A WOMAN who has lived in Headington for 42 years has labelled suggestions that residents should pay for parking “disgraceful”.

Grandmother-of-seven Patricia White hit out at Oxfordshire County Council after receiving a consultation survey sent out to residents in areas off The Slade.

In the survey, the council asks residents whether they would be interested in residents-only parking on streets such as Peat Moors, where Mrs White lives, Bulan Road and Wood Farm Road.

The measure would aim to ensure that residents have somewhere to park after reports of commuters parking on residential streets.

Proposed measures would cost residents £50 a year to park their first and second cars on the street and £100 for a third car.

The 73-year-old said: “I already pay my council tax. I think it’s disgraceful to make you pay for parking outside your home.”

County council cabinet member for transport David Nimmo-Smith said: “It’s a consultation at the moment as we’re going to let the residents have their say. It is not decided that residents will pay for their parking.”

Many areas of the city already have controlled parking zones to stop commuters using residential streets to park Independent city councillor for Marston Mick Haines had to wait nine months for a parking survey to be distributed to residents in his area, which is affected by on-street parking issues.

But the community has become split over the issue.

He said: “From handing out the surveys, a lot of people don’t want permit parking.

“I had a lady chase me round the corner when I asked her about permit parking.”

And Mrs White said: “Why should we be punished for other people being inconsiderate?

“It’s unbelievable really. They park on each side of the road. If you tried to get an ambulance or a fire truck down the road you couldn’t. It’ll take someone to die before anything is done about this.”

She said that not only should the county council consider creating more park-and-rides to alleviate the problem of traffic in The Slade, but institutions such as Oxford University and the OUHT hospitals trust should provide more parking spaces for staff.

University spokesman Matt Pickles said: “We have a number of initiatives in place to encourage staff to use the city’s park-and-ride service. We offer interest-free loans for bicycles, buses and trains and have contributed financially towards the park-and-ride scheme.”

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the John Radcliffe and Churchill Hospitals and the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, is considering increasing patient parking, but there are no plans for more staff parking.

Development and estates director Mark Trumper said: “Our staff are always encouraged to use alternative methods of transport, with many cycling and taking buses.”