We recently updated readers on the state of play of the yellow line repainting. It should have been completed some time ago but delays have, amongst other reasons, been due to cars parked on the lines, not only illegally but completely ignoring the notices advising of the repainting.
Not surprisingly a fairly widely held opinion has been why bother? No one takes any notice of them anyway!
Well it seems that we are now going to have to as we learn from one of our readers that the yellow line repainting is just the first step in a progression towards Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) which Rother has belatedly decided to support and which I understand we can expect to be operating in around 18 months.
So if nothing is going to happen for 18 months, why repaint now?
The answer is that something is going to happen, and that something is the police. They have always been of the view that, while they cannot afford to act as traffic wardens any longer, providing that the district council gave a firm undertaking that they would be introducing CPE within a defined timescale, then they, the police, would be prepared to undertake some form of parking control.
It is unlikely that we will see a PCSO on permanent patrol round the town issuing tickets, but there is likely to be a limited police presence so that offenders will be ticketed and repeat offenders will find that life gets very expensive.
Hooray! and about time. We have complained and also listened to and published our readers’ complaints for months on the state of anarchy that has existed for too long around the town and anything that is about to be implemented that will change this must be welcome.
I know we must not expect miracles, but dare one hope that, having started to move, Rother District Council and East Sussex County Council might be prepared to consider other aspects of traffic in the town. Military Road, for example – almost impassable at times at the narrow point just past the Globe. Deadmans Lane is another – surely it cannot be beyond the wit of man to have reduced speed limits and a footpath here. And what about additional parking, desperately needed at the height of the tourist season to reduce town centre congestion.
What about it, Councillor Glazier? As our representative on ESCC you have just put council tax up and awarded yourself a pay rise, so how about doing something to justify it?
Did my eyes deceive me? Councillor Glazier – a pay rise? More details please and a justification if it is greater than 1%.
I realise that “Bash the Motorist” is the default position of these pages, but to say that drivers completely ignored the notices advising of the repainting is unjust. The High Street lines were supposed to be repainted on 31 Jan starting from 7pm, and a line of cones with notices warning drivers to that effect appeared on the High Street beforehand. During the day on 31 Jan someone came along and took all the cones and signs away again. Why? Ask the line painters – my guess would be that the weather was unfavourable.
Why not install parking meters in the high street. They would pay for themselves and for a warden. I would not mind paying if it meant I stood a better chance of finding a parking space.