A parish councillor is hoping a parking forum will be set up to examine ways of improving the parking situation and traffic flow in the village.
Cllr Duncan Herald will be putting forward a motion at next month's Parish Council calling for support from his fellow councillors to establish the forum.
He explained "It will be a one off body, with a life of about a month or two. The intention is to hold two or three meetings and invite parish councillors, traders, the PCSO and local business people, as well as representatives from Cheshire East Highways and the schools to join the forum."
The aim of the meetings will be to produce a document listing practical ways to improve both the parking and traffic flow which will be sent to Cllr Michael Jones, Leader of Cheshire East Council, and Cllr David Topping, Environment Portfolio Holder.
Cllr Herald added "Whether this will work or not I don't know, but we can at least we try to energise the whole situation, rather than try to get things done on a piecemeal basis or wait for Cheshire East to come up with something."
Areas of the village which have been raised as being of particular concern include: Trafford Road, Congleton Road, Heyes Lane and Ryleys Lane at the junctions of Eaton Drive and Redesmere Drive. These are in addition to areas surrounding the three village schools and Lynton Lane where parking has prevented emergency vehicles and waste collection lorries from getting through.
The next Alderley Edge Parish Council meeting will take place on Monday 9th December, starting at 7.30pm in the council chamber at the Festival Hall.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
Of course anything is worth a try if it can help but those that cause the problems won't be at any meetings. I feel a bit sorry for the schools, they do try but when up against certain types what more can they do.
Lynton Lane is a very dangerous place at school drop off and pick ups but it's not always parents, workmen play their part in making the road dangerous. If you are turning into Lynton Lane and a car is coming up to the junction it can be very unsafe.
'some' parents are not happy unless parked right outside the school, walking is seen as a very dirty word.
So far interest has been shown by the 'Traders Assoc.', AESG Headmistress, Primary School Headmaster, PCSO, some Parish Councillors (after the Dec. PC meeting perhaps most/all Councillors), local businesspeople etc.
Perhaps I have, by chance, tapped into a major Community interest.
I'll hold an initial meeting, early in the New Year (once the Xmas disorder is past) to which all interested parties will be invited (that of course includes you!). Hopefully we will end up with a whole series of viable ideas/plans, to take to C.E.
Steve: your idea of covering the footy pitch in the Park is certainly radical! I did, some time ago, suggest that the present parking area could be extended 'sideways' up to the embankment by London Rd., which would not impinge on the actual footy area...alas it would mean taking
down a few trees, hopefully to be replaced by planting more than are removed.
No ideas will be censured by me; everything can be up for grabs?
As for flow of traffic, the "flow" is way too quick for what is now a B road. Most ways of changing this, or adding new spaces etc cost a lot of money, is there money available?
It's been an issue for so, so long I sometimes think that there is a bit of a flurry when some *particularly* stupid parking is spotted and highlighted or a minor accident happens and then, shortly after, it all goes back to what is "normal" for this village.
Let's hope that you get some momentum going, enough to find a solution to the unbelievably selfish behaviour of a minority of extremely lazy people.
As to traffic flow; its not always the aim to speed it up, au contraire let's slow it down.. there are already suggestions around e.g. put a second pavement along the length of London Rd., between Panacea and Hayes Lane...I've spoken with 'Highways' and they told me that the road was wide enough to do just that... that will (Highways said) automatically slow traffic entering the village from that end.
Good idea , hope you can get find some "radical" solutions , as always consensus will be a challenge , but getting the various interested parties together is a start .... how about a "smiley" alderley edge badge for cars .... that is removed for any dodgy/illegal parking
Blitz the village in notorious hot spots. Afterall some parking is illegal so they deserve a ticket.
Maybe parking permits for Lynton Lane, although as long as no yellow lines anyone is free to park there so just ticket any car parked in a dangerous way.
Let's not forget this problem is nationwide, especially around school drop off and pick up. I don't think there has been a suits all solution found yet.
As for drop-offs; when I spoke recently to the AESG Headmistress, she seemed willing to try out a 'walking bus' idea, for the senior girls, to be dropped off at the C.H.Lane end of the Park and to walk to the school... would that work? We shall have to see I guess.
Another recent suggestion is that we ask the authorities to see that we always have the same Traffic Warden/s, so that they get to know the village and so become better at helping rather than just issuing tickets.
More ideas please everybody.
I honestly can't think of anything else that is workable. To many people on the roads at the same time all trying to achieve the same thing.
We were blessed with a full policeman patrolling our streets at around 9:30am. Of particular irony was him walking down to the post office on West Street, past a car on double yellows just outside the Pharmacy; no disabled permit before you ask.
The first meeting of the Parking Forum will be in early January... why? because most people say that they are tied up with Xmas/New Year and so don't want the meeting in December... ideas are coming in e.g.
1. ask people to park more exactly e.g. outside Oxfam, on Clifton St., there is space for 5 cars but often only 3 are parked there
2. at the bottom of West St. (near the new Post Office) the road runs up against the railway... there is room for 2 cars at the bottom/end of the street but the space has yellow lines... remove the yellow lines
3. tell people that on Devonshire Drive, there are no yellow lines and if you walk back from there via the lane beside the Scout Hut, its only 300 yards to the village
4. between Clifton St and the 'Bubble Room' it is possible to get 10 cars if they are 'parallel parked' but another 8-10 could be there is chevron parking were introduced (the pavement would have to be moved back by a foot or so but as the pavement is about 13 feet wide there, that ought not to be a problem)...and no need to cut down trees or move lights... I measured it all... if they can do it in Paris, they can do it in A/E!
5. I checked with a parking warden... they are moved between one area and another and so we don't get a chance to have 'dedicated' traffic wardens.
6. revisit the 'Residents Parking' situation... on Clifton St., there are about 19 spaces but every day/time I've looked (between about 10.30 am & 3.30 pm) there's never been more than 3 or 4 cars parked... this one would have to be run past the residents.
7. encourage people to park just away from the village main street e.g. in Stamford Rd. there are about 22 marked spaces, but today only 7 were in use.
8. make use of the Festival Hall... at midday today there were 13 unused spaces.
9. the one-hour restriction on London Rd. does not allow shoppers time to shop and then have coffee or lunch... a 2 hour limit instead?
If any of the above either please you or annoy you; remember I'm the messenger boy only !
If you continue to misspell Heyes Lane (even after being corrected) then it will be difficult to afford you the credit that your enthusiasm deserves.
But why devote such energy to parking matters whilst Frank K is busily trying to tarmac the allotments on HEYES Lane? Surely if his plan goes ahead then some of the other initiatives you are exploring will be pointless.
I like the idea of taxing the miscreant parkers until their pips squeak. There is so much illegal and dangerous parking around Alderley Edge that a stealthy Traffic Warden could earn enough in fines to pay for all the pavements to be pebbled with emeralds and rubies!
There is sufficient "material" surrounding AESG to keep a warden busy at drop-off and pick-up times - perhaps he/she can prevent the fatal accident that surely must happen some time soon if the thoughtlessness is allowed to go unchecked. Likewise that tricky little bottleneck that develops at the top of London Road when "Well Heeled Revellers" double park their 4x4s and Bentleys to reduce the A34 into a single lane outside "Gusto"
Just slap a ticket on every car that is incorrectly parked. End of.
Good Morning Alan... I trust you feel better for relieving yourself of that rant?... mis-spelling the name of the road indeed... oh tut! and me a grammar school boy!... if you wish to take up cudgels with Councillor Keegan, by all means, but I can't speak for Frank... you have animatedly pointed out problems; can you please now offer up some practical ideas on improving the situation?... would one idea (based on your comments about Revellers) be to urge the authorities to make use of tow-trucks?
That was not a rant.
Those were just some of the thoughts of a poor, local taxpayer who's tired of listening to some pretty un-joined-up ideas from the Parish Council.
Recent PC minutes suggest that whilst yourself and Frank Keegan sit in the same meetings, you speak and listen in different languages!
I'm not sure I have all the answers that you are looking for, and there is part of me crying out that "AEPC got us into this mess, so you get us out!"
You will (of course) tell us that it is all the fault of Cheshire East and that AEPC is only playing "Muttley" to their "Dick Dastardly"
In this thread you seem to seriously consider the use of the playing field for car parking whilst you know full well that plans by AEPC (championed by FK) are well advanced to "acquire" the HEYES Lane allotments and convert them to car parking.
All of this car parking may well serve the businesses of Alderley Edge, but if your (AEPC) proposals are advanced, they will be paid for by the Council Tax payers - the very people from whom you are removing valuable amenity.
Yes, let's have ticketing and wheel clamps as a revenue earner - more
importantly as a safety measure to remove the potential for serious injury that exists at the moment.
Let's have properly thought-out planning strategy so that if a business wants to open in Alderley it has to make provision for it's customer parking.
And if a builder wants to build apartments, they have to build into their plans the probability that each tenant will have a minimum of two cars and there will need to be parking provision for that.
Why are so many parking problems associated with the schools? What provision is made for children to walk to school or to use public transport?
AESG seems keen to hand over part of a playing field (Lydiat Lane) to provide new allotments - why not use this land for car parking as it seems that AESG are major contributors to the problem.... perhaps The Ryleys might be persuaded to divvy-up some land? These are private schools (businesses) and their parking problems should absolutely not be resolved with public money.
Just a few musings..... not a rant.
An area of concern where non-residents are parking for the entire day is
Redesmere Drive and Windermere Drive where their vehicles can often be found parked on corners and in such numbers as to narrow the road to one lane causing congestion and blocking driveways. I suggest that parking here should be restricted to two hours or made a residents only zone.
1. Extra local parking extending to 2 hours, for customers to access shops are a must to keep our village alive.
2. To mark 'ALL' roads as 2 hours or resident parking (both) would stop day parking at residential areas.
3. Better drop off and pick up arrangement with schools and parents. Teachers and prefects to give deduction points to parents parking badly, these deduction point will be publish and affect their child(ren) house points!
4. More affordable or even free parking a short walk away from the village. It would be excellent if these parking spaces are environmentally friendly.
If these action can be implemented then the following will improve:
1. Business gain from good access to parking to customers.
2. Residents are protected from 'shifting' effect of these day parkers.
3. Schools, children and parents are getting involved.
4. A solution for our workers, providing safe and affordable long term parking.
All we need is Cheshire East to come up with some cash!
I know what you mean about Cllr Herald speaking in a different language to me : I thought it was just me who thought that.
I didn't think your comments were a rant, I thought your two posts just vent the frustration which lots of people feel. We do have lots of parking issues, and I am addressing them with Cheshire East Highways; I know, don't ask why we have sudden announcements as if we have just discovered them.
The issues are:
1) dangerous parking all day, Trafford Road, Congleton Road, Lynton Lane, Ryleys Lane, Brook Lane, Macclesfield Road, Heyes lane. These streets need road markings which prohibit on street parking within certain zones.
2) village access which impinges on the vitality of our retail, London Road, Clifton St, and various side streets off London Road. We need better signs - or even some signs - and better street markings. I like the idea of special areas that allow 15 mins parking, so that people can pop in to a shop in London Road, whilst we still have shops we value.
3) residents parking needs to be addressed; the public purse created residents parking areas, which added to the value of houses, but it is not acceptable that they are empty all day. Change needs to happen, so that the taxpayer can benefit from on street parking during retail hours.
4) On street parking in residential areas should be discouraged by street markings of 2 hours and no return. That keeps Holly Road South free of traffic.
5) School traffic is a special sort of problem and needs a different solution, which must include better street markings which can be enforced by Penalty Charge Notices. The frustration at the moment is that it is like the wild west, and those who won't listen to reason will pay a hefty price.
6) The night time economy is a separate issue, causing much the same abandoned parking in some areas as the school traffic. Again road markings and signage need to be improved, so that Penalties can be enforced.
On top of all of that, the new Medical Centre will see a reduction in parking spaces around the Festival Hall, and we need an off street car park on the Heyes Lane Allotment site. On any one day, there are between 40 and 60 cars which I would class as dangerous to public traffic. Then there are probably the same number which are nuisance traffic.
Where are they to go? My preference has always been a car park serving the Festival Hall and taking all the problem traffic - the caveat has to be that the parking should be reasonably priced, and I favour a monthly direct debit system for long term passes. In lots of cases, I think the employers need to either pay or assist with the payments.
We all need to live in the village in harmony, but at the moment the people who benefit from free parking are not contributing to a public solution.
I have the support of the Cheshire East Chief Executive in creating change, and there are Officers from Highways coming, again, next week so that we can start to plan a work programme for change.
If you think life is tough now, on the parking front, wait till the building work begins on the Medical Centre. I anticipate the usual suspects will be contributing and venting their spleen quite soon, but the village - the whole village - needs a proper solution which joins up, rather than a piecemeal approach.
I hope that I have not (in any way) implied support for your scheme to tarmac Heyes Lane allotments - I absolutely oppose it as an ill thought-out piece of land-grab and I still hope that that piece of land will be allowed to be worked, planted and harvested by the good people of Alderley Edge for many more years.
I am concerned by the mixed messages that emanate from AEPC. We have your proposal to tarmac the allotments and now Duncan's proposal to tarmac the St. Philips Playing Fields.
My real point is that the parking problem is created by the commercial sector in Alderley Edge - almost wholly as a result of some disastrous decisions by Planning Depts who have sanctioned applications without thinking through the ramifications of the proposed projects.
We, the local Council Tax payers, are being asked to pay for this profligate abuse of office at the same time as valuable amenity is being stolen from us.
Not everyone in Alderley Edge uses the private schools or the expensive bars and restaurants and they can be forgiven for objecting to having to pick-up the tab for their proliferation.
Relax, I know you don't support the Heyes Lane car park. But, as a Parish Council we fought against Macclesfield turning the park into a car park some years ago, and my opinion has not changed since then. The park is too precious.
As for Planning Depts, the culprits are Central Government. We have always enforced a standard number of spaces for a particular office size; but Prescott ruled that places like AE with a station did not need ANY parking spaces. And Retail and Restaurants don't need parking - we cannot impose a standard, because the rules are set by Westminster.
I take your point that there is a population away from London Road/Wilmslow Road, but we do have parking issues in the village, and they will only get worse. We need to address them and frankly, the move of 16 allotments to a 60 allotment site seems to me to solve a lot of problems.
As for the good people of AE working the land at Heyes Lane, 50% of the Allotment holders do not come from AE. Of those who do, people work double plots, so on 16 Allotments, some of which are shared, the good people of AE are not even in the majority. Sometimes you can take nostalgia too far.
1. the ideas above are simply my reporting to A/E residents & workers those which have been told to me by individuals... they are not all my ideas. At next Monday's Parish Council meeting I will propose that the idea of a Parking Forum be adopted as a P.C. policy... I am for that and Frank is against it... one Councillor is away in Africa (I think) and so the other six will decide by voting... I simply can't see why asking the people who live and/or work in A.E. what they think and want instead of leaving it to C.E.... it may just be me of course but I've never liked my 'elders and betters' telling me what to do! ... perhaps those who disagree would clear things up by listing all the 'good works' that C.E. have carried out recently to make parking and traffic flow so much better in the village?
2. I always try to make it clear when I speak as an individual, rather than as a Councillor reporting P.C. policy.
3. I am clearly not suggesting the tarmacing of playing fields... there is a suggestion that one small area of land be so treated. If you wish to know my personal opinion of this idea... I would support it... the small piece of land in question is unused, unloved and untidy.. kind people (and me) spend time picking up the bottles, cans, food wrappings etc. from there or it would soon become an open-cast tip! Have you seen the land in question? (that's a straight question, I'm not being 'snide') and if not, may I suggest that you visit it... I'd be happy to meet with you there and talk about it; mayhaps I can persuade you? Though if your objection is a philosophical one, then I have no chance.
4. You may well be correct re. planning etc. in the past, but I am concerned with now and ways to stop the village parking descending even further into perceived traffic anarchy.
5. Do Frank and I speak differently? Yes of course... we disagree on some matters.. its called democracy I think.
Good Morning Ricky,
nice contribution... thanks... clearly put and with 'answers' to problems put forward.
Good Morning Peter,
thanks for suggestions... by the way, re. extending the car park on Ryleys Lane (calling it Ryleys Lane rather than the Park is so much less emotive eh?)... there is already a second entrance to the park... it looks like a gap in the hedge (opposite the war memorial) but if you look down, there are footings (is that the correct term?) already there... so a drive in at one end and a drive out at the existing entrance would be quite easy... always the IF that C.E. would have to cough up of course, for clearing and hard standing material.. but if the Parish Council were to become in favour and if enough of the inhabitants were to be in favour, how could they possibly refuse?
I know the piece of land intimately. I have lived in Alderley edge since 1962 and I have played both as a boy, and with my own children, on every inch of "The park.
Indeed, one of my main claims to infamy was the time (in about 1968) when I was page-boy to Alderley Edge Rose Queen Jane Carpenter (now a celebrated operatic singer) on that very piece of turf.
The Rose Queen Fete was always a highlight of the year, bringing families together. I would be so disappointed to see any of that green space converted to car parking.
1. At last night's (Monday 9th Dec.) the Parish Council voted to 'adopt' the concept of a Parking Forum as a Parish Council initiative (a very narrow FOR vote indeed, after a 'full and Frank' debate). Hopefully we can now proceed to an early January meeting. So please polish up your ideas as to how to improve village parking and traffic flow.
2. Alan...come and stand on the piece of land with me and talk it over... I need every possible convert I can get! Who knows, maybe you'll convert me!
3. Margaret... you may well be right... I have suggested to colleagues that when (shortly) the car park at the Festival Hall is handed over by Cheshire East to the Parish Council, we experiment with a period of free parking to see if that will encourage people to park at the Hall rather than in the village... we have to try, don't we?
Are you part of the real world? The reason for Cheshire East altering the parking orders, (which means the car park is no longer controlled) is because of the development of firstly the Medical Centre and secondly the Festival Hall.
What part of “a building site” makes you think that it will be a safe environment for free parking?
The real world is where the people who live/work in the village exist; not the rarified and mysterious worlds of Cheshire East and NHS England!
Merry Xmas !