Parking crackdown on Bristol's Stapleton Road 'losing trade'

Traders on a busy commuter route in Bristol say they are suffering after the city council started cracking down on parking in bus lanes.

Sonny Richards, chairman of the Stapleton Road Traders Association, said restrictions meant they could not stock their shops for the morning rush.

"If we can't do this then, there's not going to be any businesses on Stapleton Road," he said.

Bristol City Council said people parking illegally risked getting fined.

It has recently started using a car equipped with video and number plate recognition cameras - which is normally used elsewhere in the city - to enforce the parking regulations on Stapleton Road.

Mr Richards said it was "so unfair" that traders could not unload between 07:00 and 10:00.

"This is the prime time for us to stock our shops so our customers have something to purchase.

'Busy city'

"If we can't do that then there's not going to be any business on Stapleton Road," he added.

James Henderson, who runs a butcher's shop on Stapleton Road, believes the new scheme is costing him about £1,000 per week from lost custom.

"We've got a lot of trade on this road but the customers can't park so they're not buying their meat.

"We're losing a lot of business," he added.

Councillor Tim Kent said Bristol is a very busy city with very limited road space.

"We have to weigh up the demands from local traders, shoppers and businesses [in the city centre] if they want to grow here and give people jobs.

"We've tried to put in as much parking as possible so that's why we only have a peak time bus lane.

"Apart from that, you can park as much as you like and that's to encourage trade.

"The rules have been in place for many months and we're starting to enforce them... if you break them you risk getting a fine [so] park legally," the Liberal Democrat spokesman for transport added.