There are ways of stopping people parking on the verges, without emblazoning (is there such a word?) the Stray with hideous notices. The Borough Council has done a very effective job of using blocks of stone to keep parked cars off the area of sand which is protecting the protective matting which is protecting the now non-existent grass so that it doesn't get damaged .... er ....
This area of the Stray is looking REALLY overused. Anyone know what the plan is for when the fair arrives?
HBC know only too well that the erection of about 30 wooden bollards on a short part of Skipton Road, Knaresborough Road and all of Wetherby Road side of Oatlands Drive would solve this problem once and for all. They would give the remaining Stray the protection is deserves and requires but at the same time it would still provide the parking required by the runners, footballers and walkers! The wooden bollards HBC put in place around the Skipton Road/Claro Road junction in March have worked well - the grass has grown back and is level.
ReplyDeleteCome on HBC reinvest the Fake Festival fees and put the bollards in place - please!
Protecting Grass Verges - Parking
ReplyDeleteIntroduction
Parking on grass verges is a persistent problem as it can not only reduce the verge to an unsightly state, but it can also obstruct the highway and prevent pedestrians and wheel chair users from accessing roads and footways if there is no other pathway. Verge parking can also cause a hazard to other motorists especially if the vehicle is parked on a bend, narrow road or junction. Councils do not promote or support parking on grass verges.
Legal implications
In common law, drivers have the right to pass and re-pass along the road. There is no legal right to park on a road, verge or footway.
Where no parking controls (such as yellow line waiting restrictions) are present on the road next the verge, parking on a grass verge is only classed as an offence if there are signs on the verge stating 'no parking'. However, a driver may be open to prosecution, whether there are signs on the verge or not, if their vehicle is persistently damaging a verge, parked dangerously or causing an obstruction.
Protection
We use three main methods to deter parking on grass verges:-
Timber posts
These are placed in a concrete foundation approximately 1.5 – 3 metres apart with a visible height of around 600mm.
Tree planting
Small, young trees (suitable for the public highway) are planted at the required spacing for the type of tree. However, overhead cables, nearby street lighting columns and other street furniture often prevent this. Visit our page planting trees on the highways.
Prohibition signing
Signs are placed enforcing the road traffic act which prohibits parking on grass verges. These signs can either be installed on their own or alongside timber posts.
Toni, I sincerely hope that the Council do not allow the fair to use the "new" entrance to that part of the Stray as they did for the Vintage Vehicle Show.
ReplyDelete