A few years ago Tile Hill Station car park was extended to increase its capacity to 300+ vehicles. This was greatly appreciated but soon became oversubscribed as more commuters came into Tile Hill from outside the area, attracted by the free parking facilities at the station. It is now almost impossible for Coventry residents to find a parking space after 8.30am Monday to Friday.
Another serious consequence of the oversubscribed car park is commuters, unable to find parking in the car park, using local streets around the station in which to park, often causing difficulties and frustration to local residents. Frustrations include difficulty exiting driveways, inability to see oncoming traffic at road junctions, bin carts unable to get through tight spaces to empty bins, wheelchair and pushchair users forced off the pavement into the road, emergency vehicles not able to get through, which is what happened in Penruddock Close about 18 months ago and, users of the businesses on the industrial estates around the station unable to park/access the sites. Penruddock Close now has a restricted parking scheme in place and the commuters who used to park there have been displaced into other local streets including Cromwell Lane, a main route through Tile Hill Village, causing a variety of problems, some dangerous.
If Tile Hill Station car park is to remain free to use and open for commuters coming in from outside the area it is vital that parking capacity be substantially extended to accommodate all users, as soon as possible. If this is not possible, the use of the station car park Monday to Friday should be restricted to use by Coventry residents only.