Following a local councillor's call for bollards to be introduced on Cliff Road, to prevent the obstructive parking which is forcing pedestrians onto the road, Cheshire East Council has confirmed that this action will not be taken.
A spokesperson for Cheshire East Council said: "We are aware of this long-standing issue and have been working actively with local ward member Councillor Stockton to address it.
"The parking restrictions that are already in place include the full width of the footways and this is an appropriate restriction for this location and situation.
"Civil enforcement officers have undertaken regular and more concentrated visits to the area over the past few weeks – but their remit of activity is limited to enforcing the parking restrictions. They have no power to move a vehicle nor deal with ones that are parked on the pavements or those causing obstructions.
"The council's parking team are in regular dialogue with the local Police Community Support Officer to pass on incidents of inconsiderate parking, where this is causing an obstruction.
"Should a vehicle cause an obstruction this is a police matter and should be reported to the police accordingly. There are, unfortunately, no engineering measures suitable to address the inconsiderate actions of those who choose to park inappropriately in this location that would not also adversely impact on pedestrian movement and safety on the footway.
"As always, we would ask that people park respectfully around the borough."
Comments
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Now that is an “appropriate restriction”.
If it is not having an impact or acting as a deterrent then the measures enforced are not suitable as they are not working. If in the business world I implemented a strategy and it did not lead to the results we wanted i would not say it is suitable.
The police are only able to ticket individuals, it does not solve the problem, the ticket does not magically move the car while the owner is enjoying the carrs so it doesnt stop pedestrians having to step into the road. Plus it only impacts that one car - there will be more.
I would like to understand the cost/benefit analysis against the cost of doing this vs risk to residents - the council are effectively ignoring a sunny day death trap or dont think its worth the investment. Well as a resident and a mum of a little boy I do.
The whole parking issue in and around the town is a shambles and not controlled properly. Made worse by complete and unsociably inconsiderate drivers, who can't control themselves, and public officers who won't address the problem, and it really is a problem.
It would of course mean our MP becoming involved to discuss with the law-makers in our democratic parliament, that we elect to improve our daily lives, and even perhaps get the police on board when they might find time to think about the suggestion and then our council to arrange a few surveys [if they can find a budget with some money left in it for the financing] before one day deciding that it might be a good idea and will perhaps think about looking at it sometime.
It would be a simpler method of preventing pavement parking than installing bollards, which will eventually get knocked over. The cost would be much cheaper too I should think.
Another forgotten problem with pavement parking is the damage done to the pavement surface, in particular cracked flagstones which need to be repaired so pedestrians [you know those for whom pavements were put there in the first instance] can go about without tripping up! This cost comes out of our council tax. Most damage in this way is done by delivery vans which are the heavier vehicles on our roads and some are even HGV's which are the heaviest and do the most damage - but get away with it.
The advice given by our PCSO persons has been that as long as a double buggy can pass a vehicle parked on a pavement then it is ok. So what happened in Cliff Road?
The Highway Code states that you must not park partially or wholly on the pavement in London, and should not do elsewhere unless signs permit it. Parking on a pavement can obstruct and inconvenience pedestrians, people in wheelchairs, those with visual impairments, and people with prams and pushchairs.
The key here is ‘must not’ and ‘should not’.
In other words, offenders in London are committing a punishable offence and are liable to receive a parking ticket.
Elsewhere, drivers aren’t necessarily committing an offence, but it is an offence to drive on the pavement.
This means the law is a little fuzzy, as outlined by the Ask The Police website. It says: “Despite the obvious inference that a parked vehicle has been driven on the pavement prior to being parked there, witnesses to the driving will probably be needed to secure a prosecution - this can be problematic.” If parking on the pavement is permitted, it will be marked by a blue and white sign. If the car is wholly on the pavement, then vehicles may be parked entirely on the verge or footway. If the car is half on the pavement, vehicles may be parked partially on the verge or footway.
See https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/legal/parking-on-the-pavement/
Or narrow the pavement thus widening the road.
Refuse to pay their wages.
"Inspector Duncan Gouck, of Macclesfield LPU, said: "The local authority is responsible for the majority of parking related issues however there are occasions, where a vehicle is causing a significant obstruction, when the police can assist. Any vehicles parked on the pavement should leave sufficient room for a pushchair or wheelchair user to pass by safely without having to go onto the road. We attend reports of obstructions caused by parked vehicles where possible and deal with the matter in the most appropriate manner. This could be through a verbal or written advice to the driver, if they can be traced, or by issuing a Fixed Penalty Notice. When necessary, we will have the vehicle removed at the expense of its owner.'"
= So it is OK to park on the pavement - even though there are no signs giving permission and we might, possibly, perhaps, even if there isn't an 'R' in the month, you never know, maybe - but I can't guarantee it pop along to see what all the fuss is about and with any luck the offending vehicle that is causing so much bother and danger to pedestrians hopefully might have gone away and so save us doing the job that the taxpayers expect us to be doing.
What I would like to know is - where on earth does it say that a 'pushchair gap' has to be allowed which then makes pavement parking acceptable?
Over to you Inspector Duncan Gouck of Macclesfield police.
If we eventually are given a greater say in the running of our own affairs under the devolution mooted by, I think, Theresa May's premiership, the present status of apparently not being able to do much about what seems to the 'electorate/customers' as bog standard, run of the mill, simple issues doesn't bode well for managing our own affairs in future.
One thing for sure though is if we have devolution, the 'civil servants' and in particular the equivalent of 'Sir Humphrey Appleby GCB KBE MVO' will all be expecting a larger pay packet courtesy of the council tax payers.
If so I would like to know how their financial aspirations can be severely curtailed.
As an aside, I hear that the ‘boy racers’ with their exhaust transplants have been out menacing the sound waves in Wilmslow along the A34 by-pass this evening, the 21st June 2020. So the well-advertised police ‘monitoring’ of this regular event was short lived and the regular cast is back in action. The relevant councillor is the chap/gal to moan to if you still think this disturbance should be stopped.