A Dundee woman claims she is being forced to park further away from her home under a new council permit scheme.
Megan Holland-Sproul, 41, lives on Bank Street. She reapplied for a permit to allow her to park in the city centre earlier this month.
But she realised the permit, which has increased from £130 to £150, had been assigned to one of three new zones. These zones dictate where city centre residents can park.
Megan’s street is in the “north” zone. This means she can only park on streets designated by the council, rather than across the city centre.
Dundee city centre resident hits out at parking permit changes
The online teacher claims this is forcing her to park further away from her home because the street she previously used is not in the zone allocated to her.
Megan told The Courier: “We’ve had a permit in the city centre for five years.
“When I applied for the new permit, I realised it was an entirely new system.
“You had to create an account for a whole new portal.
“I made an account and it said ‘north zone’ – I was like: ‘What is that?’
“I went on the website and read through all the terms and conditions.
“Everything had changed.”
Megan says she finds it difficult to get a space on Bank Street. She normally parks on South Tay Street, a short walk away.
However, South Tay Street is in the “west” zone and not the “north” zone, so her permit can no longer be used there.
Instead, Megan says she is now having to park further away, at Dudhope Castle, as it is the only place she knows she is likely to get a space.
She added: “If you look at the zone maps, it’s a bunch of squiggly lines.
“The squiggly zone borders might make sense on paper, but in practice, negatively impact the real lives of real people, both practically and financially.
“We know a lot of people in the city centre and nobody knew about it until I asked if they had read the terms and conditions.
“It’s totally crazy.
“I understand they’re trying to manage parking.
“It’s a big city centre, but they have to make it more accessible for residents.
“They can’t draw random lines on a map and have us follow it without sending us letters or asking how we feel.”
‘The scheme does not allow drivers to park wherever they choose’
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: “The parking permit scheme is intended to support city centre residents by providing affordable parking close to where they live.
“The terms and conditions of the scheme do not allow drivers to park wherever they choose.
“If permit holders are seen to be continually disregarding the terms and conditions of the scheme, they may have their permit withdrawn.
“Such a step would not happen without warnings being issued in advance.
“If any permit holder has specific issues they wish to discuss, they can contact the council. “
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