Keighley Road
Posted by Stuart Milner
Friday, October 7, 2005
I sympathise totally with local residents over the planned changes to parking arrangements on Keighley Road, but the main issue is one of safety for both residents and visitors alike.Don't forget, a lot of trade is created in and around Hebden by tourism.
The current situation of cars parked on Keighly Road, particularly at week ends often makes the road impassable if two wide vehicles meet each other traveling in opposite directions. Wide vehicles does not always mean HGV's just passing through.
I live at Old Town and my partner has a horse box. When we need to transport the horse to and beyond Hebden Bridge from Old Town, Keighley Road is the only option available. It has become an almost nightmare scenario in attepting to drive down or up Keighley road for fear of meeting for example a bus coming in the opposite direction. If both vehicles have cars behind them, then there is virtually an impass situation created, and the only way out is generally for me to get out and try to sort the situation out by asking drivers to move back, car by car. Believe you me, this is not a happy situation to try to sort out. I dread to think what bus drivers make of the situation.
In a nutshell, any improvement in the current situation has got to be a big improvement. And like I say, I do sympathise with locals who currently park on Keighly Road, but sometimes life can be a little cruel. And sometimes, as the saying goes, you have to be cruel to be kind.
Posted by Richard Hull
Monday, October 10, 2005
Stuart - point taken.
However, the reaction by Calderdale is way over the top.
There are in fact only two real bottlenecks:
1. Junction with Old Lees Road and Lees Road; and
2. The sharp bend in the road just up the hill from the old Nutclough Tavern (now Zion Housing Co-op).
There is only really a need to ban parking at those spots, and only about 2-3 spaces at each place.
At all other places there is quite sufficient visibility to allow drivers to pull to one side and wait till vehicles pass, and this i9s what drivers currently do with no real problems.
Here is a a plan of the relevant section of Keighley Road.
Regards,
Richard
Posted by Miv
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
May I point out that the problem here is the people who are illegaly parking on Keighly Road (For that is what they are doing)are putting the lives of the users of this road in danger.It is not the other way around.
On many occasions I have had to reverse back up the hill around blind bends into oncoming traffic to get out of the way of vehicles which have been forced onto the wrong side of the road by the selfish actions of the residents.
When these houses were built, they were not designed to accomodate parking for cars outside. I am afraid that therefore when you bought into the Hebden Bridge ideal you should have realised that you may have to make sacrifices and if that means that you can't park your car outside your home then so be it.
If you want to be able to park outside your door then buy a house with a driveway!
Posted by Tim
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
It seems to be taken as read that Keighley Road is 'dangerous' - how many accidents have there been on this stretch of road? How many pedestrians or cyclists have been injured? If the answers to these questions are none or not many why are changes being planned to make it 'safer'. It is generally considered that higher traffic speeds result in more danaging accidents. If Calderdale go ahead and remove the parked cars and refuse to implement traffic calming will they be held responsible for any increase in the acceident rate and the increased seriousness of injuries caused? Road safety should take precident over reducing journey times. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
Posted by Miv
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Or we could just wait until an entire family is killed in a head on collision with a bus coming around a blind corner on the wrong side of the road!
But so long as people don't have to walk too far to empty the car on the way back from Sainsburys what's a few lives
Posted by Penny
Friday, October 28, 2005
An idea which I haven't seen suggested is to use traffic lights so that traffic is one way only.
Then it would be possible to keep the car parking, and there's no chance of traffic meeting traffic.
Posted by Miv
Tuesday, November 1, 2005
I am sorry but that is the most ludicrous suggestion yet!
How long would this set of traffic lights have to be?
Who would pay for it? Would the people who park their cars there stump up the £50000+ that it would cost or do you expect the rest of the tax payers to pay?
Have you considered the congestion at both ends of the traffic lights resulting in standing traffic on bends which may lead to accidents?
Why can't people just accept that the parking is causing the problem, remove the parked cars and the road is clear, with an unhindered flow of traffic there is no danger of accidents. As I have said before the cars are illegaly parked and should not be there
Posted by Oscar
Wednesday, November 2, 2005
I feel Penny's suggestion falls into "traffic calming" measures which "are
only used in areas where there have been a significant number of accidents
or those involving children."
The parking of cars along Keighley Road provides its own "traffic calming". The current restrictions cause drivers to slow down and use caution. I use the road at least twice a day and find common sense and common courtesy a great asset in negotiating the trick bits. In comparison Peckett Well and Oxenhope are far worse!
As far as illegal parking is concerned I'm unable to find any evidence. I'm sure if they were illegally parked they would have been frequently ticketed. If anyone can point me towards a law restricting parking a public road I'd be grateful. The only guidance I can find is the Highway Code
I do not live on Keighley Road, I do not have anything to gain or lose by any restrictions. My concern is that if traffic is able to travel faster, it will. So, the parking restrictions are put in place; then we wait for the inevitable accidents and the consequential "traffic calming?" The result, lots of tax money spent, potential loss of life, less parking, annoyed residents and still a slow congested road.
Posted by Andrew Hall
Thursday, November 3, 2005
Oscar, it's quite plainly there in your link to the Highway code:
'217: DO NOT park your vehicle or trailer on the road where it would endanger, inconvenience or obstruct pedestrians or other road users'
I understand that nobody actually has a right to park on a public highway, and if you do so, it should be with due care for other road users. The fact that residents have not been ticketed is probably much more to do with lack of manpower on the part of the authorities than an exoneration of their parking habits
Had the residents of Keighley Road had regard for the Highway Code, there would have been no need for the authorities to propose changes.
The above picture shows a typical Sunday on the road. Taken from the top deck of a bus, it shows the gridlock that inconsiderate parking can cause.
Posted by Oscar
Thursday, November 3, 2005
Andrew,
As well as being subjective the article you quote is not a legal requirement. (Legal requirements use the words "must not " in red). I still can't find anything stating it's illegal to park on the road. On the Department of Transport website a page titled "How Parking is Managed" even states "there is no national law that bans parking cars and small vehicles on the pavement"!
I may be somewhat cynical here, but the nice man from Calderdale Council did say that the Hebden Royd Council have outsourced Hebden Bridge traffic management to them. In return for all the yellow lines, parking meters, reduced number of spaces and parking attendants, they will develop a new car park near the station for tourists and visitors. Meanwhile, I guess they get all the revenue from the meters and the tickets. Could this be the reason for increasing restrictions?
I still support traffic calming measures as seen in other congested areas such as Peckett Well and Oxenhope (now with new electronic speed indicator signs!)
As you've said yourself Andrew "There has to be give and take. That's the real Hebden Bridge way."
Posted by Andrew Hall
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Fair enough, Oscar, I take your point on the Highway Code.
Yes - I also accept what I said about 'give and take' being the Hebden Bridge way. However, I'm sure you'll agree that any 'give and take' has to be within the constraints laid down by the law.
This website clarifies aspects of the law which I think cover the situation on Keighley Road.
Basically, an offence is committed if you wilfully obstruct the free passage of a public highway. My experience of Keighley Road is that this is exactly what is happening.
Posted by Andy Wilson
Monday, November 14, 2005
Some of the residents who park on Keighley Road seem to be missing the point. Several times a year I see jams which take 20 minutes or more to clear. How many I don't see I don't know. Last year I pointed out yet again to a certain resident that her car was blocking the road..."You can get a car through there" she said. "Perhaps..but not a fire engine".
I doubt a month goes by without somebody who lives up Keighley Road needing an ambulance or fire engine pretty quick. I don't fancy dying because the ambulance was stuck in a jam down the road. One lady said to me "There were no yellow lines outside my house when I bought it". Yes, but when I first started driving up and down here, there was no problem, and the person who lived in her house didn't have a car. We need more yellow lines but we also need traffic calming.