Hull Fair: Rogue parking leaves residents walking up to half an hour to get to their homes

Ian Watson, who lives with his family near the Hull Fair site, said they had been unable to park because of people flouting rules and a lack of enforcement. He added trips to take his children out in the evenings were fraught with worry that they would have to drive around looking in vain for a parking space.

A Hull City Council spokesperson said wardens patrolled the area around Hull Fair to tackle rogue parking and they called on fairgoers to respect the community. It comes after the council pledged to continue patrols to crack down on parking in restricted areas and on double yellow lines up until fair closes on Saturday (October 14).

Council Transport Portfolio Cllr Mark Ieronimo said fairgoers should try to use shuttle bus services and other alternatives to cars where possible. It follows last year’s Hull Fair which saw cars left in the middle of roads, on double yellow lines and central reservations.

But Mr Watson said he had not seen wardens on his street meaning people could park in his street with virtual impunity. The resident said: “We get a lot of people parking in our street every time there’s an event at Hymers College or the MKM Stadium.

“But during Hull Fair, it’s chock-a-block. You get people parking on our street and we rarely see traffic wardens.

“In our street people can park for up to an hour, but they stay for longer than that. On Friday and Saturday we were driving around and around in the evening trying to find somewhere to park because of how many cars were parked in our area.

“Once we get a space we’re generally all right, but we know some of our neighbours have gone out in their cars and come back to find they can’t park them. If we can’t find a space then we go to my brother’s house and park there, but that can be a 20 minute or half an hour walk away depending on the traffic.

“Other times we’ve had to park as far away as Princes Avenue which is about the same distance away on foot. We have to leave the house at between 6 and 7 in the evening to take our children to out of school lessons, and we don’t know if we’ll be able to find a space when we get back.

“It’s ridiculous, as residents we pay to park our cars, it makes a farce of the system. And I don’t understand why the council doesn’t send traffic wardens down, they’d make a lot of money off of it.”

A spokesperson for Hull City Council said they knew that Hull Fair made parking across the area difficult for residents. The spokesperson said: “The council has done all it can to make sure people can park safely and local residents aren’t faced with rouge parking.

“We ask anyone arriving at the fair by car to be respectful of the local community. Wardens are patrolling the area around Hull Fair, including all stadium zones and the city centre on a regular basis.

“In addition, traffic cones and barriers have been installed by the council and used in areas to help prevent cars parking in restricted areas. Patrols will continue right up to when the fair ends on until Saturday 14 October.”