A WOKINGHAM councillor says she is furious after residents cars were targeted with parking fines today.
Shirley Boyt, Labour councillor for Bulmershe and Whitegates, said that this morning, the borough council’s contractor Volker Highways painted double yellow lines at Blackthorn Close, off Culver Lane.
The contractor lifted cars parked along the close with a crane on a truck, and while suspended, painted the yellow lines underneath.
Cars were then placed back down, and slapped with a parking fine.
Cllr Boyt said residents were given no notice of the works.
However, in an email from the borough council’s highways team, she was told that parking restriction cones would be placed on the road yesterday. This, she said, did not happen.
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Cllr Boyt said this is not the first time it residents have been fined in this way in her ward.
Moeen Ulhaq, 19, is one of the residents who was hit with a penalty notice today.
“I parked there last night and there were no signs warning they would be painting lines,” he said. “I woke up about 10.30am and my Mum told me they were moving the cars and painting lines. They didn’t make much noise, I couldn’t hear them doing it.
“One by one, they were lifting each car and putting them back down. I got there and my ticket had been issued at 11.20am.”
Mr Ulhaq said as a student, he would struggle to afford the £70 fine, and has already appealed it.
He was also concerned that the car he is driving at the moment is a courtesy car, and could have been damaged by the lifting process.
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Cllr Boyt said she had reached out to the borough council last week, concerned that residents would not know the line painting was happening.
“I offered to place letters on each car parked there,” she explained. “But the council said that would not be necessary as there would be cones.”
Cllr Boyt said she believes Wokingham Borough Council “does not know what’s going on” in regards to its contractor Volker Highways.
In mid-October, the road opposite Blackthorn Close, Anderson Avenue, had yellow lines painted on it, one week before it was resurfaced and then re-painted.
When Cllr Boyt queried this, she said the borough council told her they were unaware lines had been painted on Anderson Avenue.
Wokingham Borough Council has been contacted for comment.
