Permits could ease thoughtless parking
RESIDENTS- ONLY parking schemes could be introduced near a busy hospital and theatre to help ease problems for ‘ long suffering’ householders.
Highways bosses at Lancashire County Council (LCC) are considering deploying the schemes on streets near Accrington Victoria Hospital and Oswaldtwistle Civic Theatre.
Councillor Paul Cox said since parking charges were brought into place at the hospital parking along adjacent roads has ‘significantly increased’.
He said: “With hospital users parking along streets for several hours that has meant residents are struggling to have any chance of parking near their property.”
Oswaldtwistle county councillor Peter Britcliffe told a recent public meeting that residents-only parking could also be brought in around the theatre. Previous plans to introduce the scheme on Sun Street, Lord Street and Lock Street failed to materialise after the council did not get the required 75 per cent support from the public.
Coun Britcliffe said: “They are asking officers to revisit the possibility of residents parking around by the Civic Theatre.
“I’m not holding my breath and I don’t think it will come to anything but at least they are looking at that possibility again.
“It’s a difficult one because Gayle [Knight] is so successful at the Civic and that increases the traffic and the problem, especially in the winter months where we have a glut of shows on.”
Gayle said the parking situation has been made worse because of ongoing repair work at Rhyddings Business and Enterprise School.
She told the meeting: “There are plenty of parking spaces and it’s absolute laziness if you park on the yellow lines.
“It’s going to be compounded when the care home eventually does open because they only have 15 parking spaces.
“It’s going to get worse and we don’t have Rhyddings at the moment because of the repair work going on.
“We would normally have an 80-space car park there.”
County Councillor Keith Iddon, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “We are aware of different areas of Lancashire which have some parking issues.
“On-street parking can be at a premium in towns and cities.
“I’m working with officers to mitigate this in the best way we can.”
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