We know that some of our readers are concerned about onstreet parking on the bend in Downhall Park Way near the children’s play area. Some active residents in Salisbury Close have contacted County Highways about this, and have sent us (and County Highways) a couple of photos.
Maybe, between us, we can make some progress…..
Update on April 21st- see comment 10:
Some good news on Downhall Park Way- we are now getting a positive response from County Highways – they agree that vehicles parked opposite the junction reduces the available carriageway width, and has the potential to create vehicle confrontations. They shall therefore :
‘keep this site under review to monitor the effect this parking has on passing traffic, and draft a proposal for waiting restrictions which will be circulated to other interested parties. If it is supported, the proposal will be added to the list of other traffic regulation Order requests, which will be considered by Councillors at a later date.’
Any further evidence from CCR or anyone else would clearly help! When the time comes for councillors to decide which new waiting restrictions to introduce in the district, your emails, messages or comments would strengthen our case when trying to get councillors from outside our ward to support us.
This situation is really getting out of hand – there is space for these commercial vehicles to park on their own driveways but they prefer to cause dangerours obstructions and park on blind bends. This is coupled with the fact that drivers approaching seem blisfully unaware of the rules of the road and who takes priority.
Recently I was verbally abused by the driver of a large black 4 x 4 – yes I do have the number – who simply thought he had the right to drive straight of our Salisbury Close when he wanted without waiting and missed my car – with two children in the rear seat – by inches. He then told me to go forth and multiply when I pointed out the give way lines!!
These photos do not show the parking at its worst. I have often counted in excess of 20 cars parked along this piece of road – on both sides. I assume that the “defence” for the owners of the commercial vehicles will be something like ” We are not allowed to park commercial vehicles on our driveway as it says so in our Deeds” This is true, in the case of some properties on our estate. However, the majority of the covenants are very widely flouted!!!!!!
Rant over
CCR
The relevant parts of the Highway Code:
242
You MUST NOT leave your vehicle or trailer in a dangerous position or where it causes any unnecessary obstruction of the road.
[Laws RTA 1988, sect 22 & CUR reg 103]
243
DO NOT stop or park
…
opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space
…
We have had a similar situation in our road for many years & have complained many times, but nothing ever gets done. The junction of Maine Crescent with Hartford Close is lethal! There are no give way lines, & we frequently cannot see to get off our driveway.We take our lives in our hands as we exit or enter Hartford Close. Parking isense seems non existant! Cars aactually park on the pavements, on the bend, (both sides)& in a way that restricts sight-lines. There are near misses every day!
Perhaps Councillors would take up our cause too?
Parking on pavements is becoming increasingly common, it seems to me. I wonder why? I suppose people are thinking it’ll give more room to other road users – but it blocks the pavement for those of us on foot, and blocks the view for people trying to get out of their drives. I feel a campaign coming on …
CCR have your restrictive covenants ever been enforced, and if so by who? It is my experience of new build properties (and I only ever buy new build) that these are written for the sole intense and purpose of having the idillic roadscape when potential purchasers look at the development, after all who wants to live with vans either side and infront of them? My last property (a Higgin’s development) had the same restrictive covenants, however these were only enforceable by Higgins, and they never enforced any of the ridiculous covenants they had in place.
Anon
There have been some piecemeal efforts to enforce the restrictive covenants – I tried myself when there was some “illegal” development next to my property. I was supported at Town Council level but when it got to RDC – they could not be bothered and I did not have the money to take the matter to Court at the time.
Truthfully, these people are probably not even aware of restrictive covenants and just seem to park illegally for the sheer hell of it. If you get a snowy, icy or foggy night these vehicles, amazingly, seem to make their way on to their ample driveways!! Surely the commercial vehicles, which make up the greater number, should be parked elsewhere – after all they live opposite, and in full view of, a large and underused public car park.
I have kept an eye on this situation for over a year and do recall some officials taking a look – but that was during a weekday morning when most of the vehicles are not typically there.
I agree with Sid above re the Highway Code and also recall there being something in there about not parking on blind bends and within 9 metres of a junction too. I am also reliably informed that the owner of the large unmarked silver van lives several roads away!!
CCR
I’m pretty sure that the guidelines that Sid and CCR quote from the highway code mean that it is not necessary to have yellow lines painted in order to enforce the parking requirements.
I seem to recall it being mentioned earlier on this website that the police have already stated that they do not get involved with parking (since it was decriminalised to allow the councils to make money from it) unless the offending vehicles are causing danger or inconvenience. Putting aside the fact that parking restrictions should only really need to be enforced to prevent dangerous or inconvenient situations anyway, surely the DPW situation is both dangerous and inconvenient?
I drive this stretch of road every day, and have had numerous near misses with other vehicles not being able to see me passing the parked cars and so cutting the corner slightly as I approach from the opposite direction. I have also had near misses where vehicles exiting the side roads have looked right as they approach the junction, then pull out just as I approach from their left and am forced onto the wrong side of the road by vehicles parked opposite the side roads.
There is also a situation where cars parked opposite Harberts Way cause traffic to cut the corner as they turn into Harberts way, only to find that vehicles coming the other way are being forced onto the wrong side of the road by cars parked too close to the junction there.
I’ve also seen the situation from the pedestrian’s point of view, as I have to cross here when I walk to the shops or take my kids to the playground. You’d have to walk past Bristol Close to find a spot clear enough for kids to cross, or walk almost half way into the road at a point where drivers have their view restricted, before you can safely see what is coming.
The whole development is a mess.
On a related note, one of the vehicles that parks too close to the bend uses the playground carpark to turn around so that he can park facing the wrong way, presumably so he can get a quick start when he goes out. He takes the opportunity whilst on the carpark gravel to see how much dust he can kick up by cornering quickly, in an attempt, I assume, to impress the toddlers in the playground. Far from being impressive, it is dangerous, stupid, and the guy is an a*se.
ST1
Perhaps we should co-ordinate our efforts and get some video footage photographic evidence of these problems at their worst.
I know of another poster on this site who is directly affected by these inconsiderate parkers who may also be able to assist.
Re Harberts Way -this is totally exacerbated at school times by the inconsiderate parking of Downhall Parents. On one occasion recently I had to stop and wait in an exaggerated matter as I had seen a child about to run out in front of a parked Toyota – parked the same way EVERY school drop-off and pick up time. The Mother of the child, who was also the driver of the car, was standing and having a chat with her friends and did not see that her parking on a blind bend could have resulted in the death or fatal injury to her child as a result of this.
I did roll down the window and say that “had the person who parked the car there been a little more considerate in their choice of parking place then there would not have been this near-miss” However, this seemed to go right over her head as she then proceeded to chastise her child for trying to walk into the road!!!
It seems that some people just do not get it – I sometimes wonder whether they took a different driving test from me!!
CCR
Will be out with my camera this evening!!
I live in a “privately owned” cul-de-sac on Temple Way.
The Council authorised the building of this development – especially road/parking provision with little thought. Visitors are forced to park on the pavement on Temple Way as the road is not wide enough to allow for vehicles to pass by safely.
My neighbour owns a large 4 bedroomed house BUT chose NOT to have his driveway surfaced by Wimpey and therfore it has never been used for it’s intended purpose – whatsmore Wimpey and presumably the Council approved this course of action without planning permission?
More recently the same neighbour has applied for and received planning permission to convert his original car port into a 2nd garage – which a) Was the entrance to what should have been his driveway and b) Is rarly used to park the family car in c) the original garage has also never been used to park in – this is not suprising as the garages on this estate are far too small to park even the most modestt size car in.
His Family Car is usually abandoned inconsiderately restricting access to the 4 other houses sharing this private cul-de-sac – One of my other neighbours runs a business from home and has HGV deliveries every day!
The up-shot of all of this is that the Council has willfully facilitated a large 4 bedroomed house to have no off-street parking – except for one garage (the original garage being too small to use). Thankfully this family only have one car BUT this isn’t the point and may not always be the case.
Can anybody explain to me why this was authorised by the Council?
Some good news on Downhall Park Way- we are now getting a positive response from County Highways – they agree that vehicles parked opposite the junction reduces the available carriageway width, and has the potential to create vehicle confrontations. They shall therefore :
‘keep this site under review to monitor the effect this parking has on passing traffic, and draft a proposal for waiting restrictions which will be circulated to other interested parties. If it is supported, the proposal will be added to the list of other traffic regulation Order requests, which will be considered by Councillors at a later date.’
Any further evidence from CCR or anyone else would clearly help! When the time comes for councillors to decide which new waiting restrictions to introduce in the district, your emails, messages or comments would strengthen our case when trying to get councillors from outside our ward to support us.
Great News!
Can Highways now also URGENTLEY consider Temple Way And Priory Chase…or would they prefer to wait for an accident to actually happen?
I still think a pelican or zebra crossing for the kids wanting to use the park would be a good idea, there’s a danger that vehicle speed will come back up again if the view round the bend is less restricted.
TWR – Priory Chase and Temple Way remain private roads – The County Council will therefore not even consider spending money/resource on roads that technically do not belong to them.
The development my previous house is sited on has yet to be adopted – those houses were built 7 years ago! I think we may have a long wait before Priory and Temple are adopted!
The sooner Temple Way and Priory Chase are adopted the better. There has already been one accident necessitating a ambulance to be called to a child and until markings are down around the School I fear there may be more!
CCR
Anon and CCR, it took 13 years for Laburnum Way to be adopted so don’t expect miracles with Priory Chase and Temple Way!
I think that Priory Chase should be “fast-tracked” (ha ha!) to be adopted by the Highways Department for the following reasons:-
This is not soley a residential road. There are two Concil owned public buildings on Priory Chase i.e. St Nicholas Primary School and Rayleigh Leisure Centre which generate significant increases in local traffic.
There is also (sadly) a supermarket – more traffic – and a bus terminus – creating nuisance and obstruction on a small road.
Rochford Council have also recently granted themselves and Coral planning permission for Numerous Youth Football Pitches and so-called “community” shops on Priory Chase- yet more traffic.
I have wriiten to Rochford planning department on at least two occasions and stated that the formal adoption of Priory Chase and Temple Way should be a CONDITION of these and any future planning consents.
My next question is this:- Who actually does own and has responsibility for Priory Chase and Temple Way? Is it still Wimpey or is it now Rochford Council? What are the “owners” doing to address our concerns?
Who will actually step up and put pressure on the Highways Department?
If Priory Chase is still privately owned who granted the bus company permission to create for themselves a bus terminus outside Asda?
Who gave Asda permission to paint double yellow lines along Priory Chase in an attempt to prevent local residents from parking outside their own homes? (NB As long as they park in a lawful way as per the highway code i.e. not on the mini roundabout!)
Do Non-residents actually have the legal right to “tresspass” on these private roads? Maybe we should turn Priory Chase into a Toll Road!
Joking aside I don’t see a Council tax re-bate on my annual bill for the failure and neglect of the various Local Authorities to provide services on Priory Chase and Temple Way.
This is especially galling as Rochford Council keep on granting planning permissions for the gross over development of this tiny residential development…
There is far to much apathy around…
Playing devils advocate – The situation is a nightmare, but what alternatives to people have?! I drive that corner opposite the park at least twice a day and its like running the gauntlet, but unless the corner is double yellowed and the neighbours are happy to have other people’s vehicles parked on the straight outside their house then what can be done?
I see in this Echo report that Essex County Council have decided to do something about “Motorists that park on dangerous bends” in Billericay.
http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/4801746.Crackdown_on_Billericay_motorists/
Reading back through the posts in the thread above, Chris states that County Highways had agreed to monitor the situation in DPW. Could we see some action soon?
Sounds like something that would be very useful in the DPW vicinity. Although I have noticed that one of the homes of the main culprit causing the obstructions has now been sold so perhaps this situation may ease. Or, of course, if could get worse.
In recent days the offending corner has been particularly difficult to navigate and the reactions from some drivers, who are on the wrong side of the road, is most offensive!!
Double yellows would seem the way to go and as for “unhappy neighbours”, unless they actually own the road they can do nothing whatsoever about who choses to park outside their house on the public highway.