Parents dropping their children off at a Brighton nursery said that they were feeling the impact of a new parking zone.
They said that drop off and pick up times at the Little Stars Nursery, in Bear Road, had become a juggling act since the Hanover and Elm Grove parking zone went live last autumn.
It was hard for them to find spaces unless they risked a parking ticket by double parking, stopping on double yellow lines or using a dedicated car club bay.
Little Stars owner Laura Rich said: “It got really bad about six month ago.
“Parents will pull over and double park and I can understand that from a parent’s point of view when they cannot pull in. It can take half an hour to find a space.
“We have parents working in the city who cannot walk in, and drop off on the way in to work.”
Some children come to the nursery from Worthing and Shoreham. Mrs Rich comes in from Southwick herself with her one-year-old.
Lack of parking caused problems for the nursery when booking Christmas entertainment for children.
Mrs Rich used to have a weekly specialist music teacher coming along but he comes monthly now due to parking issues.
She also picked up a ticket during a short stop in the car club bay just outside the nursery, at 8.50am one morning.
Brighton and Hove City Council is looking at options to replace the car club bay in Riley Road as it is unused. But a designated nursery drop off space is not an option.
Brighton mum Cat Harris picks up her 19-month-old son after she finishes work as a learning development manager in Haywards Heath. Her husband deals with the morning drop off.
She feels anxious about parking illegally in an effort to pick her child up on time.
Mrs Harris said: “I have to double park or go in the car club space at pick up when I want to do a proper hand over.
“I’m a law-abiding citizen and need to find somewhere to park. I cannot charge around or drive around for 15 minutes.”
Picking up children late from nursery can result in a fine for going over hours.
Last week Moulsecoomb and Bevendean Labour councillors Daniel Yates and Anne Meadows discussed parking issues with residents at the Coombe Road Local Action Team meeting.
Councillor Yates said: “We are working with the local community closely to get this sorted.
“Already we’ve had progress on some of the worst parking issues such as Bevendean Road but the major solution may be a controlled parking scheme.”
He confirmed that money from the Preston Barracks development was available to deal with parking issues.
At this stage the area north of Bear Road is not in the timetable of parking scheme consultations running until 2021.
However, Coombe Road residents have submitted a petition asking for a parking zone.
Since my street became part of a Controlled Parking Zone, the elderly lady next door has fewer visitors, and the time they stay is much less. Her main visitor is her daughter, whose own mobility is restricted but not badly enough to qualify for a Blue Badge. She has described driving round and round trying to find somewhere to park that is both legal and as close to her mother’s as she can, adding to pollution levels. As there are many thousands of elderly people in Brighton and Hove, I imagine this is a wider problem than just my neighbour.
As well as ensuring old people are more lonely and isolated, these Parking Zones also hurt local businesses. I cannot be the only person to head out to Holmbush where the parking is free rather than to Churchill Square where there is too little provision and sky high prices. Last Christmas we went to Bluewater twice, despite the mileage. The parking is free there too, so the money can be spent in the shops.