An elderly resident of a narrow cul-de-sac in Springbourne believes cars parked on the pavements in her road are a menace.
The 87-year-old widow, who does not wish to be named, says the bins in Cleveland Gardens are rarely emptied on time because the dustbin lorries cannot enter the street when cars are parked on either side. And she says cars parked on pavements force children returning from school to walk in the road itself.
The elderly resident said: “The parking in this road is horrendous. The dustbin men do not always empty our bins, and have to come back when my neighbours’ cars are out. We have had ambulances slow right down to get down here, and it’s lucky there haven’t been too many other times like that.”
Councillor Michael Filer, whose constituency covers East Cliff and Springbourne, said: “Parking in Cleveland Gardens has outgrown what it was built for. Only a handful of cars can occupy the street, and half are on the road and half on the pavement. There is a blockage whenever dustbin men attempt to work in the road, and it would be a calamity if a fire engine were needed there.”
Councillor Filer admitted there were very few viable solutions. He said: “The pavements should be redeveloped into one area with marked bays, but the council simply doesn’t have the money to do it. At the moment, I’m afraid very little can be done.”
Councillor Filer says the problem has been compounded in neighbouring Cleveland Road, where he says too few parking spaces have been allocated to new flats.
Councillor Filer believes Bournemouth is “fighting a losing battle” with the
Government over funding and parking policy.
“There are 36 flats in one of the
blocks alone, but only three car parking spaces are allocated to it. According
to the Government’s current policy on the matter, this is acceptable if the
flats are within a reasonable walking distance to a bus stop. This is totally
unrealistic, and the policy needs to change to have at least one car parking
space per flat.”
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT- Cleveland Gardens, Springbourne
