'Easy pickings' parking ticket hotspot revealed

Twm Owen Local Democracy Reporter

The area of a Gwent borough where council traffic wardens issue the most fixed penalty parking fines has been revealed. 

The information has also sparked claims Torfaen Borough Council’s civil enforcement officers are targeting “easy pickings” rather than parking problems in other streets and outside schools. 

Torfaen council has said its enforcement teams visit schools every morning and afternoon.

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"No surprise"

The issue was highlighted by Reform UK councillor David Thomas at the council’s March meeting who asked where the majority of parking tickets in Torfaen are being issued. 

That revealed his Llantarnam ward, that includes the busy Cwmbran Shopping Centre, as the area where the highest number of tickets are dished out. 

Councillor Mandy Owen, the Labour cabinet member responsible for highways, said Llantarnam is “closely followed by Pontypool and Pontnewydd.” 

Cllr Owen added: “This is really no surprise considering the range of visitor attractions including the town centre attracts a significant amount of visitors, the attractions and retail stores.” 

She said there was high footfall and vehicle movements in the area and restricted parking including loading bays, for businesses, disabled parking spaces and time limited bays. 

She said there are also schools and the Torfaen Learning Zone college in the Llantarnam ward.

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"Pressures"

The Cwmbran Greenmeadow member said Pontypool and Pontnewydd, in Cwmbran, “reflect similar pressures on a smaller scale”. 

Cllr Thomas noted Llantarnam’s position and said of the enforcement officers: “Their job isn’t to raise money for the council I’d ask that they hit the more problematic streets and schools rather than the easy pickings in the town centre.” 

Cllr Owen also said the council’s enforcement policy aims to ensure officers work to a rota to cover the north and south of the borough and it doesn’t want their deployment to be predictable. 

She said officers also respond to reports and complaints from councillors, schools and the public and said it would be “helpful” if Cllr Thomas could identify what he considered “problematic” areas that could be targeted for enforcement.