Category Archives: parking

I bet I know the solution.

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Traffic counts have been taking place at a busy retail park in Kent which is regularly gridlocked with shoppers.

The work has been focused on key junctions on the North Farm industrial estate, near Tunbridge Wells.

It is part of the North Farm Traffic Study, which is due to be completed by June when recommendations for solutions will be presented to council officials.

Traders have been calling for urgent action to ease traffic congestion amid fears customers are being driven away.

They say problems have escalated since John Lewis and Marks & Spencer opened flagship stores on the estate before Christmas.

What is the problem here, really? We can see that the local residents aren’t mentioned here, so they are probably understanding that this retail park is providing jobs at a time when one isn’t exactly falling over vacancies. Either that, or the council just don’t regard their opinions as being important. Probably a good portion of both.

At a time when the economy is on its arse, we mustn’t mistake the cries from the traders that there are too many people coming into the estate, their concern is that it is too difficult for customers to get on site, so they may not bother trying.

I have a feeling that the council will see the problem as being too many people are trying to get in. Calls to ease congestion would, in a sensible world, result in works to improve access and flow by increasing capacity on the roads and/or by introducing a park and ride scheme that is cheap, or even free and sponsored; it is in the interests of the business on site, after all. Thereby encouraging people to come, spend their money and ensure that a local success story continues.

But let us not forget that this is the country where this happens:

Why do I have a funny feeling that the solution will be the introduction or ramping up of parking charges, the construction of traffic calming measures and other things that make people want to stay away, rather than make it easier for people to get in?

The One That Says Size Does Matter. . .

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Stupidity reigns in the Weald of Kent.

The little market town of Tenterden has had some new double yellow lines put down on a road.

These lines are 80cm long and sit on the corner of the road leading into someone’s driveway.

Yes.

Eighty centimetres.

Tenterden is quite a well heeled place, rather well-to-do, which means you get wonderfully eloquent expressions of exasparation like this:

One can only watch with weary resignation the Ashford Borough Council painters slapping double yellow lines on the roadway outside our house. Having failed, through a combination of ineptitude and local anger, to implement the draconian parking restrictions they wanted to impose on Tenterden, the council are now doing the predictable – bringing in restrictions by stealth.

As a result, we and our neighbours have lost nine perfectly good parking spaces which the council have deemed a road safety hazard, but which haven’t caused a single accident in the 13 years we have lived here. In their messianic zeal to use up every single pot of yellow paint, the council also seem to have created the world’s smallest parking restriction.

Of course it isn’t the smallest. Not even in the UK, apparently Islington holds the record for yellow lines, clocking up one space which comes in at a microscopic 50cm, or something.

The response from the council is predictable.

Ashford council says the yellow lines have been introduced following extensive public consultation

But of course. The people of Tenterden were beating down Ashford Borough Council’s door for these lines.

This just shows the arrogance and self-important attitude from these wonks. It would have been so much easier to say ‘someone’s over-stepped the mark here. These plans were drawn up after lunch on a Friday when the planner was due off on holiday at the weekend and he wasn’t really giving it his all. We’ve had words with him and will remove the offending items.’

But they won’t. They cannot make daft decisions. They are correct. The decision will stand. They do not serve, they dictate. You will be silent and comply.

What a bunch of idiotic buffoons.