Match day parking misery for residents
HUDDERSFIELD Town have stormed into the Premier League, but not everyone is happy.
In fact residents in Rawthorpe who live above the John Smith’s Stadium are positively miserable because their streets become clogged with parked cars whenever the Terriers play a home game.
Blocked driveways, cars parked on pavements and verges and already narrow roads made almost impassable to large vehicles have become the norm.
But as the hordes of fans increase year-on-year, locals believe it is only a matter of time before someone is killed.
Nicola Hanson, 45, has lived on Bradley Mills Road for 22 years. She has kept a record of the cars that flood into the area and claims numbers have rocketed.
“Six years ago it was about eight to 10,000 people. Last season it was 20,000. Now there is talk of 25,000.
“Where will they park? There isn’t sufficient space near the stadium so they park in Rawthorpe. It was bad before but not as bad as it is now. Buses can’t get through. Fire engines are affected. I don’t leave home on match days because if I do I lose my space. It’s a nightmare. I just want to move house.”
Upwards of 50 homes around the stadium are affected. Some residents have permits which prevent visitors parking outside their homes – but others aren’t in the permit zone.
Nicola said: “My home is on a bend, so I’ve been told it’s too dangerous to have a permit. I do get angry but it’s not really the fans’ fault. I blame the stadium.
“I dread the HD1 development starting. What will happen on match days when shoppers are there?
“Bradley Mills Road is a forgotten route. No one seems to care. The only time the council or the stadium will do something is when they get blood on their hands.”
The situation is the same around Town Avenue. Resident Nicola Earnshaw says: “On match days it’s bedlam. The sheer volume of cars causes the problem. Fans asked to move are often verbally abusive.
“This is not a new problem. There are 210 homes on this estate and we don’t like the intrusion. Not far away on St Andrew’s Road there is a new car park. When I walked up there on Sunday it was only a third full. Why can’t people use that?”
A Town spokesman said its new car park on Gasworks Street had “worked well” on Sunday, adding: “Fans can still buy a day pass for £6.50 from the ticket office.”
Gareth Davies, managing director of Kirklees Stadium Development Ltd, said: “Whilst I am incredibly sympathetic I have no jurisdiction. Off site it’s the responsibility of the council or the police.”
He said when the Gasworks car park was ready it would provide around 2,000 spaces. He added: “I hope the work we are doing will provide a legitimate solution.”