28 June - A tiny step in the right direction
The residents of Carrill Way who had kicked up a stink
about their road being
regularly blocked by Liz line commuters were sent emails this week
about what Bexley Council planned to do about it.
Viewed as a first step towards getting traffic to flow freely it is a
totally acceptable move forwards but as a solution to the overall parking problems it is not any use at all.
The proposal is for double yellow lines on every corner as advocated by me and
others over many years. Someone at Bexley Council has at long last read the Highway Code.
To be fair Bexley Council acknowledges that they are not at this stage
attempting to solve the parking problem…
“Please note that these proposals are to prevent inconsiderate parking
close to the junctions and are not to address all-day commuter parking.
These are to address where drivers can park at present rather than who can park. This is
in regard to the road safety and access issues only.”
As such I shall write in support of the proposals but at the same time hope that we do not have to wait another 20 years for the next consultation.
Todayְ’s proposals have much in common with those
proposed for the Abbey Wood
Controlled Parking Zone; they merely displace the parking issues elsewhere.
The problem with the yellow lines on corners (more are planned for nearby
Abbotswood Close) is that they will displace the idiots who park on corners to
already congested kerbsides. It is currently the case that if a large vehicle, a
Transit style van for example, parks outside my house in a manner that Bexley
Council deems to be legal, and a small car parks in a particular place nearby, then cars belonging to residents at 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,
9, 10 and 11 Coptefield Drive become trapped in their drives and dedicated
parking spaces. It’s a fairly rare event but the absence of road makings should not allow
the situation to arise, but things have been that way for nearly 40 years.
Similarly a large van frequently parks where you see the little red car (Photo 2)
and it makes access to the driveway opposite near impossible. Another place where double yellows are needed.
On Monday I conducted a census in the Gayton Road and Felixstowe Road car parks, The former was close to being full with 87 paying customers (one with a PCN attached) and Felixstowe Road (Photo 4 above) was occupied by 43. Much more than I had seen before but not even half full. £15 a day is a hell of a lot of money and I for one would not be willing to pay it.