Yellow lines on School House Green

Further to my previous posts here and here on hazardous parking on School House Green, Lancashire County Council have now agreed to and installed parking restrictions on School House Green following consultation with local residents.

In coming to its decision, the County Council referred to the fact there have been reports of emergency vehicles being unable to negotiate School House Green due to parked vehicles at the junction with Wigan Road. Refuse wagons have also repeatedly been unable to get past the junction of School House Green and Wigan Road.

They also say the Police have been regularly patrolling the area and in the last year issued 33 Fixed Penalty Notices—all issued either because drivers have been ‘wilfully obstructing free passage along the highway’ or ‘in charge of a vehicle causing unnecessary obstruction’.

In view of that, the County Council consider that the proposed No Waiting at Any Time restriction on School House Green and Oak Green will enable the safe passage of traffic for large vehicles, pedestrians and the residents of the estate.

Have your say on Mill Street, Millers Court and School House Green parking plans

Regular readers will know I have been lobbying the authorities hard on the issue of hazardous parking. Two areas which are among the worst are School House Green and Mill Street/Millers Court.

So I was delighted to learn this week that following pressure from myself and colleague County Councillor David Westley, the highways authority has drawn up plans which seeks to alleviate the problems in these areas.

The plans have now been released for public consultation, with them available for public inspection at the Borough Council offices in Derby Street, and residents are being urged to have their say.

I’m pleased there has been some movement on the issue of hazardous parking, something I have been banging on about since being selected as the Conservative candidate for Derby Ward.

In Mill Street and Millers Court, I have been told of instances where bin lorries cannot get to certain properties to collect waste and recycling.

And in School House Green, residents have told me of one incident when a fire engine could not get past cars which were double parked near the junction to Wigan Road.

So in response to this, the County Council has drawn up plans to put ‘no waiting’ restrictions on the junction of Mill Street/Millers Court. And in School House Green, the plan is to put lines at the entrance close to Wigan Road, going towards Oak Green.

I would urge all residents, whether they support or oppose these specific plans, to take the opportunity to have their say on these proposals.

To indicate your support or objection for either proposal, write to The County Secretary and Solicitor, Lancashire County Council, PO Box 78, County Hall, Preston, PR1 8XJ. All comments must be received by February 23, 2011.

Double parking on School House Green, Ormskirk

FOLLOWING our latest In Touch leaflet which went out across Derby Ward in December, I was contacted by residents in School House Green over the issue of double parking.

They’d read about my efforts to get police to clamp down on similar problems in other parts of the ward, including Bridge Street, Ravenscroft Avenue, Brook Lane and Mill Street, to name but a few.

Those residents from School House Green who contacted me advised me that because of double parking near to the junction with Wigan Road, emergency service vehicles can have difficulty accessing the cul de sac.

One resident cited an incident a few years ago whereby a fire engine could not get to a ‘live’ incident, and I’m also told that because of vehicles parking on the pavement, mothers with pushchairs are regularly forced to make a diversion into the roadway. These sorts of incidents are completely unacceptable.

There is pressure on on-street parking in Ormskirk, but motorists have a duty under the Highway Code to ensure they park responsibly and do not endanger the safety of others. The police have put up signs on School House Green reminding people of their obligations but some are continuing to ignore the warnings.

I am not prepared to wait until someone’s life is put in danger—police are in charge of enforcement and they need to get this sorted. I’ve written to the police to raise these latest complaints and will continue to press for action to be taken.