Water firm staff face crackdown on parking

NEW traffic orders will be introduced to prevent Yorkshire Water staff from taking up all the parking spaces on several residential streets.

People living in Western Way and other roads around the company’s headquarters off Halifax Road in Bradford have complained that they found it difficult to park anywhere nearby at certain times of the day due to the company’s staff taking up spaces.

Acknowledging the problems being caused, the utility company has agreed to fund traffic orders worth £14,000 that would include no-parking areas and residents’ parking permits.

Members of Bradford Council’s Bradford South Area Committee voted to approve the orders at its latest meeting, despite a number of objections.

The traffic orders will include a mix of no-parking zones and residents’ parking areas on roads including Western Way and areas of Halifax Road, Farfield Grove and Farfield Crescent.

Committee members were told that the council’s highways department had been trying to deal with the issue for three years.

Earlier this year, around 280 households were asked for their opinion on the plans. Five people objected, meaning the plans had to go before councillors.

Principal engineer Andrew Smith said: “Five objections is pretty good considering we balloted 280 properties.”

Members heard from one objector, who questioned why residents’ parking orders were needed on roads where there was currently no problem with parking by Yorkshire Water staff.

Simon Moscrop, from the highways team, said: “The concern is when we bring in the scheme around Yorkshire Water, if we just do it in that area it pushes parking further afield.”

Coun David Warburton added: “We have to look at the bigger picture. If we don’t do this all now, we might have to wait years for funding to come again.”