Date received: 18 May 2023
Signatures received: 12
Name of petitioner: Dudley Taylor / Rosemary Raynbird
Petition response:
RE: Receipt of Petition – Parking Restrictions (Monks Walk)
I refer to the petition, signed by local residents regarding the request regarding the request of Parking Restrictions on Monks Walk, Gnosall. I can advise you that receipt of the petition will be reported to County Councillor Mark Winnington.
Inconsiderate parking in residential areas is a common concern raised with the Council. We fully understand that nuisance and illegal parking can cause road safety problems, congestion, and inconvenience to residents.
In the absence of any parking restrictions, there is very little that can done to prevent people from parking on the public highway and often agreement must be met between residents in order to resolve these social problems.
The police also have powers that can be used to move vehicles which are parked in a way that causes obstruction to highway users should they deem this action necessary. They have powers available to them to identify vehicle owners and also issue on-the-spot fines.
However, it is ultimately the responsibility of the driver to be aware of where they are parking and to consider if in doing so they are parking illegally, inappropriately or hazardously.
The County Council is responsible for the introduction of new parking restrictions however our budget is limited, and this means that only a small number of sites across the county can be prioritised for funding each year, usually through the local County Councillor’s Divisional Highway Programme (DHP).
Proposals for permanent restrictions often do not receive the required majority of support from residents, as these affect everyone living in the street including their visitors, carers, or tradespersons.
The introduction of parking restrictions such as double or single yellow lines requires the formulation of a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO), which is the legal framework that allows restrictions to be enforced. A TRO to protect a junction or even a small section of highway as suggested can cost thousands of pounds and involves several months of planning, owing to statutory and public consultation that must be carried out.
Our local highway officers have investigated Monks Walk and checked our online records to show similar reports for parking issues at this location and they are not aware of any other reports from the community concerning parked vehicles in this location and the Council presently has no plans to investigate the issue further.
In the meantime, dangerous, obstructive or illegal parking are all matters which the police can tackle as they have powers available to them to identify vehicle owners and issue on-the-spot fines if necessary.
Yours sincerely,
Mark Keeling
Community Highways Manager