Pedestrians put at risk (From Gazette Series)

Pedestrians put at risk

DRIVERS are endangering the lives of pedestrians by parking on the pavement in a rural village a resident claimed this week.

Chris Dunn told Kingswood's annual parish meeting that the village was saturated with cars and was unable to cope. He claimed that drivers were parking on pavements because there was nowhere else to go and walkers were being forced into the road to get round them.

He said: "Does the parish council accept that this village is at saturation point with cars?

"I suspect at least 50 percent of cars in this village are parked on the public highway. We can't take any more.

"People who have to walk from one end of the village to the other have to take their lives in their hands - it is just not acceptable.

"Cars are making it unsafe. All I ask you to do is say stop to more cars and look after the pedestrians, the mothers and children, the disabled and the elderly. Car drivers should not rule but they do."

Council chairman Cllr Paul Hemming said: "I think you have a point and we are saturated with vehicles. I know that the milkman struggles to deliver in Somerset Close because he can't turn in that space. I am not sure what the parish council can do to combat it.

"I agree that vehicles parking on the pavement is illegal and dangerous and does encourage youngsters to do the same. But how do you stop them? The parish council can't do it but we will pass it on when we can."

Resident David Hatton said: "I think this is one area where the parish council need to ask the police to develop a way of dealing with the problem of parking on the footway. There are places where parking on the footway is so extensive that it ceases to be operational for a person with a pushchair. I think most people would like to see more action taken in this specific area."

Cllr Norman Ward told residents that all they needed to do was write their complaints in the police information book.

He said: "We are encouraged to use the police information point in the local shop. If anybody has got any objections all they have to do is take the registration and put it in the book and they will follow it up. They are willing to follow it up if it is reported."

* Cllr Paul Hemming reported at the meeting that speeding through the village continued to be a problem. He said: "It is possible that an illuminated sign may alleviate the problem in the future."