The Times Series has joined forces with the Barnet Society as part of the paper's campaign for free parking in the borough's high streets.

Online, the newspaper's petition has amassed nearly 3,000 signatures and the offline total collected is estimated to be almost 1,000.

The Barnet Society launched a similar petition in November which has the support of more than 2,500 people in the town.

Now that the Times Series reached more than 2,000 signatures, we will present our petition to Barnet Borough Council’s environment committee on March 10.

If it reaches 7,000 signatures, the matter must be debated by full council.

Nick Jones, chairman of the Barnet Society, said: “We congratulate the Barnet Times on taking up this initiative and are pleased it’s going well. We are thrilled to be working with you on this.

“The council fails to acknowledge the degree to which small traders rely on parking trade.

“The elderly, for instance, want to be able to use their cars and stop off for ten to 15 minutes to buy, say, a loaf of bread.

“But because of current restrictions, small traders are at risk. There must be some way of helping them. If we want to preserve our high streets, we have to.

“We have to exert pressure on our councillors.”

Some traders have already moved away from high streets they have likened to “ghost towns” and others have indicated they might be forced to follow.

Parking fees for just half an hour in the borough's car parks can vary from 50p to £1 – and cost an extra 10p if motorists pay by phone.

Cash meters were removed from the borough’s streets in 2010, so now your only option is to pay by phone or to use your bank card.

But Councillor Dean Cohen, the chairman of the council’s environment committee, says it is a “myth” that parking restrictions are linked to a decline in trade.

He previously told us: “The council’s parking policy establishes an 85 per cent occupancy target for both on-street and off-street parking and our charging policy will be set in relation to this.

“This may require different solutions in different areas. If an area is not aligned with this target we will work with local residents and businesses to address this.”

To display a copy of our petition in your shop, e-mail aslater@london.newsquest.co.uk

To sign it online visit http://petitions.barnet.gov.uk/30MinutesFree/