SINCE I returned to live in Penarth almost 25 years ago, I soon became aware that parking, here in Railway Terrace, is a bit of a problem.

One cannot always park near one’s house. There are two small resident parking areas, which are available to residents with a pass on a first come, first served basis.

Occasionally I have had to park on the other side of the railway line – not at all convenient if one’s boot is loaded with shopping or other heavy goods.

Residents of neighbouring roads sometimes park in the Terrace, which they are legally entitled to do, of course, and there seems to be an increasing number of large commercial vehicles owned by large companies, not just those owned by residents.

The double-lined stretch on the other side of the road from where I live is not apparently enforced very tightly, some vehicles parking there overnight from time to time. Perhaps ‘stretching’ parking rules is a pragmatic way of dealing with what is a perennial parking problems.

As a matter of necessity, the past presence of two garages, now one, and a number of other bushinesses up the lane adds to the total environmental ‘mix’.

Business folk can have legitimate concerns from their viewpoint, and they do apparently pay high business rates, but the scenario I have tried to depict is, in its totality, not ideal for residents.

The Sunday Times (on September 25) wrote very positively about Penarth, but this sort of article tends to brush any problems in the town under the carpet in this “café-culture” resort.

Michael O'Neill

Railway Terrace

Penarth