A RETAILER has launched a scathing attack on York's parking charges, claiming they are ruining the city's economy.

Ann Hainsworth spoke out after collecting hundreds of signatures for the Evening Press Stop The Highway Robbery petition, taking the total raised to more than 4,000.

Ann, proprietor of the Jumper Company in Low Petergate, claims high daytime charges, evening fees and lack of on-street parking have the effect of telling people: "Do not come to York. You are not welcome!"

She claimed: "Even if the whole shambolic act was rescinded today, the ill-will caused by this parking fiasco would not be healed overnight.

"It will take months of positive PR to encourage visitors and shoppers back to York."

She said hundreds of people had signed the paper's petition. "Everyone is complaining about it (parking charges) and saying they will not return to York and will go elsewhere instead."

She said motorists fared better even in London, where congestion charges ceased after 6.30pm and there was ample free on-street parking in the evening.

She also spoke of the problems posed for business owners by the lack of evening on-street parking, which made it extremely difficult to service businesses.

"Whereas it was possible before to park for an hour or two close to our business premises, we now have to park, pay and walk miles."

She claimed that yellow lines were "a mess", and signs inadequate. "Being able to park close to restaurants and enter-tainment is important to people, and if they can't do that, they will go elsewhere, as we have been told in our shop repeatedly."

She also claimed that City of York Council would not raise the extra revenue it was expecting, as people were refusing to use the car parks, asking: "Does no one on the council have any business acumen?"

Coun Ann Reid, the council's executive member for planning and transport, said a comprehensive review of parking was under way.

She said the review was revealing that there were more fundamental problems with the city centre economy, caused by much more than just parking charges.

She said the council's figures showed that the numbers of people parking in the evening were holding up, in spite of the new charges. Fewer were parking in the day, although more people were coming in to York on Park&Ride instead.

Updated: 09:25 Wednesday, August 18, 2004