Parking penalties soar in Strabane town centre

RAILWAY Street has emerged as Strabane’s parking fine hotspot, with over 850 tickets issued there over the past three years.

New figures obtained by this newspaper show a marked increase in the number of fines being doled out in local car parks, which are controlled by Derry City and Strabane District Council.

The local authority is responsible for four town centre locations – Butcher Street, Upper Main Street, Lower Main Street and Railway Street. And it is the last of that quartet where motorists are falling foul of traffic wardens more than anywhere else.

Between April 2021 and March this year, 862 penalties were dished out at the John Wesley Street car park, off Railway Street.

Second on the list was Butcher Street with 826 tickets.

On Lower Main Street 802 dockets were placed on windscreens during the three year period while the location with the lowest number of fixed penalties was Upper Main Street. There 603 tickets were handed out to those found to be in breach of parking laws.

Overall since 2021, a total of 3,093 errant motorists have drawn the unwanted eye of Strabane’s wardens.

Parking enforcement has been provided since 2015 through an agency agreement with the Department for Infrastructure.

The Department had contracted London-based NSL (Marston Holdings) to provide on the ground enforcement, with the department then processing fines.

However in April eight local authorities, including Derry City and Strabane, united to formally appoint NSL to provide enforcement and processing for their off-street car parks.

As things stand, the fine for parking illegally is £90. But if paid within 14 days a 50 per-cent discount is applied, meaning most motorists are left out of pocket to the tune of £45. That means the 3,093 tickets issued locally since 2021 banked Derry City and Strabane District Council at least £139,000.

Figures released under Freedom of Information reveal how the number of parking penalties being handed out in Strabane has soared.

Between April 2021 and March 2022 a total of 790 fixed penalty notices were issued across the four council-controlled car parks. The Covid pandemic was undoubtedly a factor in that with shops closed and fewer motorists visiting the town centre.

The following year, April 2022 to April 2023, the figure rose to 987 fines.

And that spiked further between 2023 and 2024 when 1,316 fixed penalty notices were written up.

When asked if the number of wardens has increased, a spokesperson for Derry City and Strabane District Council said that any queries regarding enforcement staff should be referred to NSL Marston Holdings.

NSL Marston Holdings is, among other things, a debt collection agency. It said, as it was under contract with the Department for Infrastructure between April 2021 and March 2024, questions should be directed to DfI.

A spokesperson for the Department for Infrastructure said the rise in the number of penalties being issued was not down to more wardens but a bounce back after the pandemic.

“The Department can confirm there has not been an increase in traffic attendant deployment in Strabane during this period,” they said. “There is no significant reason for this increase other than the figures are returning towards pre-Covid levels.”

Derry City and Strabane District Council said that while it does receive the income collected through parking tickets, it then has to pay NSL for its services.

The local authority added, “The primary purpose of penalty charges is to encourage compliance with parking restrictions, and clear information is provided about the enforcement process.

“We would encourage everyone to comply with the regulations in place to ensure they do not receive a parking ticket.”