Caerphilly MP Wayne David has promised a group of Abertridwr residents to raise their concerns over “excessive” parking with the council.
Mr David received a petition from residents of William Street and Cross Street in Abertridwr on Friday September 2, which outlined their concerns over an increase in parked cars and boy racers through their streets.
Residents told Mr David that children were at a real danger of being struck by speeding boy racers, and that the streets were regularly clogged by the cars of people collecting takeaways from the main street.
Mr David agreed to present the 30-strong petition to Caerphilly County Borough Council, and ask them to consider introducing a one-way system with access only, and residents-only parking.
Wayne David said: “Clearly local residents feel very strongly about the situation. I very much hope that the council will listen to people’s concerns and introduce measures to make the road safer and far less congested.”
Sadly modern life has led to an increase in car ownership and many streets simply weren’t built to accommodate the motor car in large numbers. How many of the residents who are complaining own a car themselves? Do they own more than one car which is parked on the road? Do they themselves park outside other peoples properties when they nip to the shops or are trying to avoid car parking charges, they’re not thinking about the effect on others then are they. If these roads have no restrictions then anybody is well within their rights to park there, whatever the reason, it’s a public highway not a childrens playground and the residents do not own the road.
Correct Paul, on almost every point you make; But the issues can be resolved at the stroke of a pen, given the will of Highways Officers, and or, Councillors, A simple order under the Road Trafic or Highways Act could impose proper, safe, parking control, on any street up and down the Caerphilly County, but, the real problems start when Councillors make such `orders` in favour of the streets residents or not. Because, thereafter the parking order restrictions and conditions have to be `enforced`, and, there lays the problem , the Gwent Police, the enforcement authority throughout Caerphilly Borough on all matters under the Road Trafic Act, do not have the manpower, nore the money, to engage its finite number of Police Officers, and the secondary Gwent Police enforcement teams of Community Support Officers, to deal with illegal parking problems in communities in the County. Much of the deliberate anti social parking problems persist and will continue to persist in increasing volume until Caerphilly Council consider properly the way these orders are enforced, and to this end a `civic` parking enforcement team maybe the answer, but whichever way these matters are approached it is not exactly rocket science to sort it out.
Yes very true just how do you enforce parking controls, I’m sure anti social parking is a problem the length and breadth of Caerphilly, the road where I live has double yellow lines which are constantly and totally ignored and some rather nice open council grass verges which selfish residents believe are there solely for the purpose of parking their vehicles on thus killing the grass and turning them into muddy, rutted eyesores, does the council care – no they don’t.
Unfortunately we’ve allowed this problem to grow unchallenged for years and years to the point were it’s now difficult to see a realistic solution.
We already have laws regarding obstruction or parking on pavements but they’re not enforced. Drive a camera car around Caerphilly and the revenue from fines would be staggering but it wouldn’t solve anything.
Most people these days have a car and I’d guess that the majority of homes have more than one.
Just where are they all meant to go?
Yes too many cars and not enough space, like I say some of those doing the complaining probably have more than one car parked in the road, perhaps a law should be passed that only allows more than one car at a property if the owner has somewhere other than the road to park it on, no space for a car then no car. The Welsh Assembly likes being first to pass new laws and regulations, well there’s one for them, one car per household if no off road parking available. Kind of gone off the original news report – make roads resident permit holders only like they have in Cardiff.