Residents bid for restriction on match day parking
BBCResidents on three Coventry roads have started a petition calling for restrictions on football match days, because parking on them by fans has become "a nightmare".
It comes after a permit area, known as the Arena Zone, was set up for roads around the CBS Arena that restricts parking to residents only for Coventry City home games, forcing supporters to go elsewhere.
Now fans park in Glentworth Avenue, Malmesbury Road and Charlecote Road, despite them being more than a mile (1.6km) from the stadium, as a bus route nearby will take them to the ground.
But the city council says no new restrictions can be considered since because 60% of residents need to back the call to trigger discussions.
Jessica King, who lives on Glentworth Road, described the situation as "ridiculous".
"If we have family come to see us...they've got nowhere to park," she said.
At the moment, only 19 people on Glentworth Avenue have signed the petition.
Fans who park in the area can easily catch a bus from the nearby Craftsman Pub to get to the stadium.
Permits 'could worsen things'
Dave Crisp regularly visits his father-in-law in the area and agrees parking can be a problem.
"We tried to avoid Saturday afternoons to be honest, because it does get very busy," he said.
But he has raised concerns that permits may make the problem worse.
"There's a lot of restricted parking around the area which would obviously make it difficult if you are just visiting and happen to be here on a match day," Crisp continued.
"You might find that you can't park here either so it could become a problem in itself."
On Saturday, the Sky Blues host a friendly against Espanyol, the first home match in weeks.
Fan Paul Mulgrew gets the bus from outside The Craftsman to go to matches and lives on Glentworth Ave.
He believes more parking at the Arena would be a better solution than parking permits.
"There's no parking up the arena unless you pay a fortune," he said. "[If] they made it a bit cheaper up there... I think that would be a better idea and get some more parking spaces."
'Clear support needed'
Stephen King, who lives next door to Mulgrew, says the worry for him is for the safety of his son.
"I've got a highly autistic son, so if he's out on the road trying to cross between parked cars which, obviously, can be on the match day, that's a problem for us," he explained.
"there are no current plans to change the existing Arena residents' parking zone".
But the city council said the introduction of restrictions on parking would need to be separate, rather than becoming an extension of the Arena Zone.
"We like to view these as area or zone based to avoid displacement parking," a spokesperson said.
"And, as with any new scheme, this would require clear support from local residents with at least 60% of households within the proposed area in favour.
"We understand the concerns raised by residents and would welcome a further petition that demonstrates the level of support for a new zonal restriction."
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