Traders welcome new parking bays (From Watford Observer)

New bays mean 20 minutes' free parking in Queen's Road, Watford

3:10pm Wednesday 24th October 2012 in News By Mike Wright, Chief Reporter

Small business owners in central Watford have welcomed new bays that came into force this week to give shoppers 20 minutes free parking.

Traders along Queen’s Road have said they hope the new bays, which were painted last week, will help encourage people to use smaller shops on the street.

The measure has come to pass after lobbying from business in the street over the last year.

The road previously had pay-and-display bays on one side and yellow lines on the other. The seven new bays have replaced yellow lines.

Brian Simble, from the hardware store J Simble & Sons, which has been in Queen’s Road for 65 years, said: "We have been trying for a year to get this done as people seemed to park down the road for an hour to go to the Harlequin.

"Now people will be able to park to come into the shops."

The new bays, which were painted by Watford Borough Council, were also welcomed by central Watford councillor Helen Lynch, who worked in favour of the project.

She said: "The parking did not support the shopkeepers in Queen’s Road as most people were parking there to go to the Harlequin."

However, Mr Simble said there was only one snag with the otherwise positive changes, which was that the disabled slot in the original bays was still three hours maximum, whereas the new ones were free all day.

He said he wanted the original bay to be made the same as the new ones so that the new bays were not taken up by people parking there all day to work in the town.