End of road wars? Town makes peace with parkers by REMOVING double yellow lines

But it seems the reign of double yellow lines could be in its dying days.

The revolution is taking place in the Queen's "backyard", within sight of Windsor Castle, her favourite home.

Council chiefs there hope to remove "the majority" of double yellow lines, which indicate no-parking areas, in the Berkshire town within two to three years.

Only those vital for safety reasons will remain.

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The Tory-dominated Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is to order the removal of many of the double-yellow lines councillors say "blight" their town.

In their place, it plans to create hundreds of parking spaces and spend more than £3million on parking and the roads.

Councillors believe other local authorities will follow in a nationwide backlash against draconian parking regimes designed to raise cash rather than relieve congestion.

They claimed residents had spent years illegally parking on double yellow lines outside their own homes under the previous Liberal Democrat administration.

In the first phase of the project, 100 parking spaces will be freed up, with potential to add many more later.

The scheme will cost £900,000 in the first year.

The council also plans to spend £1.5million for better road surfaces and £750,000 on street lighting.

The local Tories' parking spokesman, councillor Tom Bursnall, said: "It's about time councils woke up and thought about the needs of motorists.

"Liberal Democrat and Labour councillors seem to think that by putting in yellow lines the cars will disappear, but they don't.

"Cars are the main form of transport for most families and we have a duty to look after them. Many councils seem committed to reducing car use by cutting parking spaces.

"But we think that it's vital that families have a place to park. Many other local authorities are desperate to over-manage parking - putting yellow lines absolutely everywhere.

"It is blighting the landscape. The truth is that this is costly to the taxpayer and the motorist but, sadly, achieves little.

"It certainly doesn't encourage people onto public transport.

"When the Conservatives took power in Windsor in May 2007 we inherited a real parking nightmare.

"Hundreds of residents were forced to illegally park outside their own homes. It was risking parking meltdown."

Nationally, the Conservative Way Forward group has unveiled its transport manifesto Stop the War Against Drivers.

It calls for an end to "unjustified attacks on cars", a freeze on obstructive traffic calming schemes and a review of bus lanes as well as action on poor parking provision.

Its author, transport engineer Malcolm Heymer said: "Planning policies aimed at reducing car use have failed.

"Limits on parking spaces in residential areas do not curb car ownership but increase on-street parking.

"Reduced parking provision in town centres leads to more congestion as drivers search for spaces."