Drivers face fines in Stourbridge car park crackdown
Drivers will face parking fines at McDonald’s and KFC in Stourbridge under a new crackdown on people who ‘abuse’ the car park.
Cameras are to be installed at the fast-food restaurants on Mill Race Lane in response to crafty drivers who have been leaving their vehicles there for hours at a time to avoid paying elsewhere.
Customers at McDonald’s, KFC and Costa Coffee will be able to stay on the car park for an hour and a half, but anyone who goes over that limit could be fined.
Enforcement firm Parking Eye said the move had been made to stop abuse of the car park, which is off the Stourbridge ring road and close to the town centre and train station.
It is thought commuters are among those who have been leaving their cars at McDonald’s, leaving fewer spaces for paying customers.
Cameras
Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras will be installed to monitor how long vehicles are staying.
A report submitted to Dudley Council, which has granted the request for cameras, said: “The site is currently used as a car park with 66 parking bays.
"The proposal seeks to provide management of the existing car park to reduce car park abuse and ensure that spaces are available for genuine site users.
“The site will continue to operate as a car park however it will be managed by the introduction of an ANPR system.”
Stourbridge councillor Nicolas Barlow said drivers should not be allowed to escape paying to park.
He said: “I completely understand the reason for doing it. At the end of the day it’s a private car park for genuine customers.
"Stourbridge has sufficient and ample parking, there is two hours’ free at the Ryemarket and Tesco so there is no excuse for circumnavigating the system.”
