6:00pm Thursday 1st May 2008
By James Williams
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."
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