Still 6 months away from new regulations to solve parking situation in Alderley Road

Councillor Menlove and I hold very different views on what constitutes a “thorough” parking review.

Whilst statistical data has been collected it was only over 2 days - a Tuesday and a Saturday.

250 questionnaires were completed - its not clear if those consulted were residents, commuters, or shoppers.

150 complaints received over the last 3 years were analysed as were road accident records.

However,

the parking survey team have not met with Wilmslow Town Council or Wilmslow’s Neighbourhood Planning Team.

Nor have they met with business owners and land owners (such as Emersons who own a large number of buildings in Wilmslow) and all of whom make a huge contribution to the economy, and ongoing success of the Town.

What are Royal London’s plans?

The team was unaware that of the 1,284 car parking spaces in Wilmslow 627 are short stay and 657 long stay

The team has not researched if simply changing this ratio would help resolve current issues, without resorting to an expensive multi-storey car park.

Holding a public consultation now will likely result in another half baked Council scheme because it has NOT been thoroughly researched beforehand.

Councillor Toni Fox - Independent
Residents of Wilmslow

Dean Row Ward

So in true Lyme Green traditions.. another CEC fudge...and in 6 months time the Lymme Green Cllr and others will be gone !... In the meantime all the above could clearly evidence CEC's failure to act if any civil damages case should be made resulting from serious injury.. Unbelievable incompetence .. but no surprise.
Thank you Cllr Fox for the full explanation of the meaningless survey otherwise hidden from residents , again Unbelievable incompetence .. but no surprise.

Toni Fox is absolutely right. For too long our Conservative Councillors have made decisions based upon information provided by officers so lacking in important detail. I spent 5 hours yesterday listening to these officers stumbling over answering challenging questions only to have a decision taken when what was required was for officers to be sent back to do their homework.

Time for change. Time for more Independent Councillors like Toni Fox who will challenge and hold our officers to account. Next election, next May, Time for change.

Thank you Toni Fox.

As far as I am aware, the only information that is publicly available on the "Wilmslow Parking Review" is what has been made available through this website. Please correct me if this assumption is incorrect.

I am unaware of the "scope of work" of the review and what was included and what was excluded. Therefore my personal opinion at this time is that this review should NOT be classed as thorough, and should also NOT be classed as a firm evidence base for future decisions.

My reasons and my competency for saying so are based on my professional registration with the Engineering Council and as a member of the Wilmslow Neighbourhood Plan Group. https://bit.ly/2R9SUvC

I believe significant numbers of the 627 "short stay" car parking spaces are used for all-day parking, based on the evidence in the roads around where I live. I would be surprised (pleasantly) to see the survey reflect this reality.

Jonathan, and the reality is cars parked regularly on double yellow lines and on pavements because there is no traffic warden or police presence.
All in all CEC are out of control. Conservative Cllrs don’t even listen to WTC.
They know, as do Residents.
Shuffling the deckchairs won’t fix the problems, only a major increase in spaces.
Merry Christmas all, especially to Lisa who brings us quality local news.

I agree with you, Terry, and I calculate that all-day on-street parking in my neighbourhood costs motorists something less than £25 a month. Versus more than £100 in Broadway Meadow.

My calculation is based on my observation of cars parking all day (all the time, I recognise many of them) and the frequency with which they are issued penalty tickets (monthly, if that, I surmise). I don't work and I spend most of my days at home in a room overlooking the road. So a once-a-month penalty for overstaying costs £25 if paid promptly.

Toni's comments, and others, do not lead me to believe that the "thorough parking review" will reflect this.

The problem, of course, is that instead of having 627 parking spaces for visitors to Wilmslow, most of whom will spend money in shops and restaurants, we likely have far fewer such spaces. But the council believes the alternative reality which is not supported by the evidence, should they care to look for it.

It doesn't take 6 Months to put cones out !! and the ones that emerged yesterday (SAT) did their job,.... but displaced the problem further down Alderley road towards town where none were located .. We have now clear evidence from Cllr Fox that the parking survey is significantly flawed, parking charges are to rise... and we are no further on to a long term meaningful solution... Time for a change !

Move the few remaining cops from the redundant Police Station into the over-large Fire Station, knock down cop shop, build multi-storey car park. Sorted.

Yet another 5 card trick to be produced by the out of control CEC.

We now learn the so called Local Transport Plan is to be presented in the New Year, this will have been “worked on” and concocted by officers who have no idea as to the chronic parking situation in Wilmslow, as proven by the half baked survey they expect us to accept. How can one have any plan on any topic if all the relevant information & surveys have not been thoroughly & exhaustively examined prior to drawing up any plan? Answer? Only an incompetent, woefully badly managed & extremely poorly led authority can. No prizes for guessing which authority heads the list of incompetents: Yes, it is Cheshire East & all who sink into the cesspit with it.
Not unduly surprised by Cllr Menlove’s propaganda foray re the supposed but false parking “survey”. He said “"It was clear that the review had been thorough and that there will be a firm evidence base for future decisions." Let’s look at his assertion there was a “thorough” review – “thorough” meaning “complete”- the council operatives who conducted the so called “thorough review” apparently lacked the relevant & major information, as:-
1) were not aware of the full or part time parking place allocations,
2) they completed ONLY 250 questionnaires (presumably with commuting motorist but they conveniently failed to tell us who or what)
3) ,they haven’t spoken to businesses (office or retail based),
4) nor to householders,
5) nor met with the Neighbourhood Plan team (which has made numerous attempts to speak with the survey team, all without a response)
6) nor spoke to or with the town council.
7)
In reality, i.e. the real world, the misnamed “firm evidence base” is clearly, neither “firm” nor “evidence based”

How can so called responsible councillors believe such a shoddy & lazy process and then go public in praise of such sloppy work?
This faux survey appears to be deliberately bent towards achieving the result that probably both the (lazy) officers and probably the council leadership desires for Wilmslow’s parking “solution” . This will short-change Wilmslow residents and Wilmslow Town Council.

Fortunately for the Wilmslow public and the town council RoWs Cllr Fox instigated the inclusion of the Leader of the town council at last Tuesday’s meeting along with the 4 Conservative Wilmslow CE councillors and the “survey” team.

It beggars belief that no one on CECs Highways or Planning or Transport has not either the brains or competence to consider looking at a full survey on parking and allied this to a transport plan. One surely must be married to the other or are we do endure yet another costly, amateurish, pointless & unsatisfactory half baked pseudo solution to Wilmslow’s growing infrastructure problems?

With such a meek response, as we see in this article from the councillor for East ward, to his misleadingly titled “survey” team’s unprofessional survey, it is time to be asking tough, searching questions of the “survey” team, not bleating sycophantic praises on a deeply flawed exercise? As it stands, this “survey” will offer only further annoyance not solutions to the problem. Wilmslow gets no answers to the problem.

To add further insult, this survey team now suggests it holds a “public consultation” How can they dare to suggest holding a public consultation well before they have conducted a full & in depth research which MUST INCLUDE the wider population (householders, business people , the NP team & WTC? Without this CEC will change the “consultation” into yet another of its specialist ‘unhearing’ false exercises.CEC has past history re “public consultations” –its strategy is to let the public talk but it certainly doesn’t listen or hear, especially when the public’s comments do not attune with the teams pre-determined solution. As we have seen so often before with CE its apparatchiks have already decided the outcome they want. They decide then hold meaningless “public consultations” which, unless they get the answers they want will speedily ignore those they do not wish to consider.

To rush to a “public consultation” well before the research has even started is outrageous and once again calls into serious question just how competent are CECs planning, highways & transport officers, respective portfolio holders and fellow traveller Conservative Wilmslow CE councillors?

Thanks to Cllr Toni Fox who has exposed the meaningless doubletalk, and disingenuous deceptions practised all to often by the yes men within the Wilmslow CE Conservative group.

Cllr Toni Fox of Residents of Wilmslow has clearly shown yet again the value of her alternative thought & voice in exposing the hypocrisy we have witnessed so often from such people. She has proven yet again the great value of the Independent councillor. Come 2nd May the voters of Wilmslow will be offered a real alternative choice of Residents of Wilmslow candidates, rather than the usual Conservative Party hacks.

And finally, may I on behalf of the Residents of Wilmslow team ,wish Lisa, her family and team a big thank you for the wonderful sounding board here throughout the year, a Very Happy Christmas and to all her readers, both those who support RoW and oppose.

These muppets ponder, pontificate, procrastinate, when common sense is proclaimed, screamed and shouted, from the residents and local council of Wilmslow about how to fix the problem. A problem created by the muppets themselves, far removed from the reality of caring for, and protecting a special place, which is Wilmslow town. How is it solved ? easy...stop the overbuilding , create some car parking instead of selling off priceless space for peanuts, such as the land next to the health centre , where now stands an overdeveloped empty monstrosity. Use existing short term spaces, what about an incentive for the locals to rent car space in their driveways, fix a park and ride outside the immediate areas, for the valuable and welcome working incomers. it's obvious, just do it and put some yellow stripes down the road to stop this blight, before there is a death because of it. It's unbelievable that caring locals have to find a few cones to make a polite stand against this pathetic Cheshire East Council.
Do we have a local MP who can champion something as serious as this for the constituents of our town,or is overbuilding, too much traffic, pollution and dangerous parking not show biz? Maybe she is fed up of driving into the office on Chapel Lane because of the daily traffic pantomime down that road, which adds to the farce of all this total lack of responsibility and care for our fragile town.

When I lived on Moor Lane the route into Wilmslow and its railway station was either walking or on the half hourly 93 bus. But that's a long time ago. Now we all have to have cars and we all have that wonderful entitlement to park them as closely as possible to wherever we want to be.

Here we go again CEC fudges how long does it take to paint double yellow in the areas that are causing the problems, if you give me the paint and brushes I will do it myself. Who said that they asked the committee to design a horse and they came up with a camel, this says it all about these useless articles who are supposed to be our representatives. HELP 'beam me up Scotty'

There is completely no connection with this consultation and the inconsiderate parking that has generated so much comment, frustration and objection in media outlets such as this. A shortage of car parking is one issue. Leaving your car for as long as you wish, wherever you want and regardless of the effect on the roads, cycle lanes, driveways and pavements of the people who live locally is a completely separate issue. We are now at the point where it is ok to park somewhere if there are no yellow lines to say you cannot. Any other space is fair game and sod anyone who thinks otherwise - including any branch of authority and reason - police, council, residents, pedestrians, other road users etc. I recently challenged a woman who was returning to her car parked on the pavement outside a shop on Hawthorne Lane advising that she was parked ON the pavement and shouldn't as it was for pedestrians. Her retort was that they could get round it. I saw today what appeared to be the same white car in the same place - near WILMSLOW DOG GROOMING - and completely blocking the pavement such that any pavement user was 100% forced into the road to get by. The possibility that visitors to the town don't have anywhere to park sensibly is no reason to do otherwise. There are other solutions that include coming by public transport [train, bus] walking, cycling, car sharing, getting dropped off or taxi. The fact that some of these might mean some effort into arranging them, costing more or getting up earlier has nothing to do with leaving a car wherever suits the driver. So when will someone have the guts to reverse this growing inconsideration of our streets? As has been said before - even if we have lots of new car parks as per any consultation document/plan/great idea it will always be cheaper to park in the manner that is getting up our noses NOW, so NOW is the time to force these antisocial motorists into changing their ways. New laws/regulations need to be derived ASAP. Existing regulations that are being infringed need to be applied. Fines need to be higher so as to enable a profit margin for the enforcing authority to cover the cost of the enforcement. Penalty points need to be given for ALL motoring offences and can NEVER be cancelled. They only disappear when the motorist dies. The culprits’ road taxes therefore have penalty points permanently added and every year they must pay an increased road tax as a result. The more lousy the motorist, the more they have to pay to use the roads. When total points pass a certain level a lengthy ban is applied and when the points reach a certain limit the licence is removed and the person becomes an 'ex-motorist' - for ever!

Oh and I forgot to add: "Come the next local council elections - don't vote for your existing councillor, anyone else will do".

ROLL ON 2 MAY! Change is the only serious option we have to save Wilmslow from these lazy, self gratifying, incompetent numpties laughingly known as Cheshire East Council! Please - let’s vote with our feet and make this change before it’s too late?!

Be careful what you wish for

Local Politics should be less political than National Politics - This is not the case - Independent - Greens whatever flag you fly under. ALL are politically motivated.

I believe that Cheshire East Council should be changed to a more democratic system - don't confuse this in the way you vote at local elections, many Conservatives want change.

Being a democratic country, lets wait for the local elections in May - Remember no party can get it right ALL the time - The Conservative party were elected in 2015 by the majority of people who actually voted - lots of people did not vote - could this be because they thought Conservatives would get in anyway ? If you didn't vote last time then its your responsibility to vote in May this year.

Parking is a major problem in Wilmslow we are all well aware of the problem - Lets see what they have to say on the 21st January

"No waiting" cones placed between Victoria Road and Albert Road - lets hope they remain the effect have been immediate - lets make it permanent - Immediate action should be carried out on Buckingham Road. Multi Storey car park on Broadway Meadow seams to be a great solution.

Calling local councellors muppets is rude and advocating that residents should rent out their driveways is rather stupid - I don't want a a car park next door to me.

If you are making comments on Wilmslow.co.uk please don't use it for promoting your local councellor or party - the same names are coming up every time - you know who you are.

Dear John,

The reason the Independent Group set up the ongoing campaign and petition “Change Cheshire East” is precisely because the Conservative majority have repeatedly refused to even consider a more democratic governance of the Council.

It is true that some Conservative Councillors want change but, despite their best efforts, they couldn’t achieve it by being members of the Conservative Party. Those Councillors resigned and are now part of the growing Independent Group who’s membership at Cheshire East Council is now almost equal to that of the Labour Party.

The reality is that the Conservative Party need to lose very few seats at the next Borough elections in May to lose their majority and this will give the opportunity for residents to see a very real change in how the Council is run.

If, as an Independent Councillor, I want to be part of a Council that serves its residents in a democratic, open, honest, competent, co-ordinated, informed and financially efficient manner makes me political then I am guilty as charged, but I don’t share that view.

I was elected by the residents I represent to support their views and try to ensure that the service they receive from the Council is the best it can be and being an Independent allows me to do that, without the influence of Party policies and politics.


Councillor Toni Fox - Independent
Residents of Wilmslow
Dean Row Ward Wilmslow

Dear Toni

I am not surprised that you responded to my comment and find it insulting for you to point out facts that I am aware of - Before I vote I look at who will best represent local residents in my area of Wilmslow West and Chorley - at General Elections who will best represent the Country.

As you very well know I have attended several meetings of the RoW group and the Independent group and because the group was not political I was interested in standing for the elections in May and was requested to put my name forward, but later removed my intention as I did not have sufficient belief that RoW was the best party to serve the residents of Wilmslow as a whole. I did put a lot of work for RoW up to removing any further interest in RoW


Being elected in 2015 with a majority of 50 votes over the conservative counsellor to represent only the ward of Dean Row I can only say well done. I don't want to undermine your achievement. Please look at the bigger picture of which you are a very small part :-

Voters in :-

Lacey Green Approx 3400

Dean Row Approx 3400 (People voting for you 1189)

East Approx 3000

West and Chorley 13670 (More than all the other wards put together)

May I remind you that you and RoW are part of the Independent Group Headed by Chairman James Nicholson Bollington Councillor and Amanda Scott also Bollington Councillor and Secretary of the Independent Group. I would remind you that Amanda Scott was in Wilmslow promoting Change Cheshire East, (which I have no problem with) on December 10th - I don't have a problem with this, I do have a problem with Wilmslow Guardian stating that the "People of Wilmslow" wanted a Referendum on Brexit - I feel that people representing Bollington should not be speaking for the residents Wilmslow.

Have you decided if you are standing again or will this be the end of January which you indicated to RoW ? now is the time to let the residents of Dean Row who voted for you know I think you owe them this. Please now come up front that you are political as Labour, Greens and Conservative do.

If I could pass on some advise signing off as Independent Counsellor rather than Residents of Wilmslow Counsellor not BOTH it only confuses the electorate - You should be speaking to your electorate now, this is what you are being paid for.

Feel free to use Wilmslow .co.uk as a platform for you and your party - I certainly will not be taking part in silly exchanges in future.


Kind regards and best wishes for 2019


John

Well, the sorry mess drags on and on.

Over two and a half years ago Conservative CEC Councillor David Brown promised £60k for a parking review in Wilmslow; nothing happened. Hardly surprising, his track record is not the best- forced to step down as Deputy Leader of CEC over the flawed £3.7 million Local Plan and later forced to resign from the Cabinet under (ongoing) Police Investigation re finances. The Conservative Leader of CEC, Rachel Bailey appears to have had no recollection of this pledge for a parking review.

On this website on 6th May 2015 CEC Conservative Councillor Rod Menlove said "We work with residents, at their request, to achieve parking restrictions... The parking restrictions he referred to were yellow lines around the estate which he used to live on. He also said that the Conservative Wilmslow CEC Councillors were asking for £800k for enlargement of the Broadway Meadow car park; there does not appear to be anything in the public domain about that scheme.

A parking survey, of sorts, took place in November 2018; I happened to be in Wilmslow and saw the "surveyors" twice, once sitting on a bench/standing around next to the service road on Alderley Road (they were chatting, not interviewing any of us who walked immediately by them) and then in "Sainsbury's" car park where the half-dozen of them were surrounding a single resident, writing things down on their clip-boards.
Out-going Conservative representative Rod Menlove assures us above "It was clear that the review had been thorough and that there will be a firm evidence base for future decisions." I don't know about you but any time a politician (of whatever Party) uses the word "clear" I smell a rat.


Police Commissioner David Keane visited Wilmslow on 22nd November to view the problem on Alderley Road, he committed to return within a month to go out on the street with the PCSO and Sergeant (I can find no public record of that happening). In the same piece on this website our MP was quoted: Esther McVey said "I asked Cheshire East in the Spring to treat the parking issue on Alderley Road as one of safety, to allow it be to addressed ahead of the parking review in Wilmslow. Although they declined to do that, I am pleased that David Keane has agreed with my view and I am hopeful we can now get both a short and long term solution for the issue as a matter of priority."

All in all, a complete mess. I shall continue to take photographs of the bad parking/obstruction whenever I pass. Thankfully some concerned local residents have placed a mixed bunch of cones along part of the road and, guess what? Nobody parks there! I suggested that this should be done months ago by "The Authorities" but like so many other residents, my advice fell on stony ground.

I had assumed the cones were an "official" response.
I agree that they seem to be working.
What a shame that we have to resort to direct action by fed up residents.
We now know what to do next.
We could start by blocking in the perpetual offenders who park at the Bank Square end of Grove Street blocking access to the disabled parking spaces.

As a regular contributor to advising whoever reads this sorry story I wish to add a bit more:

I keep hearing about various sums of money that presumably come out of the council tax and therefore is MY money and also YOURS, the reader - unless you don't reside in Cheshire East - and is 'spent' on assorted reviews and surveys. The sums seem to be a bit on the large size and I would like a breakdown of ALL this expenditure so I can judge whether it has been well spent. I would like to know when it was spent, the sum involved, for what purpose/intent, WHO (name/business name/address) received the monies and receipts from the recipients outlining in fine detail where the money went. This breakdown of expenditure is to be made available on the Cheshire East website for the whole world to see and request further information and receive answers as it sees fit. Then we can start to get a handle on how efficiently our money is being spent/wasted by our representatives.

Insurances companies need to add an exclusion to a claim for damage to a motor vehicle along the lines of: "If a motorist leaves their vehicle in such a location or manner that is deemed to be illegal, negligent or just causing a nuisance to the locality and residents then cover for repairs will be refused." So if a lorry catches the side of any vehicle parked in an illegal/antisocial manner in this disputed area of Alderley Road and causes significant damage in trying to pass then the insurer of the lorry is able to reuse any claim for repairs from the owner of the parked vehicle. After all, we see notices everywhere about how owners of parking places will not be liable for any damage or theft from vehicles parked there so I am sure such limitations can be written into the small print/conditions of cover of a motoring insurance policy.

I am surprised that I don't seem to be hearing much from cyclists. Am I the only person to have spoken out against parking in cycle lanes - especially ADVISORY lanes? The gutters in many roads around Wilmslow are clogged with rotting, slippery leaves that are a danger to anyone on a bike - and that means YOU, your children, your friends and neighbours. Parked cars prevent cleaning of our gutters with the ensuing blocking of grids, poor drainage and the creation of water pools. The only time that a mess can be cleaned up is late evening/overnight or Sundays/Bank Holidays when parked cars are absent. The cost of clearing up at these times can presumably only be done at a premium with respect to wage costs. A solution would be to lay cones out when no cars are present so as to enable clearing up during normal working hours. This is what we residents expect from our councillors and council - sensible practical solutions to the tedious and niggling events that are part of our daily lives.

I voted for the Wilmslow Town Council candidate Chetan Katre who put himself forward, as far as I can recall, as a candidate interested in issues of 'Road Safety' and would presumably do something to improve them - LOCALLY. So what has he done since being elected? I don't know and would be pleased to hear. Looking at his 'registration of interests' and observing his handwriting I am not filled with any confidence that this person is conscientious enough to pay attention to detail and make improvements. Typical handwriting expected from a doctor you may think?

Another example of poor councillor representation is down where Manchester Road crosses the river Bollin near the King William roundabout. There regularly appears here a large puddle because of blocked gutters with leaves/debris that come down the hill. It often occurs and is a pedestrian hazard for all (many of which are school kids) who use this main communication route into town. This situation should be observed by our local councillor who arranges for our council to remedy the situation ASAP. It is this kind of daily 'humdrum' event that is the responsibility of our elected local councillors. They are supposed to make sure that the areas in which their electorate live are maintained and cared for to an acceptable standard.

…and so on! Hence, my call for a change in our local representatives - councillors - at the next elections. Please add your own gripes and observations here if you wish.

May I be the first to congratulate Conservative Cheshire East Council on yet another appearance in the Private Eye "Rotten Boroughs" annual awards?

This year it is the "Keeping the Bizzies busy award". Quote: "Tory Cheshire East Council became the subject of no fewer than seven separate Police investigations in 2018, encompassing a range of subjects including land deals, the letting of contracts and manipulation of air quality data".


How embarrassing: let's kick Party Politics out of Local Government- Vote Independent.

@ Pete Taylor,

Wouldn't it be fitting to see a colourful banner festooning the walls at Sandbach HQ? Something proudly proclaiming that CEC are recipients of not one but five prestigious Rotten Borough Awards for disservice below and beneath the call of duty.

Lots of new brooms needed for the big spring clean in May.

@ Alan..

Perhaps 'The Yellow Jack' might be an appropriate flag under the circumstances ?

https://bit.ly/2FoH0Yv

Could someone tell me please if there are any parking restrictions on Alderley Road on the opposite side to where people are parking now?

What would happen I wonder if people started parking on both sides of Alderley Road?

Just a thought .......

@Ned, there are no restrictions (other than common-sense, which seems to be in short supply). I sincerely hope that when the yellow lines are finally painted they will be on both sides of the road. It seems so long ago that I wrote this:

https://bit.ly/2VQPbm0
Still we have heard not a single word here, or in any other media outlet, from the two CEC Conservative ward Councillors who represent that side of the road. Shame on them.