A PETITION has been launched to turn a busy road in Tavistock into a resident permit only parking street.

Bannawell Street has long been a popular free parking zone for people going to work in Tavistock or those popping to the shops.

But residents say that the street’s popularity is making it impossible for them to find a parking space near to their home — having to find spaces on other roads in the town.

Many of the residents on Bannawell Street have no private parking and feel it is time to make it a road for only residents to park.

Bannawell resident Mandy Kristjansson created the petition and aims to collect as many signatures as possible in order to present her campaign to Tavistock Town Council.

She said: ‘I am a mother with two children and a dog — it’s increasingly frustrating to have to park half a mile away from my front door, especially with a car load of shopping.

‘I have had to unload everything at the door while stopped in the middle of the road with my hazards on blocking traffic while transferring kids, dog and shopping and then go and search for a parking space.

‘I am sick of people using this road to park their cars while they work or shop because it’s free. We need this street to be resident only.

‘I am not the only one with children who is struggling.

‘I got a parking ticket for parking on a white line for 20 minutes while I transferred everything into my house the other day because I didn’t want to block the road.

‘It’s ridiculous and something needs to be done.’

Mia Holman, a Bannawell Street resident, is in support of the petition.

‘We watch residents leave for work and people that work in the town arrive to park for the day. If we leave the house to go anywhere when we come back there are no spaces,’ said Mia.

‘My main concern is that people who don’t live on the street don’t understand that if they park here, it needs to be responsibly. Lorries are constantly getting stuck and having to reverse down Bannawell which causes chaos and on several occasions I have seen the emergency services get stuck — this is obviously very worrying.

‘I don’t expect to park outside my house but on my street would be nice!’

To view or sign the petition, visit www.change.org/p/tavistock-town-council-making-bannawell-street-residents-only-parking