Parking issues discussed during meeting in Botcherby
A meeting has been held.
Residents in Botcherby have raised concerns about parking and road issues at a public meeting in Carlisle.
Council officers say they will look into the problems, including the idea of a residents’ parking scheme.
They say any changes would need further checks and formal approval.
Councillor Robert Betton (Botcherby, Independent) said the main issues were traffic related and potholes and he added: “Residents are coming along to express any concerns that they have about highways or other things raised tonight in the meeting.”
He said interest in the meeting had been high and he was expecting a good turnout. He added: “It should be a very good turnout, I think. It’s been very, very, positive and engaging when I’ve gone around the doors and people have helped us deliver the letters.”
Issues in the area which were highlighted ahead of the meeting included: parking Wood Street; Wood Street used as a turning road; issues at the junction of Wood Street and Victoria Road; the ongoing gas pipe renewal works on Warwick Road; Meadow Brook visitor parking; parking issues on the Durranhill Estate; pothole concerns across the ward; litter around Wood Street; weed management; pavement issues; and road disruption due to on-going roadworks.
Previously there have been calls for a 20mph zone in Durranhill Road and there were hopes of a HGV weight restriction on Durranhill Road and Warwick Road.
During the meeting, which at times proved quite chaotic due to people speaking over each other due to their frustration and anger, a number of issues were raised.
It was claimed that staff from the neighbouring Durranhill Estate were parking in the residential area rather than at the businesses where they worked.
In addition, it was claimed that emergency services vehicles, such as ambulances and fire appliances, were prevented from getting to incidents, public transport buses could not complete their routes and bins went unemptied because access was impossible due to inconsiderate parking.
Residents repeatedly called for a residents’ parking scheme to be introduced and that speeding was an issue in the area which was used as a ‘rat run’.
Speaking to the audience Mr Melville said it was ‘fantastic’ that so many people had attended the public meeting and added: “What we will do is, because we’ve done work before, with residents’ parking, we’ll go away, and we’ll look at the residents’ parking issues.”
He said that the difficulty was that he could not control where people parked and he added: “I can’t control the estate, the actual industrial estate, as to where they park. That’s out of our remit completely.
“The difficulty we’ll have, and it’s about being honest and transparent about it, we can go and look at residents’ parking schemes using the traffic regulation orders that’s in our gift.
“It will be oversubscribed. So, I’m not saying you can’t have it, it’s not my decision, that’s a political decision.
“But you need to consider how it will affect you. Because there aren’t enough spaces to park all of the vehicles that all of you guys have got.”
During the meeting council officers noted the concerns that were raise as well as hotspot locations and residents were assured they would be looked into.
Speaking after the meeting cllr Betton estimated the total attendance to be around 100 people.