FOR years, football fans and commuters avoiding town centre parking charges have clogged up roads and driveways in the Old Walcot area.

But residents can look forward to the beginning of the end of the problem now the results of a consultation held earlier this year have been revealed, which could see a number of measures put in place.

Coun Mark Dempsey (Lab, Walcot and Park North), pictured, who has been working closely with residents and other councillors to try to tackle the issue over a number of years, said: “Parking is a particular problem in the ward, particularly in the Old Walcot area, and I consulted residents on this particular issue as to what kinds of changes they wanted to see.

“We have just really been in the last month collating the responses from the latest consultation, and there is a large number of different opinions as to what should be done.

“Residents in the Cumberland Road and Burford Avenue area in West Walcot expressed a preference for limited time waiting measures.

“Another proportion of residents preferred to have a residents’ parking scheme.

“The majority in West Walcot though wanted things to stay the way they are, or to have more yellow lines.”

Now work will be carried out to assess what measures can most practically be put in place.

Coun Dempsey has been working on solving the problem since he first approached residents about the issue several years ago.

He said: “The main issue is football fans but it is mainly commuters who park in West Walcot and walk into town rather than pay for town centre parking.

“When I first approached residents they made it clear it was a really big issue in the area, and at times a huge inconvenience.

“Sometimes residents would come home to find somebody had parked their car across their driveway. Other times people park on the corners which is a danger.

“At the same time there are people in Walcot who are not affected by these issues and don’t want there to be any change.”

Residents have been consulted on a number of occasions during the past few months to ask them what measures they would like to see introduced.

There have also been public exhibitions held at the County Ground and at Lainesmead School where residents could find out more.