Traders on a busy high street in Cardiff feel they are being ignored by the city council, which appears set to abolish free parking in residential areas. The council says the decision has been made amid one of the most difficult budgetary situations it has ever faced, but business owners say their requests to reverse the cuts are being ignored.

The plans will see the free time slot – usually an hour or two – for visitors to some of the city’s main streets removed, and instead drivers will have to pay when they park. A consultation on the changes left respondents almost 50:50 split on whether it is a good or bad plan.

The Cowbridge Road East Traders’ Association, represented by Laura’s Greengrocers, Zero Plus Fish and Chips and Calabrisella, delivered their petition to the council along with others across the city, but were frustrated when online signatures on Change.org were not counted. Subscribe to our newsletter here for the latest news from Cardiff.

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Zohaib Hussain, chairman of the association, told WalesOnline: “I have not seen a single business supporting this policy change. These businesses have been there for decades and it is taking customers away from them. Whenever there has been any kind of vote, businesses have turned around and said, ‘We don’t want that.’

“Some people have been crying their eyes out because they would now be charging. We all know what is going to happen – people will go to the shopping centres where there is free parking and we don’t think there is a level playing field there. They already have an advantage by offering free parking to their customers.”

Numerous paper and online petitions have been circulated to gain support for the campaign against the free parking cuts. Mr Hussain said adding up the numbers, the written and online petitions in Canton, Whitchurch, Rhiwbina, Llanishen and Llandaff had collected a total of 11,808 signatures at the time of the council meeting on July 18 when they were discussed.

One petition states: “Without a certain amount of free parking we will see a drop in turnover for all businesses. This is already happening in Whitchurch and we need to act before we lose the villages completely. If local people who drive to work all day are no longer able to drive to the shops to stock up on supplies or lunch etc, these businesses will go bankrupt.”

However, a council official confirmed that the online petitions organized on Change.org were not valid signatures and concluded that Canton was only allowed 1,608 valid signatures, which was also the number on the paper petition after removing those without a full address or zip code.

Mr Hussain added: “All the figures were available online for everyone to see and the councillors are there to listen to the public. It’s very similar to what happened on Tudor Street – the businesses in those areas didn’t want these rain gardens and still don’t want them, but the council refuses to listen to them.”

A council spokesman said: “The council’s financial position this year is one of the most difficult that Cardiff City Council has ever faced. Difficult decisions have had to be made, including the removal of free parking in residential areas with shopping facilities.

“This change could come into effect this winter following the conclusion of the court case. Any additional revenue will be reinvested in highways and transport projects so that we can continue to improve public transport, pedestrian and cycle routes across the city. As a city council, we need to encourage people to be less reliant on their private cars. To this end, we are investing significantly in cycle and pedestrian routes and improving bus travel infrastructure so that bus companies can provide a better and more efficient service to their customers.

“By investing in public transport and active travel, we are offering a credible alternative to private car travel, which in turn will bring significant benefits and provide residents and visitors with better and healthier ways to get around the city. The aim must be to reduce congestion, significantly improve the air we all breathe, and at the same time make Cardiff a better place to live and visit.”