Purpose

 
This report outlines proposals
to permanently make the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order for a
Prohibition of Waiting and Restriction of Waiting 8am-6pm on
Preston Road (A6) Area, within the Clayton-Le-Woods and
Whittle-Le-Woods, Chorley Borough.
Divisional county
councillors were consulted along with the council's usual
consultees and the consultation documents posted on the council's
website.
 
The Experimental
Traffic Regulation Order was made on the 23rd August
2023.
The formal
consultation period carried out between 5th September
2023 and 5th March 2024 and advertised in the local
press and notices were displayed on site.
 
One response
objecting to the proposal and one response supporting the proposal
but raising concerns were received during the consultation
process.
 
Objection
An objection to the proposal was received
regarding the placement of the new double yellow lines which now
extend outside property number 241 and number 243. The objector
believes that this will result in issues for the adjoining northern
properties by creating additional conflict for properties
possessing multiple vehicles.
 
Officer
response:
Restrictions have been placed outside property
number 241 and up to the boundary of property number 243 because of
identified road safety concerns related to vehicles parked fully
within the footpath which restricted safe passage for pedestrians,
particularly those with prams or utilising mobility equipment
potentially requiring them to enter the highway to pass.
 
It is also noted that property number 241 has
a large area available for off-road parking where vehicles can be
parked off the highway. The extent of restrictions to the boundary
of property number 243 is intended to maintain clearance for the
entrance/exit point to Public Rights of Way footpath FP14 ensuring
that pedestrians retain clear passage to travel along the Preston
Road footpath.
 
Support with
concerns
One piece of correspondence was received in
support of the proposals, however raised concerns regarding
enforcement and the potential for displacement of vehicles.
 
The correspondent states that
without a robust level of enforcement, the restrictions would be
subject to regular disregard as appears to be the case for the
current restrictions situated at the Bankside junction where
parking can restrict sightlines for exiting vehicles. The
correspondent also believes that with the introduction of the
restrictions there is a potential for displaced vehicles to move
onto Bankside resulting in obstruction issues for
residents.
 
Officer
response:
Whilst it is recognised that there is a
potential for restrictions to be disregarded where drivers fail to
exercise the level of care expected of them under Highway Code
directions, the County Council does undertake enforcement
activities where this is either observed during scheduled area
visits or is notified via the customer service channels. In the
case of the Preston Road (A6), Whittle Le Woods restrictions a
total of 59 enforcement visits have been conducted since the
inception of the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order in September
2023 and this has resulted in the issuance of 5 penalty charge
notices for vehicles contravening the restrictions. Where
individual instances of disregard are observed these can be
reported directly to the county council's parking enforcement team
online at
https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/roads-parking-and-travel/parking/report-a-parking-problem/.
 
As is the case for all new restrictions it is
acknowledged that a level parking activity will be relocated into
the surrounding area and where not undertaken with the required
care this can remain disruptive. 
However, it is not anticipated that this will result in any
significant increase to parking along Bankside due to its remote
positioning. As a result of the introduction of the restrictions,
officers will be undertaking a 3-month post-installation monitoring
process to identify any occurrence of additional problematic
parking which represents either a highway safety or unnecessary
obstruction concern and, where this is demonstrated to be the case,
officers will consider additional intervention.
Following advice
from Democratic Services, responses to these proposals are not
deemed significant objections or adverse comments. Therefore, the
proposals now require approval under the Scheme of Delegation so
that the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order can be made
permanent.

Content

Peter Bell, Regulations and Enforcement Manager, took a
decision to approve permanently make the
Experimental Traffic Regulation Order for a Prohibition of Waiting
and Restriction of Waiting 8am-6pm on Preston Road (A6) Area,
within the Clayton-Le-Woods and Whittle-Le-Woods, Chorley Borough
be approved.