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Will Warrington have the Vision to follow Windsor's exa


Paul Kennedy

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From today's Daily Mail:

 

End of road wars? Town makes peace with parkers by REMOVING double yellow lines

 

They are everywhere, jealously guarding each inch of road from drivers desperate for a parking space.

 

 

But it seems the reign of double yellow lines could be in its dying days.

 

 

The revolution is taking place in the Queen's "backyard", within sight of Windsor Castle, her favourite home.

 

Council chiefs there hope to remove "the majority" of double yellow lines, which indicate no-parking areas, in the Berkshire town within two to three years.

 

 

Only those vital for safety reasons will remain.

 

 

The Tory-dominated Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is to order the removal of many of the double-yellow lines councillors say "blight" their town.

 

 

In their place, it plans to create hundreds of parking spaces and spend more than ?3million on parking and the roads.

 

Councillors believe other local authorities will follow in a nationwide backlash against draconian parking regimes designed to raise cash rather than relieve congestion.

 

 

They claimed residents had spent years illegally parking on double yellow lines outside their own homes under the previous Liberal Democrat administration.

 

 

In the first phase of the project, 100 parking spaces will be freed up, with potential to add many more later.

 

 

The scheme will cost ?900,000 in the first year.

 

 

The council also plans to spend ?1.5million for better road surfaces and ?750,000 on street lighting.

 

 

The local Tories' parking spokesman, councillor Tom Bursnall, said: "It's about time councils woke up and thought about the needs of motorists.

 

"Liberal Democrat and Labour councillors seem to think that by putting in yellow lines the cars will disappear, but they don't.

 

"Cars are the main form of transport for most families and we have a duty to look after them. Many councils seem committed to reducing car use by cutting parking spaces.

 

 

"But we think that it's vital that families have a place to park. Many other local authorities are desperate to over-manage parking - putting yellow lines absolutely everywhere.

 

"It is blighting the landscape. The truth is that this is costly to the taxpayer and the motorist but, sadly, achieves little.

 

 

"It certainly doesn't encourage people onto public transport.

 

 

"When the Conservatives took power in Windsor in May 2007 we inherited a real parking nightmare.

 

 

"Hundreds of residents were forced to illegally park outside their own homes. It was risking parking meltdown."

 

 

Nationally, the Conservative Way Forward group has unveiled its transport manifesto Stop the War Against Drivers.

 

It calls for an end to "unjustified attacks on cars", a freeze on obstructive traffic calming schemes and a review of bus lanes as well as action on poor parking provision.

 

Its author, transport engineer Malcolm Heymer said: "Planning policies aimed at reducing car use have failed.

 

 

"Limits on parking spaces in residential areas do not curb car ownership but increase on-street parking.

 

 

"Reduced parking provision in town centres leads to more congestion as drivers search for spaces."

 

[ 01.03.2008, 13:02: Message edited by: Paul Kennedy ]

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How on earth can it cost ?3 million of tax payers money to get rid of some double yellow lines :wink:

 

Loose that and no doubt our council tax would probably go up even more :redmad:

 

[ 01.03.2008, 21:14: Message edited by: Dismayed ]

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I asked the now long gone director of transport in Warrington to review the yellow lines in the town centre. He promised to do so but then left for pastures new.

I have asked a councillor member of the traffic committee to find out what has happened to this review. So far the esteemed management - if there is one -of the traffic department have failed to reply.

Are they all incompetent in the traffic department or just useless.

The whole shambles of traffic in and around Warringtopn is because of their idiotic fight against motorised traffic.

Only this weekend the traffic lights a Winwick were out of action and there was not one traffic jam or incident unlike whrn the mismanaged lights re "working".

 

Lets have review of the yellow lines and come up with a sensible solution. This means the review should not be carried out by the traffic management nor by their their tame consultants

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They (council) did have a review of the yellow lines in town when the parking wardens started, they also changed a lot of the double yellow lines and put no loading restrictions on just about every road in the town. In doing so they made most of the signs illegal, ie they did not remove the old signs) in some places the signs display 6 no loading bars rather than the 3 that it should be. There are plenty of places in town where free or limited on street parking could be allowed, this also increases road safety because cars go slower through parked cars than a clear road. The council idea though is to make money out of the motorist so park on the yellows and get a fine or use the extortionate car parks.

A wise person goes somewhere else to do their shopping, a town or centre that provides the car parks and thrives on the trade of the motorist. I can never understand why the Warrington chamber of commerce does not challenge the town council on the remit that their members are loosing out because of Warrington?s hate motorist stance.

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  • 4 weeks later...

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