Parking nightmare on Lincoln street as man gets £1k of fines

A local man has said he is fed up with the parking rules on his oversubscribed Lincoln street, saying “the council should be looking after its residents, not bankrupting them” after having to pay almost £1,000 in ‘unavoidable’ fines.

Nader Nehme, 31, who is originally from Spain, has lived in Lincoln for 12 years, but the last 12 months living on Alexandra Terrace have been full of frustration. He has received more than 10 fines and even faced debt collectors.

The city council has admitted that the road is oversubscribed for permits.

Nader Nehme by his car. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Despite having a permit, he claimed to The Lincolnite that there are rarely spaces for him to park on the street outside his house, forcing half the residents there to park on the other side of the road, which has a single yellow line, and in the nearby two hour zone.

Nader purchased a permit for himself, plus one for visitor use, costing £78, which means he is allowed to park on his side of the street between 8am and 6pm when it is residents only. Parking is not permitted on the other side of the road within these times.

Outside of these times anyone can park on the street, limiting the spaces that are available.

It appears parking is often an issue on Alexandra Terrace. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

He feels there are not enough parking spaces compared to the number of houses and the number of permits paid for and issued by the council.

Nader has two outstanding fines with debt collectors of over £100 each, which are still ongoing, but he has previously had to pay the others for him and his wife’s cars, which have cost him close to £1,000.

City of Lincoln Council said it sympathises with the situation and recognises that some resident parking areas are oversubscribed, but that the permit scheme does not promise a parking space.

Nader purchased a permit for himself, plus one for visitor use, costing £78. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Nader, who receives around one parking fine a month, told The Lincolnite : “It’s been ongoing since I moved in, and before, and the neighbours are also very frustrated.

“I have challenged the fines. Residents pay for permits so should be able to park anywhere on the street. More leniency is needed for us with permits.

Nader feels the parking rules should be more lenient towards residents. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

“I understand the rules in place, but sometimes we are forced to park elsewhere and it feels unfair to be punished for it when I paid for a permit. I think there should be less restriction and more leniency, at least for the residents. The council’s argument is to move the car at 8am, but there is nowhere to move it to.

“It’s frustrating with the parking, otherwise it’s a nice area. It is costing us a lot of money and causing me stress and anxiety.”

He said he would like the council to allow residents to park on the other side of the road, as well as the two hour zone, for longer as well as putting in white dotted lines on the other side of the road.

He added that he is now looking into the possibility of starting a petition as the situation is getting too much for him.

Alexandra Terrace in Lincoln. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Steve Bird, Assistant Director for Communities and Street Scene at City of Lincoln Council, said: “We sympathise with the situation, and recognise that some resident parking areas are oversubscribed. These historic areas were built long before cars were in common use and demand for space in a terrace street will always outstrip the amount of road space available for parking.

“The permit scheme reduces the demand on the spaces that are available by removing commuters seeking free on-street parking. It does not promise a parking space.

“Those who buy into the permit scheme for their area may like to check the extent of the zone they are in, as other nearby streets might also be available”.