Parking ‘free for all’ in Eastbourne town centre

Wardens are not able to issue tickets to motorists flouting the rules in parts of Gildredge Road, Station Parade, Terminus Road and Cornfield Road.

And East Sussex County Council, which runs the pay to park scheme in the town, says it is because yellow lines and other markings have not yet been painted.

Many of the town centre roads have been dug up for the last few months as part of the Eastbourne Town Centre Improvement Scheme.

The council said this week a Traffic Regulation Order was in place so wardens could enforce restrictions but they were having to wait until markings were painted on roads.

Eastbourne taxi driver Martin Reeves is among those calling on the council to bring back traffic enforcement in the town centre because drivers were ‘taking advantage’.

The Hackney Carriage driver said drivers are getting away with parking in parts of the town centre which they would have been ticketed for before improvement works started, when the old yellow lines were in place.

Martin said, “There’s no double yellow lines. That means people can park all day long where they’re not supposed to and not get a ticket. There should be markings on the road to say drivers are not allowed to park there. It’s not just causing me problems. It just shouldn’t be happening.

“Because town centre work has not been finished, drivers are taking advantage. At the end of Lushington Road, on the junction, people are parking on the bends. We can’t see on that junction.”

A county council spokesperson said, “There are currently a few areas of Terminus Road, Gildredge Road and Cornfield Road where parking is not currently being enforced. This is because we’re waiting for yellow lines to be painted as part of the finishing touches to the Eastbourne Town Centre Improvement Scheme, work we expect to be completed by the end of this month. In the meantime, we would encourage drivers to park responsibly in order to ensure traffic can continue to flow smoothly through the town centre.”