The people of Oxhey saw the start of the controlled parking zone. I guess like all things there were going to be teething problems, but when trying to buy a visitor permit, residents were being informed their road was not in a parking scheme.

I felt sorry for those who have enjoyed parking in our streets over the past year, to be surprised this week to find a ticket on their cars, totally unaware the restrictions were resuming. Would it not have been fairer to have put some signage up to warn drivers in advance.

Lots of additional short-term bays are now available, great for our local shops, however the restrictions are only valid Monday to Friday, which means drivers can park up on a Friday night and leave their car or van outside a shop all weekend.

Not so good when Saturday is the busiest day of the week and there are no spaces for customers to park.

The roads have been lovely and clear, but with people working at home, how many commuters will there really be in the future? Sadly, but as expected, in the evenings the roads are full, over capacity, with cars parked in every available space. So what was the reason for these controls?

I guess we will have to see how things pan out. Frustratingly Cllr Iain Sharpe, responsible for implementing these schemes, is stepping down, so won’t be around to be held accountable for the long-term impact on the community.

Be careful what you wish for.

William Carre

By email