Lincoln bad parking means we can't get to work, says resident

Jo Bycroft says she has to confront drivers who block her car into her drive

People living in Lincoln say parking in the city has become so bad that they struggle to go about their lives.

Residents in the West End area said the council had granted too many parking permits for too few spaces.

One householder said her drive was often blocked, leaving her unable to get to work.

City of Lincoln Council, which issues the permits, said they do not guarantee drivers a parking space and it had received "very few" complaints.

Jo Bycroft, 54, lives on Hewson Road and said she regularly confronted drivers parked on double yellow lines in front of her drive.

"It stops us from going about our daily lives. We cannot go to work, we cannot go out in our own car," she said.

The council charges £26 for a yearly permit for one car and Ms Bycroft said she had now paid for a pass to park on the street to avoid being blocked in.

But she said: "We come back at night, often late in the evening and we cannot park on our own street and use our permit."

Alice Lyon said it was difficult to find a parking space near her home

Alice Lyon, 22, lives in a student house in the West End area.

She said her housemates, who are nurses, often drive home to find there are no spaces.

"It is not sensible at all. It is really tricky to find a space. It is awful," she said.

City of Lincoln Council said there had been very few complaints about the residents' parking scheme

A spokesperson for the council said the parking scheme was introduced following a request from residents.

They said the aim of the zone was to "free up spaces on residential streets close to the city centre that were being monopolised by commuters and shoppers".

"When signing up to the scheme, residents are made aware that it doesn't guarantee them a parking space. All residents' parking schemes across the country work on this basis."

Permits are issued for zones, rather than individual streets, the spokesperson added.

They said: "The scheme operates well, we have more than 6,000 permit holders in the city and have receive very few complaints."