BY CIARAN WOODS
THE activities of the new NCP Traffic Wardens in Strabane have created quite a stir in Upper Main Street, with local business owners, employees and customers hitting out at what they see as over-zealous ticketing in small car park there, commonly known as 'Harleys car park'.
They may wear red coats, but it's certainly not Butlins as tickets and fines are fired out like Las Vegas card dealers.
The sign, the small one located high on a lampost, stipulates that stays are limited to 60 minutes, with no return within two hours, conditions that many users have been oblivious to. The wardens though have been making the most of the situation, visiting up to five or six times a day.
The situation is causing problems for the shop owners and their customers, who are forced to park a substantial distance away in the free car parks of Upper Main Street opposite the Health Centre and behind St Patricks Hall.
One business owner revealed that he recently received a ticket himself whilst parked in front of his shop, and referred to the situation as "impossible."
He said, "The day I got the ticket, I had actually been away from the car park about three times, but because I was there on their first visit, and was there again when they came back more than an hour later, I got ticketed. I sent off the ticket with a letter about two weeks ago, and I've heard nothing back, so it'll be interesting to see what they say about it.
"I have deliveries of large items to carry out. Am I supposed to carry them to a van parked away up the road somewhere?
"I actually asked one of the wardens what I was supposed to do, and they basically couldn't give me an answer.
"I think they're just taking advantage of the situation. It's becoming almost impossible to do anything, or park anywhere close by.
"Christmas time was a total nightmare because the shop was so busy and so were the public car parks."
LEAVE THE STORE
He also highlighted the biggest problem facing each of the shop owners in relation to parking their vehicles; the inability to leave the store.
"If you're working on your own, and you have to move the vehicle, then you have to lock up.
"And who knows how long you'll be away for because it's so hard to find a space at times. Likewise, if you've customers in the shop, what are you supposed to do?
"You can't exactly say 'Hang on there, look after the shop for me, I just have to go and move my vehicle here.'
"It's also difficult for the people living in the flats, who want to keep their cars down here at night to keep an eye on them, but then have to move them elsewhere during the day for fear of getting a ticket.
"Something has to be done, some compromise and common-sense is needed, because people are needlessly suffering because of this," he concluded.
