New parking bays are taking shape on Wains Road, which have been jointly funded by the Ward Committee and the Estate Improvement Grant.
The parking bays are being built outside the flats at the top end of Wains Road. The nature of the bend in the road has created parking difficulties at this spot, which the new bays will help to alleviate.
Unfortunately, some nearby grass verges have been badly damaged at the same time as the works have been done (pictured below). We will be asking that the contractors make good the damage that has been done (if vehicles are found to have been responsible).
This work was/is disgraceful. Not only is it costly for the work undertaken, most of the works were completed in one day but then it took two weeks to complete with one man turning up every now and then for an hour or so. I think it would be generous to say there have been no more than 2 man days total! To make matters worse this has had to be dug up and started again!
It would have been far simpler and far more cost effective to drop a kerb and put in paving grids on the front garden. This would have saved the grass from being dug up, be far more environmental friendly and allowed the residents of the flats to use them.
What is to happen with the new parking spaces created. Will it be for residents of the flats only? As it stands other properties, with their own drives, used the space outside the flats to park their cars. This also occurred for the two days the new parking was in place.
The damage you show is from a number of residents, that have drive ways, using them to park as the road outside the flats is still under construction.
Perhaps if the council and counsellors listened to residents for a change rather than steaming ahead, claiming victory for something residents of the flats have been asking about for years, these problems and ridiculous costs could have been avoided.
It’s disappointing that the parking bays have been dug up, and I have asked for an explanation as to what is going on. The decision to go with roadside parking bays rather than installing parking bays outside the flats (similar to those on Thanet Road) was ultimately guided by what we could afford. The issue was discussed at Dringhouses West Residents Association meetings, and it was agreed to proceed with the scheme we now have. In relation to who can use the parking bays, they will not be restricted solely for use by residents of the flats.
There is no attempt to ‘claim victory’ for anything – I know from discussions with the Estate Manager at Residents Association meetings that this is something residents have been asking about for a number of years. That’s why we were keen to support it with £7,000 from our Ward Highways budget (this represents over half of the total we had available to spend in 2015/16).
Thanks for the reply Stephen….. as a resident living in the flats for 6 years I can categorically state that I haven’t once been invited to any meetings to make a decision over the parking, despite asking the Estate Manager on numerous occasions.
The first any resident in the flats heard about the possibility of off-road parking was in your pre-election leaflet and the subsequent letter issued by the council on the 4th March stating the works were starting on the 7th March.
Given the fact that the majority of the properties on this street have off street parking already, do you not feel it fair that the residents of the flats be given the opportunity to decide whether it be made permit only or not. Otherwise, if residents with driveways continue to choose to park outside the flats (as they have and still are doing) this will still leave the problem you so desire to reduce. You have created space for 4 cars, there are 10 flats…… the paving grid (which is very green and would still allow for grass etc.) can be installed quickly and cost effectively.
Whilst the bays are a welcome feature, the problem will still remain because it is only a half measure.
If the council had chosen to go with the paving grids outside the flats surely the cost would surely not amount to £12K your Ward budget suggests you have spent AND this would have gone much further to solve the problem.
Also, if this project was funded by grant money I would think a serious review needs to take place of how the 12K was spent. As per my previous post there has been very little presence of contractors on site. They spent one full day (2 or sometimes 3 people) and the odd hour with one or 2 people here and there.
Clearly this message won’t change anything but something that should have been a positive measure wont be and will do nothing to prevent damage to grass verges.
Thanks Craig. I’m sorry you didn’t get the chance to input into the discussions about the parking scheme. I’m sad to report that the Residents Association closed on 1st March, after a number of unsuccessful attempts over the past 10 months or so to get more people involved. I hope that’s not the end, and I have put up some posters (including on the Board outside Lovel House) to let residents know what has happened and to ask for anyone with ideas for getting things moving to come forward.
I’m more than happy to explore what might be possible in terms of giving residents of the flats priority parking rights in the new bays. I know however that a similar parking bay recently installed outside a block of flats on Ridgeway is for ‘communal use’ rather than for the sole use of those residents. But I’ll let you know what I find out.