Dear Sir,
I refer to the Notice in the Newton News re: the proposed Yellow Lines for Aycliffe Village.
Parking is not generally a problem for village residents. It only becomes a problem at school drop-off and pick-up times. There is insufficient road-width for parking both sides (even with two wheels on the pavement) and the whole length of one side of the road is insufficient to allow residents to park on the road side with sufficient space left for those on the ‘school run’.
Unfortunately, the lack of parking space means that parents are parking well away from the school and their stay is extended by the fact that they have to walk a greater distance to and from the school to get ‘handover’ of children in the school grounds.
I fear that the proposed scheme will have to be extended to both sides of Little Lane, Murton Close and most of Atkinson Gardens as parents will still have to park to drop-off and pick-up their children. In the case of Murton Close, the road is two narrow to allow parking on one side and still allow access for emergency vehicles and refuse collections.
The solution is not the proposed Yellow Lines. They will only increase the chaos as parents parking further and further from the school will be parked up longer. The only workable solution is to reduce the chaos at school times by making it compulsory for all, out of the village, children to be ‘bussed’ to and from school.
If the proposed Yellow Lines are installed I fear that the new restrictions imposed will require constant enforcement. Are DCC and the Police going to allocate sufficient resources?
A few years ago the then Chairman of the Aycliffe Village Hall Association discussed with a Labour County Councillor the possibility of the Council replacing some steps with a ramp to allow access to space behind the Village Hall for school drop-off and picking up. With space available that could take approximately 12 cars and with an existing gate through to the school grounds, this proposal would help alleviate the current problems. Perhaps our current Councillors may want to re-consider this proposal.
Alastair P.G. Welsh