A REDDITCH volunteer says she is prepared to defy new traffic regulations preventing cars from parking behind the town centre library.
Liz Rowberry volunteers to take library books to elderly housebound Redditch residents and collects the ones they’ve read.
She reckons at most she parks behind the library for 20 minutes to collect books and 20 minutes to return them.
However, her husband Rob received a phone call from the library – which is run by Worcestershire County Council – saying that, due to the imposition of new traffic regulations, parking would now be prohibited behind it.
“I have a big sign that I put in the car window saying I am a library volunteer,” said Liz, from Matchborough.
“That hasn’t stopped a security man saying I shouldn’t be parking there.
“But if I stopped delivering library books to the housebound, that means they are being penalised, and I won’t have that.”
She said that when she complained to Redditch Borough Council it was suggested she finds other places to park.
“They said use the car parks in the Kingfisher Shopping Centre, but I would have to pay to do that, or to use the car park at Hughes’s, but it’s the same situation there, parking is for customers only or you get a fine,” said Liz.
And although the books are loaded into a box and then put on a trolley, it would mean walking further with them in all sorts of weather.
Campaigners fighting to save the library from being bulldozed – it is earmarked for demolition under plans put forward by the Towns Fund Board – fear the imposition of the regulations is an early indication of pushing forward with the proposals.
“If they demolish the library what’s going to be left? A great big empty space with nothing in it,” said Liz.
“Moving it to the Town Hall will mean people will have to walk that much further to get to it.”
Despite the threat of being fined, Liz says she is determined to carry on parking behind the building.
“We’ll see what happens and if I get a parking ticket I will go to court and object.
“I am, after all, a volunteer helping housebound people in Redditch.”
A council spokesperson said: “A new Traffic Regulation Order came into force on Thursday, September 23 in the area behind the library which means, like the rest of the pedestrian area, there’s no loading/ unloading or parking permitted at any time.
“Signs have been put in place to inform people of these changes.”
