FED up residents from St Helens Road have taken their fight for parking bays to the top.

They have presented a petition containing more than 100 signatures to their MP Brian Iddon in the hope that political pressure will change the minds of transport bosses.

As reported in the BEN, residents are angry that the majority of their neighbours have been given parking bays outside their homes as part of the new quality £1.7 million bus lane which travels along the length of Derby Street and St Helens Road. Residents have been told by council traffic chiefs that the pavement outside their stretch is not wide enough to cater for a parking bay and pavement.

Residents point out that other residents with similar sized pavements have been given parking bays. But when they brought this to the attention of traffic chiefs, they were told it was a "mistake:"

Jackie Parkinson, one of the leading lights of the campaign, persuaded her MP Brian Iddon to come to her home to accept the petition. And now he's joined the fight. He told the BEN that he would be giving the petition to the chief executive of Bolton Council.

"And I'm going to ask them to have another look at it. There's a parking bay that exists with room for three cars. It could be extended by another 25 yards without compromising road safety. And I believe that the footpath would still be adequate. There would still be enough room for a pram and two people."

He went on: "I do not think the engineers are being reasonable."

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