Is the council trying to force people out of Darlington town centre?

A week or so ago, I was approached by the Rev. Tjarda Murray, who was furious about new parking restrictions outside the United Reform Church in Darlington.

A church-goer, aged 100, had been given a parking ticket on a Sunday for parking close to the church in Northgate.

A few days later, I was chatting to market-holder Robin Blair in the covered market and he was expressing concerns about parking restrictions discouraging people from the town centre.

As a result of those conversations, and a number of letters to The Northern Echo, I'd instructed the reporters to do a feature on the parking debate in the town, which is clearly becoming a bigger issue.

That was all before I found myself on the receiving end of a £35 parking ticket (£70 if I don't pay up quick) this morning.

My crime was parking - on a Sunday - in the market place to spend my money in the council-run Dolphin Centre gym.

I've parked in the same area for years without getting a ticket. But, suddenly, it's a way of cashing in for the council.

I wasn't the only one. Mums and dads, taking their children to the Dolphin Centre for a Sunday morning swim, got parking tickets too.

Asked when it had suddenly become illegal to park in the market place, the traffic warden did his best to ignore the question, then muttered: "It's always been illegal on this side."

On one side - the town clock side - it's OK to park, apparently. On the other side - the Pizza Hut side -it's not. Why not?

As I parked this morning, there was a sign directly in front of me saying parking restrictions applied Mondays to Saturdays. Behind me, further up towards Binns, there was a "restricted parking" sign.

At best it's unclear and at worst it's a cheap money-grabbing exercise. No wonder innocent people were caught out this morning.

But the point is this: It's a Sunday. None of those who got tickets were causing a problem to anyone else. There were plenty of spaces. It would actually have been very easy to park on the other side.

And those people getting tickets were supporting council-run leisure services.

Had it been a busy shopping day, and thoughtless parking was causing an obstruction, or denying others the chance to park, I could have understood it but that wasn't the case.

I intend to protest about my parking ticket and I hope the other Dolphin Centre-users who got stung this morning do the same.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but in these tough economic timres, shouldn't we be trying to make town centres more accessible, friendly, places in order to encourage people to spend their money in the shops, pubs, and leisure facilities?

Oh, and given the amount of money I spend supporting the council-run Dolphin Centre gym three times a week, not to mention using the restaurant on a regular basis, I might as well go private and join Bannatyne's.