Coaches face action forparking in ‘Coach’ bay

And he warned the legislation which means that coaches parking in Lisburn City Centre are liable to enforcement action will cost the city tourists.

Mr Crawford said the situation came to light last month when a coach parked in the designated bay close to the museum was told to move from the area or enforcement action would be taken.

Mr Crawford explained: “Several dozen Senior citizens met at the Linen Centre to board a coach for a three day break to Co. Donegal.

“The coach parked in the designated Coach bay at the rear of the Linen Centre but the driver was approached by a Traffic Warden and told he had to move on. The driver pointed out he was parked in a designated bay but the warden told him double yellow lines had now been painted inside the bay which meant that coaches could no longer wait there.

“There is no other coach bay in the centre of Lisburn and it was specifically designated to facilitate tour buses visiting the Museum and the city centre,” Mr Crawford said.

“The Roads Service now says coaches are only allowed to stay there to allow passengers to embark and disembark within a five minute window. Apparently, despite the word “Coaches” emblazoned on the road, legislation is required to make it a legally designated coach bay and traffic wardens are entitled to book buses parked there. This is a huge blow to tourism in our city centre and drivers are now expected to drive around the city adding to the congestion whilst the coach bay, which causes no impediment to traffic, remains empty.

“Roads Service is to ask the Wardens to show more discretion and it could be quite some time before legislation is introduced to create an officially designated coach bay.

“Over-zealous enforcement of the parking regulations is driving shoppers and now tourists out of the city centre.

When such activity is accompanied by a ridiculous threat from the Roads’ minister to increase such fines to £90, it simply confirms the fact that many of our ministers haven’t a clue about the needs of our businesses and town centres.”

A DRD spokesperson said: “It is a lay-by marked with double yellow lines for the purpose of facilitating buses to drop off groups of visitors to the museum.”