A furious Bishopton resident has struck out against new parking restrictions which he says will become a “nightmare” for locals.
Following recent government legislation banning parking on pavements, Renfrewshire council announced that it will be enforcing the new restrictions from November, also outlining which streets will be made exempt.
One of the streets made exempt is Yarrow Crescent in Bishopton, where Kenneth Simpson has lived for 43 years. However, the exemption only applies to one side of the street, meaning that on the other side cars will have to park entirely on the road.
Kenneth says this will make the road “basically impossible” to use.
“Yarrow Crescent is narrow at the best of times,” he said. “With these restrictions, nothing will be able to get through.
“It will be basically impossible to get up and down. It’s going to cause havoc for the whole estate.”
The council’s website says that parking on pavements “can be particularly hazardous for people with disabilities and those pushing prams.”
Kenneth argues that the unusual layout of Yarrow Crescent makes the safety argument redundant.
“The houses here are built back to front,” he said. “You drive to the back of the house, and the front doors open onto a pedestrian footpath. The roads were only designed to be vehicular access roads.
“The ‘pavements’ at the back, they’re not even a pavement. They’re just a thin raised bit of tarmac put there for lampposts and water stopcocks. There’s no way anybody could get a pram or a mobility scooter along them, they're less than a metre wide.
“All the streets in the estate have footpaths at the front, which are designed for prams, wheelchairs, mobility scooters, pedestrians etc.”
Kenneth is concerned that new restrictions will block vital services like dustbin collection and ambulances.
“The bin lorry is not going to be able to get up,” he said. “It’s not even going to get into Yarrow Crescent, because it’ll be stuck on Ettrick Drive.
“And ambulances might have to park further down the street. If it’s an emergency, that could be a life threatening situation.”
Renfrewshire council advises motorists to “park in a way which keeps the road clear and allows other vehicles to be able to pass.”
Kenneth is worried that this will essentially mean one side of the road cannot be parked on, and fears the ensuing lack of parking will cause “wars” amongst neighbours.
“If you stay on the side where you can’t park on the curb, you’re going to have to start parking on the other side,” he said. “People will be coming home from work and someone else will be parked outside their house.
“That’s going to cause neighbour wars. It’s going to become a nightmare up here.”
As well as opposing the new plans, Kenneth has been seriously unimpressed by Renfrewshire council, who he says have failed to engage with locals and properly respond to his enquiries.
“There’s been zero consultations with the residents,” he said.
“Every letter you send to the council, you get a bog standard reply. They don’t answer specific enquiries.
“I’ve spent hours on the phone with them, but I cannot get any answer. They keep passing me from department to department. I’ve been round the houses.
“Nobody will take ownership for this.”
James MacLaren, councillor for Bishopton and Bridge of Weir, agreed that the exemption being only on one side “makes no sense.”
“It’s a crazy situation,” said Cllr MacLaren. “You’re not going to be able to get vehicles up and down it - it’s hard enough already with cars parked on the pavement.”
The councillor also said that signs posted on Yarrow Crescent and other neighbouring semi-exempt streets were “very misleading.”
“They imply that the whole street is exempt, rather than just one side,” he said. “So people will be under the impression that the whole street is exempt.
“It’s as if they don’t want negative feedback. They’re just going to annoy people - which they already have done. They’re not doing themselves any favours in Bishopton these days.”
A spokesperson for Renfrewshire Council said: “A process is in place for members of the public to make objections to our proposals and these views were considered during the consultation stage of the new proposed parking restrictions.”
Further information on the new restrictions can be found at: https://www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/new-parking-laws.
READ NEXT: Pavement parking ban 'going to be a big issue for specific streets'
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel