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Portsmouth Port defends Levy of £6 parking charge
Page 8
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6y Roanna Avison PORTSMOUTH PORT has defended its decision to impose a £6 charge on drivers who park for more than eight hours, saying tractors are clogging up the port when there is a truckstop nearby.
Drivers had contacted CM to say the charge was one more cost that sub-contractors waiting to collect containers couldn't afford.
Sub-contractor Edward Sullivan, who frequently collects containers from Portsmouth, says the £6 levy after eight hours was not fair when a driver's rest time was nine hours.
It looks like [the port is] trying to get rid of lorries, when all we're doing is waiting for the ferries to come in to collect a container.
He adds that the port's leaflet on parking charges states that vehicles will only be charged after 24 hours: "So how come they are now charging us after eight? I work at Portsmouth five days a week and this will cost me f.30 a week, which I can ill-afford. It's not like there's anywhere else I can go."
However, a spokeswoman for Portsmouth Port insists that drivers should go to the Walton Road truckstop if they have to wait for several hours for the next ferry to come in.
"The area they are parking in is designed for those waiting for a ferry to arrive in the next couple of hours. Ifs not a long-term parking area, and unaccompanied trucks are being left in the port, which creates congestion. She adds that if a ferry is delayed, the situation may he different. In general, she says, if a driver is expecting to park up for nine hours' rest, they should go to the truckstop, and not wait in the port.
rpe FOR THE LATEST HEWS VISIT: www.roadtransport.com/cm