential areas such as

since the advent of NCP.

Indeed, so bad is the traffic that residents claim it is too dangerous for their children to play in the street.

And residents have now demanded that DRD Roads Service immediately review the situation and seriously look at the option of introducing a residents only parking scheme in the area.Backing the call, Sinn Féin MLA Martina Anderson added that unless the congestion is addressed, then the problem will only worsen as traffic volume increases in the city.“’Because of the close proximity of their homes to the city centre, parking each day between the hours of 9am to 5pm has become a massive issue particularly in the last few months as the problem has escalated,” he said. “Residents have a right to be able to access their homes and many feel the only way this ongoing problem will be solved is with the introduction of a ‘Residents only parking scheme.” 

Report 

A spokesperson for DRD Roads Service told the Derry News that the situation in the area was currently under review.

“

has been included in the areas recently surveyed on behalf of Roads Service for possible residents’ parking schemes,” the spokesperson said.

“Roads Service is currently awaiting the consultant’s report and hopes to be in a position early next year to determine which areas meet the criteria for introduction of residents’ parking and to start design work on the first schemes.”