New safe parking scheme on Middle Street puts pedestrian safety first

Pedestrian safety has been prioritised as a new safe parking scheme on Middle Street got underway earlier this week.

Shoppers and businesses will have noticed that bollards have been installed along Middle Street during the week to prevent vehicles driving into the public footpath when parking. As previously reported, there have been quite a few near misses over the years where pedestrians have almost been hit by vehicles as they pull onto the pavement to park. 

In addition, as Middle Street is one of the main walk-to-school routes for many children, the need to protect pedestrians from these dangerous driving practices was seen by members of the public as a priority.

As a result, several residents and some of the local business owners asked if there was anything that could be done to protect pedestrians from vehicles driving onto the pavement. That’s why the bollards have now been installed outside the shops along Middle Street, and they've been positioned in a way that enables drivers to park as close to the kerb as they did before, but they'll now be physically prevented from driving onto the footpath.

I’ve also asked the parking enforcement team to give the area more attention over the coming weeks and months to deter illegal parking on Middle Street, and to direct drivers to off-street parking elsewhere or at the designated car park at the community centre nearby. Additional signage will be installed at the junction of Hesleden Road and Middle Street to direct drivers to the community centre car park. 

Double-yellow lines will also be installed or reinstated soon to prevent problem parking at one or two other locations in the village.

I posted a brief update on this scheme a few months ago, and there are additional links to more detailed background information within the article which you can find in this link: Notes from the Blackhall PACT meeting for September 2024