Village parking war
by Anna White
awhite@thekmgroup.co.uk
Commuters beware. Angry homeowners are on the warpath and
they’ve got your number.
City workers have sparked a campaign in a village estate where
people are fed up with cars being left on their streets and
obstructing their driveways.
Families in Lime Trees, Staplehurst, are drumming up support for
a road restriction to be enforced in an effort to stop people
leaving cars outside their homes instead of paying railway station
parking costs.
The residential streets are a five-minute walk through an
alleyway to Station Approach, where drivers are charged a daily fee
of £5.50.
Although not a private estate, homeowners are identifying repeat
parkers and posting pictures of their cars on a private Facebook
page. It is called The Lime Trees Massive vs. Commuters Parking in
Residential Areas.
The group has almost 60 members, including Julia Loesercorr, of
Greenhill.
Miss Loeser said: “It’s become a joke. They are inconsiderate
towards people who actually live here. I’ve tried to ask them
nicely but I’ve been laughed and sworn at, and now I’ve had
enough.”
The campaigners said the issue had got worse since the station
parking charges increased by 50p last month.
Miss Loeser, 39, added: “I’m sorry, but if you work in London
then you should expect to pay the costs. It shouldn’t become our
problem.”
The group believe that if parking was banned between 10am and
11am, this would stop the problem of cars being left from 7am to
7.30pm.
This would be similar to the parking enforcement on the other
side of the alleyway connecting the estate to Station Approach.
Drivers are not allowed to park there between 10am and 10.30am,
and 2pm to 2.30pm, Monday to Friday. Miss Loeser and fellow
campaigner Jo Pow raised the issue at a meeting of Staplehurst
Parish Council and were advised any decision would rest with Kent
Highways.
Cllr Richard Lusty (Con) met with homeowners at the
village library, in The Parade, on Saturday, to discuss
their options.
25/02/13
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