An excessive number of cars parking on a housing estate is an accident waiting to happen, residents have claimed.
People on the St Martin’s Estate, in Caerphilly town, are fed up with overcrowded roads – caused by workers from a nearby industrial estate parking their cars.
Rob Barnes, a 66-year-old retired senior buyer in industry, is the community’s neighbourhood watch coordinator.
Mr Barnes said: “Every morning, workers from the Western Industrial Estate are using St Martin’s as a car park.
“We have engaged with the police and they have been co-operative in trying to rectify the situation. However, if the cars are taxed and insured and not causing an obstruction, they cannot do much.”
Residents have said the crowded streets make it difficult for pedestrians to make their way safely through the estate – especially along a stretch of road which does not have a pavement.
Mr Barnes has contacted several companies on the Western Industrial Estate to ask their employees not to park there and while the companies have told staff to avoid the area, they continue to park there.
Residents now want to see double-yellow lines on their roads to stop the problem, but have been told the estate does not match the council’s criteria for introducing parking restrictions.
Cllr Steve Kent, who represents the St Martin’s ward for Plaid Cymru, has been making representations to the council on behalf of residents.
He said: “It is unacceptable that people, especially the elderly and those with pushchairs, have to walk in the middle of the road.”
Disgusting where are the police and im sure they can issue tickets if these cars are a danger and why cant they have double yellow lines the council are quick enough to put them everywhere else in thr borough
I worked long and hard on this problem with Rob Barnes and other residents when I was a Town Councillor. Parking by non residents is not a unique problem in our area but the possible solution is. St. Martin’s Estate has only one access road, simply issue a new traffic order, put up a sign at the junction with Watford Rd. saying ‘AccessOnly’ and then have police issue cautions and/or fines to all those parked who do not live in or have business on St. Martin’s Estate. A day or two of this enforcement should drastically reduce the incidence of outsiders parking here.
Unfortuneately I was unable to persuade council officers to do this, though was successful in having a proper bus stop installed. Prior to this the ‘bus stop’ had no markings and cars used to park on it, forcing passengers to step on and off the bus in the middle of the road with its attendant danger.
Is it not possible to have Residents Only Parking – with the obligation to display the required parking permit ?
Any non resident parking could then be enforced by the police !
Residents only parking is an option but this has been in operation for may years in the town centre streets and does not work very well. It is not usually enforced and many non residents park in town all day. When it is enforced it is often residents or their visitors that are penalised for not displaying a permit.
People doing work for residents are also penalised, builders, plumbers, electricians, care workers and so on need to park close to the people they are providing a service for but do not have permits. Residents of St. Martin’s have been polled and do not want a residents parking scheme for these reasons. They also do not want more double yellow lines along the orbital road of the estate. This article misleadingly states that they do.
From what you say it seems that residents parking is not a viable option then.
As you say the residents do not want double yellow lines – in my opinion they are a waste of time anyway – with many motorists flouting the law and illegally parking,and with little or no enforcement they are a waste of time.
It is not going to be easy to find a viable solution that will actually work.
Very annoying for the residents, on the other hand it does show that the industrial estate is booming.
Is there room for expansion on the estate where car parking could be catered to? No! Houses were built all around it instead.