Anger over parking signs
Tuesday July 20, 2010
Work to install new parking signs which have angered some residents in Shepherds Bush has been stopped.
Eleven poles for parking signs were installed in Rylett Road in the first week of July as part of a general maintenance programme.
The posts have been put up in parking zone I to make sure parking bays and restrictions are clear to motorists.
This is in line with parking rules that all UK councils are forced to follow, a council spokeswoman said.
However, workmen have now stopped putting them up until councillors and parking officers can meet to discuss the matter, following complaints from residents.
H&F cabinet member Nick Botterill said: "There is now a moratorium on putting up these poles in the Stamford Brook area. And we will not be installing any more until we can discuss the issue this week.
"We do not want to put them up as we are committed to reducing clutter on our streets. But the rules relating to signs and road markings are complex and councils are increasingly subject to legal challenge in this area.
"Taxpayers cannot afford to be hit in the pocket if we get challenged in the courts over our parking signage."
Some residents in Rylett Road and Rylett Crescent, where nine poles have been installed, claim the posts are unnecessary.
Clare Burnett of Rylett Road said: "The Department of Transport has told us that councils can apply for an exemption if they feel these regulations about signs are inappropriate for specific circumstances.
"We want to know if this has been done and if not, why not? If it has been rejected, is now, in these austere times, not the time to question the necessity of such bureaucracy and the waste it is causing?
"Some clarity is needed on what the obligations are for highways to comply with this guideline.
"We would say to the council please stop the economic, environmental and aesthetic impact of these unnecessary posts, and remove those already installed."
The council has created 35 new parking spaces across zones L and M to help residents, businesses and visitors find more parking opportunities and reduce the overall parking stress in the area.
A total of 69 posts are planned to be erected across the whole of zone I.
The council is removing 23 unnecessary posts in zones L and M, as part of regular works, but will be installing 22 posts where necessary.
