Bexhill parking is good in places

From: Simon Read, Woodville Road, Bexhill-on-Sea
Parking meters in Bexhill.
Marina SUS-200929-091934001Parking meters in Bexhill.
Marina SUS-200929-091934001
Parking meters in Bexhill. Marina SUS-200929-091934001

Huw Merriman MP welcomed the recently introduced parking scheme in Rother last week (Observer 23 October 2020). While I agree that something needed to be done particularly in central Bexhill, my assessment after nearly 4 weeks of the scheme is that it is more like the Curate’s Egg – good in parts.

Regrettably and to the great disappointment of many living on the western side of central Bexhill it seems clear that the scheme has fallen short in its planning.

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There appears to have been no thought given to where those who work in the town centre and who drive to work can park their cars in places that don’t cause congestion in roads just outside the parking zones. Similar short-sightedness in planning the scheme is also evident when taking account of users to the museum and for parents and their children wishing to use Edgerton Park and (particularly on Saturday afternoons) at the Polegrove when football matches are being played.

Since the start of the parking scheme a number of roads including Woodville Road, Richmond Road and Brockley Road are now congested during every day by vehicles parked continuously from around 9 am until around 5.30 pm. Previously there was sufficient empty space in these roads for short term parking, with a turn-over of different visitors during the day wishing to enjoy the Park, the Polegrove and the museum

More seriously in Woodville Road there are a number of properties, (mainly flats) with no off-road parking where residents now find it difficult or occasionally impossible to park in the road near their homes. Some of these people are over retirement age or are disabled and have difficulty carrying the weekly shopping from the cars to their front doors.

One of my neighbours is now afraid to drive her car to the supermarket because she is worried that when she returns she will be unable to park anywhere near her front door to unload her shopping.

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These issues were anticipated by those now affected in this way and a petition was submitted to the County Council during the consultation stage in November 2018/January 2019 with copies to our local County Councillor Cllr. Simon Elford and the (then) RDC councillors Hughes and Azad. Our views were dismissed by County Council officers, with only the promise that the scheme once implemented would be reviewed 12 months later.

It is the view of many in Woodville Road that it is unacceptable to wait for 12 months before the County Council undertakes a review. The streets around the edge of the central and western parking zones will be chaos especially once the spring and summer visitors return next year. I would urge all those who are affected by the new parking arrangements to write to Cllr Keith Glazier Leader of the County Council Council ([email protected]), to our local ESCC Councillor Simon Elford ([email protected] and Robert Clubb – Director of Communities, Economy and Transport – ESCC email: [email protected] explaining the issues that have arisen since the scheme started earlier in October and that were anticipated in the petition submitted by residents in January 2019 in response to the November 2018 County Council consultation on the parking scheme proposals.

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