I'm talking about the local authority take-over of on-street parking enforcement in Worthing, with NCP Services attendants patrolling our roads instead of the Sussex Police traffic wardens.

But a trouble-free process it ain't!

Private and business drivers are complaining to the Herald about what they see as "over-zealousness" on the part of the parking attendants, even though NCP Services and its staff are not paid on a ticket tally — it's strictly a fixed contract deal between the company and Worthing and West Sussex councils.

No reasonable person can complain about being booked for parking on a double-yellow, or over-running the parking time while finishing a cup of coffee in a café.

Resentment arises when the time over-stayed is very short, or, as in the following case, where the infringement is considered slight.

A Station Road resident complained to me this week that he parked his wife's car in their allotted parking bay on Sunday night, but he could not get the whole vehicle into the bay because of the insufficient space left by another vehicle.

So he parked, leaving the rear 18 inches of the car protruding over the bay's boundary line (the parking attendant said it was more).

When he went out the next morning, the car had been ticketed.

The furious resident feels the parking attendant should have realised the situation, and just walked on.

He said he was going to appeal.

Worthing businessmen are complaining at being given tickets for what they see as legitimate loading and unloading, and they, too, are having to use the appeal process in the hope of getting the fine cancelled.

It all makes for an unhappy "bedding down".

But there are so many benefits of stricter enforcement, which can make Worthing a much safer place to drive, walk, and park legitimately.

Last week, the Herald highlighted a Saturday evening parking blitz in South Street, and at the eastern end of the Montague Street pedestrian precinct.

I know the drivers getting their take-aways didn't think it mattered parking in those areas on a Saturday night, and considered that they were not causing an obstruction.

But they were obstructing pedestrians, for a start, and could endanger lives through preventing access by emergency services.

Too many rogue drivers enter the South Street restricted area and I get particularly angry at those who use the Montague Street pedestrianised area to get to Marine Parade, forcing me and others to get out of their way in the process.

This is, in fact, a criminal offence, and the more parking attendants available to enforce the rules, the better.

The fact is, Worthing drivers have previously been getting away with murder when it comes to obeying parking rules, especially outside the town centre.

Now they're being brought down to earth with a jolt.

It seems more people still have to learn (the hard way?) what we CAN'T do, and, just as importantly, be allowed to continue with what we CAN do legally, without going through the hassle of appeal procedures, no matter how successful they may be in the end.