Residents of Teynham, Kent, have complained about the number of vehicles now clogging up streets and busy junctions, saying near-miss accidents are becoming commonplace
Fed up locals say their once sleepy village is becoming a traffic danger zone because of parking issues caused by new double yellow lines.
People living in Teynham, Kent, have raised concerns about the number of vehicles now clogging up streets and busy junctions. They say near-miss accidents are becoming commonplace and that it’s now only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.
The problems come from a decision to paint double yellow lines along parts of Station Road, which is second only to the A2 as the busiest street in the village. People who now can’t park outside their homes have been given a specially-built car park in the nearby Blossom Grove new-build estate.
However, there are only about 45 spaces available – when there are about 31 homes which are affected. As most homes have more than one vehicle, many Station Road residents are now parking in other streets and walking home.
But to add to frustrations, Hyde Homes – the owner of the Blossom Grove car park – has introduced a one-space per household rule – with £100 fines for cars with no permits. There is now a serious knock-on effect where residents across the village have to find alternate parking because of the spaces taken by Station Road people.
The double yellows have been introduced to manage the increased traffic caused by the building of Blossom Grove, which has 130 homes. Community carer Michelle Pollard has labelled the whole situation as “ridiculous”. The 52-year-old, who has lived in Station Road for 13 years, said: “We have three cars in our household and Hyde won’t let you have visitor car parking or anything.
“The main problem is trying to find spaces elsewhere in the nearby streets, which is absolutely horrendous. My daughter is only 21 and I don’t want to have her walking the streets in the dark because she had to park across the village in the evenings, when parking is at its worst.”
Mum-of-two Zara Hopkins, who is a general manager at an electronics firm, says the situation is now creating issues for neighbouring Frognal Gardens, New Gardens and Donald Moore Avenue. The 46-year-old, who has lived in her Victorian terrace home for more than 20 years, said: “The roads are now being filled up in the evenings with cars. We’re parking in front of other people’s houses, so they can’t park in front of their own houses, so it’s having a big impact on the neighbourhood.”
Further down the road towards the train station, painter and decorator Natalie Taylor is also unhappy with the situation. While she is lucky enough to have a driveway, she has been involved in near-miss accidents due to parked vehicles.
The 55-year-old, who has lived in the village for three and a half years, said: “Because people are parking at junctions it makes it dangerous as you can’t see who’s coming around the corner. Even when I have been walking in the road because people have parked on the pavement, there have been near misses. People are even parking on double yellow lines. It is only going to get worse with more development in the village and something needs to be done.”
Hyde Homes has defended its one-space move saying it may soon be allowing two vehicles per household but the number of spaces was determined by Swale council. A spokesman said: “We understand changes to the parking management system are really frustrating for residents.
“It is not our decision as to how many parking spaces are allocated to each home, as this is the jurisdiction of Swale council. We are only offering the service of our preferred car parking management company to ensure the spaces are kept available for the residents they are intended for. As per the agreed parking strategy, residents can apply for a second car parking space on a first-come, first-serve basis.”
In response, a council spokesman said: “The developers are implementing the parking management plan as agreed as a condition of the planning permission.” The authority would not be drawn on the wider problems being caused across the village.
