Burnham traders call for end to parking 'nightmare' (From Burnham and Highbridge Weekly News)

Burnham traders call for end to parking 'nightmare'

12:40pm Thursday 25th October 2012 in News By Matthew Colledge

TRADERS in Burnham have told a group which will recommend how to spend £320,000 on the town: “End our parking nightmare first.”

Burnham and Highbridge Town Council will make suggestions within weeks on how the money from Tesco – connected to the expansion of its supermarket in Ben Travers Way – should be spent.

The council’s town improvements committee is meeting today (October 25) to discuss possible highways changes – including pedestrianising High Street and making Victoria Street completely one-way.

Parking is also on the agenda, with suggestions that some disabled and loading bays could be removed to ease the burden.

But traders say councillors should go even further.

Dennis Preedy, who has run DP Menswear in High Street for seven years, said: “£320,000 doesn’t go far.

“They could spend the whole lot on paving, lighting and whatever but free parking is the easiest way out of our problems and the key to it all.

“It would bring people into the town. We should have parking meters in the High Street and make all the car parks free.

“There shouldn’t be any disabled bays apart from the side streets.”

Steve Thomas, who has run Thomas’s Shoe Repairs in High Street for 23 years, said: “Parking is definitely an issue.

“Customers complain about the lack of parking spaces all the time.

“Wedmore has got free parking and Somerton has too. I think free parking is a good idea."

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