End of the road for inconsiderate street parking
Bollards being installed in Doune
Bollards are being put up in a Doune street in a bid to stop inconsiderate parking.
Residents say ever since the new Co-op store opened in the village there has been a growing problem with drivers parking on the pavements on both sides of the road outside the shop.
The road has double yellow lines but this has not stopped vehicles mounting the pavements and being left there while the drivers pop in to the store.
The Co-op store, built at a cost of £553,000, opened last November amid some controversy.
More than 350 objections had been submitted to Stirling Council planners when the company first proposed to demolish derelict garages and replace them with the new store in Castlehill Court.
Parking and road safety issues had been the main concerns of objectors, some of whom even staged a protest at the site.
Planning permission for the Coop Food store was rejected by the council’s planning panel in 2016 but approved after developers appealed to the Scottish Government.
Trossachs and Teith councillors Martin Earl and Jeremy McDonald, who in recent months have been campaigning for the bollards for both sides of the road, say access to nearby properties, as well as the emergency exits for the ‘Doune Time’ shop next to the Co-op, are often blocked since the store opened.
They added there have been occasions when parked vehicles would have prevented the Fire Service from getting through when answering a call from the Doune station that uses this access road. It is also the main route to and from the nearby primary school.
The councillors are now looking forward to seeing the bollards installed within the next couple of weeks.
Councillor Earl said: “The yellow lines are there for a reason and parking on the pavement is totally unacceptable, even for five minutes. I am pleased the council has agreed to put them in, although it is a shame that has to be done and people can’t do the right thing and find a legal place to park. Is it such a big deal if you might have a short walk?”
Councillor McDonald added: “Just because the bollards are going to stop vehicles mounting the pavements there should not be any parking in this area at all so we have asked both the police and council enforcement officers to carry out extra patrols. Leaving your car or lorry parked on either side of this road causes a lot of obstruction.
Doune Time owner Malcolm Dryden said he was pleased to see the installation of the bollards.
He added: “It ensures residents and parents can have a safe passage for themselves and their children to school and their homes.
“It also ensures that the emergency services gets the access they need to provide their vital care. It is great to see the community working together on this.”
Parking on the pavement is totally unacceptable, even for five minutes