Photo by R4vi
Boris Johnson has criticised plans to introduce evening and weekend parking charges in Westminster.
The council plans to abolish free parking on single yellow lines and parking bays from 9 January 2012 between 6.30pm and midnight Monday to Saturday and 1pm to 6pm on Sundays. The new charges will be up to £4.80 per hour. The mayor has called the charges a ‘threat to the west end’s night-time economy’. With books to promote and a mayoral election to win, the blond one is keen to demonstrate his support of the local economy and opposing an unpopular parking policy could be a vote-winner.
The council is facing a judicial review over the proposed charges while thesps join the clergy and local businesses in signing a petition.
Westminster council, not known for their altruism when it comes to parking in the borough, recently made the news when one of its own CCTV vans was spotted illegally parked. A ‘pay a parking ticket’ option is also listed as one of the most popular tasks on the council’s website.
