Concerns raised over parking at Horsemarket

Parking in Horsemarket near to the Old Fire Station is causing a major traffic hazard, it was claimed at Caistor Town Council last night (Thursday March 12, 2015).

Resident Peter Thompson, who lives in Horsemarket, raised the matter during the Council’s public forum.

“Since the restrictions have been put in place at the primary school, it is becoming evident that more cars are parking on that nasty corner,” he said. “From my garden I have not seen an accident but I have seen endless near misses.

“I think you need to look at that side of the road because by the bend, the road becomes very narrow.”

Some cars were left parked at the spot for most of the day, said Mr Thompson.

Mr Thompson’s complaint was endorsed by councillors and Pc Chris Bell, who attended last night’s council meeting.

“As you come round Horsemarket and turn into Nettleton Road, to be confronted by a bus is quite interesting,” said Cllr Alan Caine. “I was wondering if Highways would look at it. There is another problem in that the residents who live in Redhills Close are upset about who parks there.”

Cllr Deborah Barker queried whether it was worth looking into reducing the size of the pavement near the bend, but County Councillor Tony Turner, who was also present at the meeting, said he was not sure such a request would be granted. “When you start talking about taking bits off a pavement, it tends to go on the back burner,” he said.

Pc Bell agreed that the parking situation near the primary school is “horrendous.”

“We all knew the new measures would not cure it but would just spread to somewhere else,” he said. “There have been no accidents and that is down to the presence of mind of drivers. I don’t know what the answer is. There has been no obstruction or dangerous driving, so it is hard to enforce, but I would be happy to discuss a solution if we can.”

Mayor Steve Millson queried whether it would be worth having discussions with Acis to see if an area for parking could be opened up behind Fountain Court for its tenants, freeing up more space for parking on the road. But it was thought access to the rear of Fountain Court could be a problem.

“There is plenty of land at the old West Lindsey Council offices at Southdale,” said Cllr John Burns-Salmond.

Councillors agreed that without action, the problem was only likely to get worse, and acknowledged it was probably the same outside most schools. The mayor thanked Mr Thompson for bringing the situation to the council’s attention.

The council also heard that time-limited waiting is still due to be introduced in Caistor Market Square in the Spring, which is expected to free up more parking in the town during the day. When the changes are introduced, parking in the Market Square will still be free.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

error: Content is protected !!