Double yellow lines 'rushed out' in West End

Yellow lines: 'Rushed out' in West End

Campaigners fighting a parking "stealth tax" today accused Westminster council of a suspicious "display of efficiency" in its rush to paint new double yellow lines in the West End.

Borough officials confirmed the painting of five miles of double yellows on 199 roads, mostly in Mayfair, Marylebone and Fitzrovia, was "nearly done". The last stretches are expected to be laid today.

It comes days after departing council leader Colin Barrow agreed to shelve a separate plan for evening and Sunday parking charges until after the Olympics. Opponents had called it a "nightlife tax".

Workmen began converting the lines from single yellows, which are free outside peak times, on January 9. The change was agreed on December 23, less than two hours before Westminster City Hall closed for Christmas.

It sparked fury among business owners, night workers and church leaders. West End restaurateur Richard Caring is planning a High Court challenge.

John Griffin, owner of minicab firm Addison Lee, said: "They've rushed out this conversion of single yellow lines in world-record time. It's incredible efficiency - just so they can grab some money."

Michel Roux Jr, chef of Le Gavroche in Upper Brook Street, said: "There's double yellows everywhere in Mayfair now. They are having exactly the same effect as the parking charges."

Tony Lorenz, chairman of the Residents' Society of Mayfair and St James, said: "It's an unbelievably rare display of efficiency. I believe it's defiance - 'You've beaten us so far, so we're going to take more [parking] spaces away."

Westminster claims only 132 "genuine" spaces have been lost as most new double yellows are at dropped kerbs or near junctions where people should not park. The lines are needed to improve safety, it says.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in