This won’t hurt a bit - meet the dentist who is prepared to pay your parking charges
Roy Dixon, dentist
A LEAMINGTON dentist angered by the increase in parking charges and “enthusiastic” traffic wardens is to pay for his patients to park.
Roy Dixon is the latest business owner to criticise the hike in short stay on-street parking charges.
And to help patients of the Augusta Dental Centre, in Augusta Place, he is offering to pay for two hours of parking when they visit his surgery.
Leamington Chamber of Trade recently called on Warwickshire County Council to bring down on-street charges, warning that shops may not be able to survive if people go out of town to shop in order to avoid the charges.
But Mr Dixon is more concerned about the costs being unfair to people who have no choice but to go into the town for essential services such as visiting the dentist.
He said: “We are where we are and our patients have no choice about going out of town for free parking.
“Patients are concerned about parking charges and the traffic wardens – they say they are ‘very enthusiastic’ around here.
“Everyone is feeling the effects of the situation, but I particularly worry for my patients who are having to pay more to park their car when they come for treatment or a check-up.
“Because of this, for the foreseeable future, any patient coming to the Augusta Dental Centre for treatment or a check-up will get the cost of two hours’ parking refunded. There are three car parks in close proximity to the practice and the offer will also apply to all of them.
“If patients are only with us for half an hour and want to do a bit of shopping as well whilst they are in town, then they can.
“We want people to support the shops, restaurants and businesses in the area.”
There has been a largely 20 per cent rise in parking, but the cost of a quick visit to the town centre and leaving a car on the street has doubled from 20p to 40p for half an hour, while prices for an hour have risen from £1 to £1.20 and two hours from £2 to £2.40.
Mr Dixon added: “We want the parking charges to be reasonable and any organisation that puts things up by 100 per cent, that has to be unreasonable.
“I would have a very empty waiting room if I put my fees up by 100 per cent.”
He said claims for parking would be taken on trust with no need for proof.
“We know most of our patients and we trust them, so we will take them at their word.”
Last week the Courier revealed that the fall in shoppers could lead to a £206,000 loss in revenue from car parks in Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth.
And Whitehall has called on councils to cut charges, saying it was hitting small shops.
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Tuesday 22 May 2012
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