Any idea what the above sign means?
Evenings around 5:30pm I drive along Hawthorn Street only to find a couple of vehicles illegally parked outside the take away reducing the road to single lane traffic.
I've been travelling this route for several years and Hawthorn Street is always blocked at the same point. Given that Wilmslow police station is less than a couple of hundred meters away one would have thought they might show some interest.
It's not as though Cheshire Police need someone to report it. Their officers must drive through the same obstruction a dozen times a day.
Cheshire East Council, who are responsible for general parking infringements, care not one jot. Let's see what happens when their negligence is blamed for an accident that is clearly 'waiting to happen.'
Whilst the authorities love to cite 'safety' when introducing speed cameras and traffic wardens they show no interest in more remote danger spots that produce very little revenue.
Observe the current number of restrictions and contra-flows due to unmanned road works. These obstructions clearly represent a 'safety' issue but managing contractors to prompt completion of work is just too time consuming with no financial pay-off whatsoever.
Whilst we are on the subject ask Cheshire Police how many cyclists have been prosecuted for failing to stop at a red light (a highly dangerous but common manoeuvre).
You won't need a calculator to arrive at the total. Why?
Cyclists are more difficult to prosecute so police can't be bothered. It may save lives but it won't raise any significant revenue.
All that talk about installing 'safety' cameras to prevent accidents was hot air. They are there primarily to raise revenue with the least expenditure.
Take a look at some of rural Cheshire's really dangerous country roads. If they don't have enough traffic to improve cash flow cameras will not be installed.
For those of us who run the gauntlet of the rush-hour contra flow on Hawthorn Street it's just a matter of time before a serious accident occurs. With Wilmslow police station so close and CEC's publicly funded army of traffic wardens available the tabloids will have a field day.
I wonder how they will find out?
The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of wilmslow.co.uk.
Comments
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Rush hour accident waiting to happen!
I do understand the point you make about town centres. Once traffic is totally banned it does appear to kill-off trade.
What I'm referring to here is a spot on a busy road with a sensible rush-hour only restriction that is continuously ignored without penalty.
Hence a dangerous ad-hoc contraflow is created.
Yes of course there are plenty of dangerous drivers but all road users should observe a stop light.
It's obvious certain cyclists believe it does not apply to them.
Oh by the way I am a cyclist but to be honest not a very good one.
The parking on this street, which goes completely unregulated, is a real problem. Access and vision are compromised and at times there can be 5 or 6 cars parked in a line making progress in either direction a real issue.
This problem is real cause of 'road rage' at this point with frequent car horn sounding battles when drivers think they have right of way. I've even seen 'face offs' between drivers who won't budge and swearing matches between drivers. Despite the very close police presence nothing is done and aggressive and fast drivers create the real potential for a serious accident.
And BTW the police is still entitled to do something about parking and dangerous driving, they just have to have the time and inclination (as they occassionally do around the Water Lane traffic lights). Perhaps these articles may be the motivation to look down the road and do something, rather than try and outflank the problem by going through the backlane, themselves?
I never looked forward to doing on on foot at rush hour. Lots of aggressive angry speedy driving, narrow pavements...simply awful.
It needs proper parking control, and traffic calming measures similar to those on Hawthorn Lane but this should include the provision of short stay day time parking for the shops.
The police will not enforce parking on yellow lines. Why not. Because it is no longer a criminal offence and they no longer have the powers to do so. It is now a civil offence enforced by Cheshire East Council. Why is it not enforced by CEC. It is, but inadequately and not all of the time when the restrictions are in place. It is my understanding that the Civil Enforcement officers in Wilmslow clock off at 5:00pm but as the photograph above clearly shows the restrictions last until 6:30pm !!!!
There is no offence of "parking on" or "driving on" the pavement.
What the law says is :
You "MUST NOT drive on or over a pavement, footpath or bridleway except to gain lawful access to property, or in the case of an emergency."
However, Cheshire Constabulary Police Officers tend to use their "discretion" on the enforcement of this law, which they are entitled to do.
It is an offence to "Obstruct the Highway" but again Cheshire Constabulary Police Officers tend to use their "discretion" on the enforcement of this law.
Oh and a little suggestion in passing. If you ever come across a vehicle parked on a double yellow and obstructing the highway (pavement) I would suggest you do not approach the driver and ask them if they were aware of the offences they were committing. If they say yes , then I would also suggest you don't ask them for permission to walk over the vehicle after they have declined to move it. They might just say yes, at least three times and then later tell a different story. Something possibly like this might just then happen.
http://bit.ly/1J1O2zj
in fact perhaps this road due it being narrow and a fair amount of traffic using it then it might benefit from double red lines like they have in some city centre streets, but then after me thinking about that comment that wont help a shop such as the takeaway in the evening, anyway, rant over it needs to be clear in the daytime and in peak times.