Parking issues sparksafety fear for pupils

Town councillors were told at a meeting last month that residents on the Tudor Park development are fed up of parking issues outside their homes.

Coun David Roark said homeowners had raised the issue of parking problems with him and he added that the situation had gone ‘beyond a joke’.

He claimed many of the vehicles were linked with the nearby St Lawrence School and Horncastle Primary School on Bowl Alley Lane.

Councillors were told that parking regulations - introduced in the last couple of years - had forced vehicle owners to park on Tudor Park, rather than directly outside the schools.

Coun Roark said residents had told him parked vehicles had blocked drives, while school mini buses were also causing access and other issues.

He said some homeowners had resorted to parking their own cars on the roadside because if they left them on their drive, they were in danger of being ‘blocked in’.

Coun Roark was supported by Coun Fiona Martin who questioned why the new restrictions had been brought in on Bowl Alley Lane.

She said it appeared any parking issues had been ‘moved’ further along Bowl Alley Lane and onto Tudor Park. She added that was ‘not fair’ on residents.

Coun Martin suggested the car parks at the two schools were too small to accommodate the number of vehicles wanting to use them.

Coun Martin said: “Perhaps this whole thing (the parking regulations) needs to be looked at again.

“If the authorities have got it wrong then they should be big enough to hold their hands up and say they made a mistake and re-think things. Moving the parking problem from one place (Bowl Alley Lane) to another (Tudor Park) really is not the answer.”

Town based PCSO Nigel Wass confirmed the regulations had been changed following discussions with the two schools and with officials from the County Council’s Highways department.

Told about Coun Roark’s claims, PCSO Wass stressed police had not received complaints from Tudor Park residents about parking issues.

He stressed police would respond if any vehicles were causing an obstruction. He also pointed out that enforcing regulations was a matter for County Council traffic wardens.

PCSO Wass said the regulations had made the area much safer.

He added: “We did have some issues outside the schools and the changes were brought in to make it safer for children. That should always be the priority.”

PCSO Wass explained the regulations prohibited vehicles parking outside the schools on Bowl Alley Lane between 7.30-9.30am and 2.30-4.30pm.