Residents battle to save Poole parking spaces

2:00pm Thursday 21st February 2013 in News By Darren Slade, Chief Reporter

Tracey Pallatt, right, with fellow residents, who oppose the plan for parking to be removed from North Road in Poole Tracey Pallatt, right, with fellow residents, who oppose the plan for parking to be removed from North Road in Poole

RESIDENTS on one of Poole’s major roads are making a last-ditch challenge to plans to take away their parking.

Poole Council intends to remove most of the parking in the top half of North Road after bus and coach operators said their services were being held up on the route.

Residents at the foot of the road saw off a parking ban but those further up the hill were unsuccessful.

Tracy Pallatt of Sea View Residents’ Association intends to present a petition – which currently has more than 130 signatures – ahead of a full meeting of Poole council on Tuesday, February 26.

“They have not consulted the road properly, particularly at the top of the road where practically all the parking is being removed,” she said, She said residents’ main concern was that removing parking would increase vehicle speeds on the hill, which were already too fast.

“We’ve had our front wall knocked down. Our neighbours have had their front wall knocked down.

“I’ve had a cyclist end up on my car roof when I was sitting in my car,” she said.

Their concerns are being backed by Parkstone councillors.

Cllr Sally Carpenter said: “Their concern is if we take away the parking, it’s going to speed up the road and you’re going to have more speeding traffic down there.

“I feel we’ve pushed this through too quickly without thinking and consulting with the residents.”

Fellow ward councillor Tony Woodcock said: “It’s going to increase the speed of traffic tremendously if they take away all the parking down there.”

The council has been improving a public open space on North Road which it took over from Bournemouth and Poole College and renamed College Gardens.

But the new measures would mean taking away parking nearby.

Cllr Woodcock said: “We’ve just spent money and taken five years to get the college to rent it to us. Then they say there’s no parking in front of it.”

Poole’s cabinet member for transport, Cllr Xena Dion, said in a reply to Tracy Pallatt: ‘In North Road, which is a key transport link between Bournemouth and Poole, there is a need to make improvements as part of a long-term strategy (upheld and desired at national level) to improve the attractiveness, reliability and safety of sustainable transport’.

She said the plans would red-uce carbon emissions, avoid congestion in the long term and improve health by encouraging cycling and walking.

“I am sorry that some of the residents in the road are not happy with the changes. This does not detract from the fact that the improvements are needed,” she said.

Comments(22)

jobsworthwatch says...
2:30pm Thu 21 Feb 13

Funny? I've all ways thought that its buses that cause the congestion. Usually when they're at a bus stop, they spend so long there that you think they've broken down.

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Morrigan says...
4:30pm Thu 21 Feb 13

Xena Dion could do with taking a few brisk walks herself!

Not everyone is ABLE to walk or use public transport - does she not realise that?

Also, by trying to force people onto buses, it is taking away our freedom of choice.

The council ought to try sorting our the congestion along Ashley Road if they are serious about cutting carbon emissions from traffic. The fumes up there are deadly!

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Arthur Maureen says...
4:46pm Thu 21 Feb 13

Xena Dion does talk some cr&p!

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speedy231278 says...
4:49pm Thu 21 Feb 13

This would be a road where, according the view on Google Earth, almost all, if not every property has off-road parking? Or is there more than one North Road in Poole?

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Old Colonial says...
5:32pm Thu 21 Feb 13

X Dion's comments only further illustrate the fact that elected representatives invariably end up simply representing their party and it's policies. And by single-mindedly pursuing those policies, ignore the electorate who assumed they were electing someone to represent them and their local needs.

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randson112 says...
5:50pm Thu 21 Feb 13

there is a need to make improvements as part of a long-term strategy (upheld by who, and desired at national level)
says who Poole road reaches national importance I,m amazed,
the only one trying to reach national importance is the pratt who wrote this rubbish.
Poole statzi council rides again.

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apm1954 says...
5:50pm Thu 21 Feb 13

it's a road not a private car park.

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N Smith says...
6:44pm Thu 21 Feb 13

apm1954 wrote:
it's a road not a private car park.
What a utterly stupid comment.

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N Smith says...
6:47pm Thu 21 Feb 13

If buses can go down Albert rd in Parkstone I am **** sure they can go down North rd without having to have parking restrictions.

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blahblahbleurgh says...
7:32pm Thu 21 Feb 13

Why cant the residents park on their drive ways is that not what they were designed for

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bourne free says...
7:57pm Thu 21 Feb 13

blahblahbleurgh wrote:
Why cant the residents park on their drive ways is that not what they were designed for
not all the houses have off road parking and what about visitors , also if the road had no parking the speed would increase and by rather dangerous !

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bourne free says...
7:59pm Thu 21 Feb 13

apm1954 wrote:
it's a road not a private car park.
well done ,nothing gets past you !

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Hobad1 says...
8:25pm Thu 21 Feb 13

This is because Poole Council Intend to charge their staff for parking at the Council Offices. Staff opting out of this will, no doubt, choose to park elsewhere where it's free and close to the council offices, i.e. North Road. So, Poole Council are going to change the parking on the road to discourage their staff from parking there and encourage them to pay to use the council car park, and therefore pay Poole Council more money. All this talk of buses being held up is complete rubbish in my opinion.....it's all to make money for Poole Council. BoP....tell the truth. For once.

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giveusthefacts says...
12:23am Fri 22 Feb 13

Hobad1 wrote:
This is because Poole Council Intend to charge their staff for parking at the Council Offices. Staff opting out of this will, no doubt, choose to park elsewhere where it's free and close to the council offices, i.e. North Road. So, Poole Council are going to change the parking on the road to discourage their staff from parking there and encourage them to pay to use the council car park, and therefore pay Poole Council more money. All this talk of buses being held up is complete rubbish in my opinion.....it's all to make money for Poole Council. BoP....tell the truth. For once.
You mean the multi storey car park at the civic centre, that the council stole off the local taxpayers for it's staff?. This car park use to be open for the public, but the council "stole" it for its own use.If they don't bring in parking restrictions in North Road, they will probably introduce parking permits to boost their coffers. They are nothing but highway thieves

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Hessenford says...
8:03am Fri 22 Feb 13

Cllr Xena Dion said, there is a need to make improvements as part of a long-term strategy (upheld and desired at national level) to improve the attractiveness, reliability and safety of sustainable transport’.
Cobblers, the long term strategy is to force people into paying to park by removing free on road parking.
If speed is an issue in Dorset why remove the natural speed control of parked vehicles.
The only place a driver will be able to park before long is on their own drive or in an extortionate rip off council run carpark.

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ben111 says...
8:05am Fri 22 Feb 13

QUOTE: Poole’s cabinet member for transport, Cllr Xena Dion, said in a reply to Tracy Pallatt: ‘In North Road, which is a key transport link between Bournemouth and Poole, there is a need to make improvements as part of a long-term strategy (upheld and desired at national level) to improve the attractiveness, reliability and safety of sustainable transport’......Wh
at does that actually mean,, It looks like someone opened the book of fraises for travel responses

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N Smith says...
8:48am Fri 22 Feb 13

Buses cause more congestion than any other form of transport, bus lanes that are not needed, cycle lanes which cyclist ignore and still ride on the road. Dion should concentrate on the state of our roads which have become appalling under her Tory government .

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speedy231278 says...
12:50pm Fri 22 Feb 13

N Smith wrote:
apm1954 wrote:
it's a road not a private car park.
What a utterly stupid comment.
No, yours is the stupid comment. The post you are quoting is simply a fact. There is no legal requirement for parking permission to be granted at the side of a road, simply because it is outside one's house.

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FNS-man says...
1:16pm Fri 22 Feb 13

N Smith wrote:
Buses cause more congestion than any other form of transport, bus lanes that are not needed, cycle lanes which cyclist ignore and still ride on the road. Dion should concentrate on the state of our roads which have become appalling under her Tory government .
How do buses cause congestion? If you took everyone on the buses, put them in a car and let them drive around, then there would loads more people on the road.

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apm1954 says...
4:34pm Fri 22 Feb 13

speedy231278 wrote:
N Smith wrote:
apm1954 wrote:
it's a road not a private car park.
What a utterly stupid comment.
No, yours is the stupid comment. The post you are quoting is simply a fact. There is no legal requirement for parking permission to be granted at the side of a road, simply because it is outside one's house.
still a road

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N Smith says...
5:01pm Fri 22 Feb 13

FNS-man wrote:
N Smith wrote:
Buses cause more congestion than any other form of transport, bus lanes that are not needed, cycle lanes which cyclist ignore and still ride on the road. Dion should concentrate on the state of our roads which have become appalling under her Tory government .
How do buses cause congestion? If you took everyone on the buses, put them in a car and let them drive around, then there would loads more people on the road.
Empty buses , bus lanes that get used once every 30 mins

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Hobad1 says...
7:18pm Fri 22 Feb 13

giveusthefacts wrote:
Hobad1 wrote:
This is because Poole Council Intend to charge their staff for parking at the Council Offices. Staff opting out of this will, no doubt, choose to park elsewhere where it's free and close to the council offices, i.e. North Road. So, Poole Council are going to change the parking on the road to discourage their staff from parking there and encourage them to pay to use the council car park, and therefore pay Poole Council more money. All this talk of buses being held up is complete rubbish in my opinion.....it's all to make money for Poole Council. BoP....tell the truth. For once.
You mean the multi storey car park at the civic centre, that the council stole off the local taxpayers for it's staff?. This car park use to be open for the public, but the council "stole" it for its own use.If they don't bring in parking restrictions in North Road, they will probably introduce parking permits to boost their coffers. They are nothing but highway thieves
Yep, that multi story. And i agree, they are highway thieves.

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