Postbag: readers divided over new parking charges at the station car park

Few subjects fill our postbag faster than parking, and the new daily charge at the station car park has done exactly that. This week we print a selection of the many letters received, lightly edited for length.

Commuters have been the loudest voices, arguing that the charge punishes those who have no choice but to drive to the early train. Several point out that the bus does not run early enough to connect.

The other side of the square

Not everyone is against it. A number of town-centre shopkeepers write in support, saying the free car park had become a dumping ground for all-day commuter cars, leaving nowhere for customers to stop.

  • Commuters: the charge hits early-shift workers hardest
  • Shopkeepers: free spaces were clogged all day
  • Several readers ask for a cheaper short-stay tariff
  • Others want the money ring-fenced for local road repairs

The parish council says it will review the scheme after three months and publish the figures. We will, of course, print them, and no doubt a fresh sack of letters alongside. Have your say at the address on this page.

Related: Council & Planning news · Weldale bridge closure

Further reading: How parking charges work

Weldale bridge to close for six weeks as repairs finally begin

The Mill Road bridge over the Weldale, a bottleneck that Thornley drivers have grumbled about for a decade, will close completely for six weeks while its worn deck is stripped out and replaced. Contractors are due on site at the end of the month.

The crossing has carried a three-tonne weight limit since a survey found rust eating into the steelwork beneath the tarmac. Buses and delivery lorries have been detouring through Netherford ever since, adding the best part of twenty minutes to some rounds.

What the diversion means

During the closure, all through traffic will follow a signed route via Coldbeck Lane and the A-road roundabout. Pedestrians and cyclists will keep a temporary walkway on the eastern side.

  • Closure runs for approximately six weeks, weather permitting
  • Emergency vehicles will retain access at all times
  • The number 4 bus will start and terminate at the market square
  • Foundry Lane residents keep access from the town side only

Highways officers say the work is the first stage of a longer plan to bring the bridge back to a full weight limit. Whether the budget stretches to the second stage remains, as ever, the open question.

Related: More town news · Weldale river clean-up

Further reading: About bridges