Antisocial Parking Concerns Raised At Public Meeting

‘Anti-social parking’ problems with cars left on verges, a bus being obstructed and fear over emergency vehicle access came to the fore at a public meeting on Wednesday (June 10).

Long-standing independent councillor Paul Fuller told Gurnard Parish Council it was the ‘biggest issue’ residents had raised with him, ‘above and over’ anything else, which prompted an exchange of councillor reports.

Parking in Solent View Road is ‘just crazy’ at the moment, Cllr Chris Park remarked.

“You have to drive a zig zag to go up there,” he said. “There’s people parking on verges and destroying the grass verges. Worsely Road – there’s been poor parking up there again.

“At least one occasion – the driver of the 32 bus had to get out and find somebody to move their car to get his bus through.”

Cllr Christine Bustin drew attention to Church Road, before warning ‘there’s going to be an emergency’.

“There is no way a fire engine or an ambulance can get through there,” she said.

Cllr Fuller, who represents Cowes West and Gurnard, gave the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) a list of several resident concerns including parking over vehicle entrances at Gurnard Primary School, abandoned vehicles and road junction sight lines being obscured.

The councillor also said parking is an issue at Cowes Enterprise College and at Lionheart School on a much smaller scale.

At Wednesday’s meeting, he said: “Myself and Christine previously talked about getting another questionnaire, survey out together with residents in Church Road.

“Some of the residents aren’t happy with vehicles mounting the pavement and some residents aren’t happy with double yellow lines at the junction. Some residents would like to see those double yellow lines extended.

“But then if you extend the double yellow lines, you impact upon residents of Church Road, residents that use the pub, residents that use the church and you make it more difficult for them to find somewhere to park.”

He said it is something which perhaps needs a ‘much more meaty engagement’ with residents.

Chair Penny Acton added that there is some ‘pretty mad stuff’ going on.

It was agreed that a proposal on the subject would be put forward for the parish council’s next meeting agenda.