Nostalgia: Echoes of parking problems in the past

Back in 1926, Stella Green from The Abbeys, Kenilworth, was writing to the Courier to complain about the unreasonable byelaws on parking which led to her being fined one pound and a shilling (£1.1s).

On October 1, Miss, or Mrs Green wrote: “Have the residents of Leamington had their attention drawn to the fact that in the whole of the borough there is no parking place for cars after 10pm?

“I would like to put forward the case for the owner-driver. During the day, one is allowed to park in Euston Place for two hours only. You must then drive the car away and ‘may’ be allowed to put it back in exactly the same spot.

“This is often inconvenient - but at night no provision is made for the owner-driver. If one is going to a dance - say at the Blue Cafe - the car must be put into a garage and on a wet night one does not relish a walk of some minutes. The same thing applies to a cinema, and for that form of entertainment it seems ridiculous to have one shilling extra to pay for garage expenses every time.”

Miss Green anticipates the present day difficulties by complaining about the police taking advantage of their powers by imposing a large fine when all she’d done was left her car unattended in empty Abbott Street from 10.20pm until midnight.

She warns: “Unless these bye-laws are altered, it will mean that people will be very chary of going to Leamington in the evenings.”

She adds: “I do not know of another town in England of the size and importance of Leamington, where there is no provision made for the owner-driver, and I hope if enough publicity is given to this matter, the cause of complaint (the byelaw) will be remedied.

“The owner-driver is increasing daily in numbers and Leamington must move with the times. People from outlying districts should be encouraged and not deterred from coming into Leamington.”