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Anger over parking changes
6:00pm Thursday 1st May 2008
Comments (23)PEOPLE living in a Westbury road are unhappy over changes to parking restrictions which they believe are based on "inaccuracies and oversights".
Wiltshire County Council say the changes to parking in Laverton Road, which will come into force this summer, is due to traffic congestion caused by parked cars resulting in tailbacks onto the A350.
The plan is to introduce no waiting at any time on lengths of Laverton Road, as well as Westbury Leigh, Leigh Road, Leigh Park north and Camargue Road.
A waiting ban will also be established between 8am and 6pm Monday to Saturday on the Laverton Road south. On-street parking will be allowed overnight and on Sundays.
Erica Watson, 60, from Laverton Road, has written to the county council's transport portfolio holder Cllr Fleur De Rhe Philipe.
She said: "The report states that all the properties in Laverton Road have off-street parking facilities and this is not true as almost 20 per cent of the houses in Laverton Road have no off-street parking.
"Laverton Road is an unclassified road and as such was never designed to be the distributor road, which Wiltshire County Council now states it is.
"It concerns me that an officer of Wiltshire County Council has provided information which is factually incorrect in order to obtain approval and full support for this proposal."
Heather Brooks, 36, also from Laverton Road, is concerned for pedestrian safety if the proposed parking restrictions come into force.
She said: "It will make a huge difference if the parked cars are removed. At the moment I let my children walk down the pavement, but there's no way I would do that if these proposals get the go ahead.
"Our road is very narrow and if there are two lorries trying to get past, one of them has to mount the pavement.
"If they let this happen it will take a very serious injury for them to admit they were wrong."
A county council spokesman said: "We are aware of the concerns of the residents of Laverton Road, however as with all traffic regulation orders, the parking restrictions here were formally advertised and consulted on.
"The responses from this were considered, and the extent of the restrictions was amended to permit parking overnight and on Sundays, but the loss of on-street parking on Laverton Road was considered to be outweighed by the benefits to the safety and convenience of road users from the removal of parked vehicles.
"Once the scheme is implemented we will monitor it for 12 months, review it and amend if appropriate."
Your Say YourWiltshire Times
Disgusted of, Westbury says...
7:16pm Thu 1 May 08
Quite right too. Residents at Laverton Road are just too bloody idle to use their driveways. Now when is something going to be done about illegal pavement parkers? Apart from the danger involved by these inconsiderate tossers There is a fortune in parking tickets to be collected if the authorities would get off their fat a r s e s and act.
Russell Hawker, WESTBURY says...
8:42pm Thu 1 May 08
Illegal pavement parkers should be stopped. It's such a good point and will be so controversial that I'll look into this ASAP.
Hopefully, the new parking wardens run by WWDC from June will be able to issue fines on the spot, but I'll have to check this.
ronnie, deepest wiltshire says...
9:37pm Thu 1 May 08
and scooters often making those people mention go into the road to get by
the sooner ticket are issued the better
HM QUEEN SHEENA, wilts says...
11:44pm Thu 1 May 08
sally beenwell, westbury says...
4:13pm Fri 2 May 08
westburygirl, westbury says...
5:06pm Fri 2 May 08
from what i see every day when i drive along that road most if not all of the bungalows along that road have drives and can park there not on the roads....i always thought most of the parking there during the day was due to elkins the gagrage and the engineering place just opposite due to their workers
westburygirl, westbury says...
5:17pm Fri 2 May 08
since the road into leigh park has been opened i have seen how busy laverton road has got in the past year..it can be like a rat run in t he mornings with traffic speeding out of there
Disgusted of, Westbury says...
6:36pm Fri 2 May 08
The people at Westbury Leigh had a nice new car park built for them but again they are too lazy to use it. Few people could justify parking on the main road due to disability but I'd welcome a head count on how many cars have blue badges. Not many I'd bet. The emergency services would also have great difficulty getting through there if they had to and these people would be the first to jump up and down if something went seriously wrong.
Jim, Westbury says...
10:06pm Fri 2 May 08
Russell Hawker wrote:What about people who park in designated disabled parking bays? What's your opinion on that, Cllr Hawker?
For once, I agree with "Disgusted" on something.
Illegal pavement parkers should be stopped. It's such a good point and will be so controversial that I'll look into this ASAP.
Hopefully, the new parking wardens run by WWDC from June will be able to issue fines on the spot, but I'll have to check this.
Russell Hawker, WESTBURY says...
10:43pm Fri 2 May 08
If it is a within the control of the local authorities, fine them. I always avoid public disabled spaces unless I am driving with a registered disabled person or picking one up (which happens a lot these days now).
If it is a private car park (eg. Leigh Park Local Centre or a supermarket) and if the car park is full already, then common sense should prevail in letting people use the otherwise unused disabled spaces.
Unfortunately, some places have far too many designated disabled spaces leaving insufficient ordinary spaces left at peak times. I see no need for ordinary drivers to have to miss out just because a space is labelled as being disabled priority if it is obvious that plenty of disabled spaces are standing empty at peak times.
There is a specific issue with peak times .... and I do wonder of it should become a general rule that at peak times it is Ok to use disabled spaces as a last resort only.
Russell Hawker, WESTBURY says...
10:50pm Fri 2 May 08
Disgusted of wrote:The Westbury Leigh Car Park is about 300 metres or so away from Laverton Road.
The people at Westbury Leigh had a nice new car park built for them but again they are too lazy to use it. Few people could justify parking on the main road due to disability but I'd welcome a head count on how many cars have blue badges. Not many I'd bet. The emergency services would also have great difficulty getting through there if they had to and these people would be the first to jump up and down if something went seriously wrong.
The realistic answer to the parking problem is for residents to get on and create parking spaces in their own front gardens. Most Laverton Road residents have already done this.
Surplus parking can be found in Leigh Park (West or North, though I gather that part of Leighton Park North will be double-yellow lined shortly, which is a good thing by the junction with Laverton Road).
But, yet again, I agree with "Disgusted" about the need for Laverton Road residents to get their cars out of the way at last.
Russell Hawker, WESTBURY says...
10:52pm Fri 2 May 08
ronnie, deepest wiltshire says...
9:06am Sat 3 May 08
I know of lots of people who have applied and recived one by ringing the deptpartment who issues them and then recieving the badge within days, which means the applicates medical history has not been obtain.
If you had to have a medical before you were issued with the badge less would be issued and we would not have to have so many disable parking space's
ronnie, deepest wiltshire says...
9:08am Sat 3 May 08
Disgusted of, Westbury says...
3:52pm Sat 3 May 08
ronnie wrote:
The probelm with blue badges is the ease in which you get officaly obtain one. I know of lots of people who have applied and recived one by ringing the deptpartment who issues them and then recieving the badge within days, which means the applicates medical history has not been obtain. If you had to have a medical before you were issued with the badge less would be issued and we would not have to have so many disable parking space's
Absolute offensive ****! The medical for a blue badge is very strict and a badge will not be issued unless the disability is permanent. It would be more than a GP's job is worth to make a fraudulent statement when considering a persons suitablility for a badge so you most definitely do NOT 'know lots of people' with badges 'issued with ease'. In fact you won't even know one!
Disgusted of, Westbury says...
3:53pm Sat 3 May 08
sally beenwell, westbury says...
10:02am Sun 4 May 08
Disgusted of wrote:SO THERE BRUSSELL.
The word **** out is B O L L O C K S !!!
ronnie, deepest wiltshire says...
9:35pm Sun 4 May 08
Disgusted of wrote:Sorry but I could name a few people who have used my house phone to ring the dept that processes the blue badges the applicate has told the officer what there disabilty is the forms have arrived with two days been filled in sent back and the blue badges have arrived within days.
ronnie wrote: The probelm with blue badges is the ease in which you get officaly obtain one. I know of lots of people who have applied and recived one by ringing the deptpartment who issues them and then recieving the badge within days, which means the applicates medical history has not been obtain. If you had to have a medical before you were issued with the badge less would be issued and we would not have to have so many disable parking space'sAbsolute offensive ****! The medical for a blue badge is very strict and a badge will not be issued unless the disability is permanent. It would be more than a GP's job is worth to make a fraudulent statement when considering a persons suitablility for a badge so you most definitely do NOT 'know lots of people' with badges 'issued with ease'. In fact you won't even know one!
and I would swear on oath that this is true.
Disgusted of, Westbury says...
10:05pm Sun 4 May 08
PMSL! OK then I'll play. Name a solicitor where you will swear this oath.
sally beenwell, westbury says...
8:47am Mon 5 May 08
Disgusted of wrote:It Might be Hawkers and co solicitors. And you get a Free umberella for every blue badge.
"and I would swear on oath that this is true." PMSL! OK then I'll play. Name a solicitor where you will swear this oath.
ronnie, deepest wiltshire says...
10:46am Mon 5 May 08
sally beenwell wrote:I think disgusted comments were aimed at me.
Disgusted of wrote: "and I would swear on oath that this is true." PMSL! OK then I'll play. Name a solicitor where you will swear this oath.It Might be Hawkers and co solicitors. And you get a Free umberella for every blue badge.
I have written to te MP over the issueing of Blue Badges and untill I get a reply this is the last from me on this subject. Off on Hoilday in two hours
for 14 days
keep the post coming
sally beenwell, westbury says...
2:10pm Fri 9 May 08
Nelson Colon Trafalger Square London WC2N
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Local Bloke, Leigh Park, Westbury says...
6:41pm Thu 1 May 08
Residents should understand that there is no inherent right to park on a highway. If you are blocking traffic, the Police can move your vehicle or any other obstruction.
I've never heard of a road called "Leigh Park North". It must be Leigh Park Way, which is the stretch of the A3098 going through Leigh Park between the bottom of Gooselands through several roundabouts out to Mane Way.