With parking charges set to be introduced at 5 Leeds beauty spots and 6 other car parks despite hundreds of objections, walkers in Roundhay Park reflect on the council’s decision to implement them.
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00:00It's a disgrace, a total disgrace.
00:03This amenity is meant for people of Leeds and the area to enjoy.
00:09And you've just told me that the machines that do go up
00:13won't have facilities for cash,
00:16which means things like, I guess, cards or apps.
00:21And that's just not practical.
00:23We all know councils are short of money,
00:26but there's no justification for such blanket changes
00:30for what, as I said a minute ago, are just amenities.
00:33They do need more money, so that is the first point.
00:36We do use Roundhay Park, but we don't use the car parks
00:40and we park sort of outside,
00:42and I guess we'd just sort of park a bit further away.
00:45But it will impact more on people perhaps that have disabilities
00:48and need to get closer, people with dogs who come every day.
00:52A bit of a shame, I think everyone's feeling the pinch at the moment,
00:55but I think you can understand why the council need to do it.
00:59I think as long as local residents see the benefits
01:02in service provision, then I think it's justifiable, I suppose.
01:07But again, I think enforcing it being cashless
01:10is a bit difficult for some people.
01:12I'd rather they brought in car charges, which are optional,
01:17rather than putting it on council tax or something like that,
01:20which is for everybody.
01:22I'd rather they charged for parking rather than closed libraries
01:25or anything like that.
01:27We did a questionnaire a few years ago, filled it all in,
01:31and then they decided they weren't going to do it
01:34because of the opposition from local people,
01:37and yet they've sort of done it under the cover again, really, this one.
01:42I think the open spaces should be for everybody,
01:45and also being cashless, that could cause an issue for people
01:50who are maybe not aware or maybe don't have an app or whatever.
01:54The other concern is that their parking on street,
01:57around the parks, is going to be horrendous.