There were calls for action before a tragedy occurs
Wirral Council has taken action to try and address parking issues on Arrowe Brook Road(Image: Copyright Unknown)
People have said they feel trapped on a Merseyside estate due to a “dangerous” parking problem that is only getting worse. Labour councillor Mark Skillicorn asked Wirral Council to take action “before it leads to tragedy”.
Following a unanimous decision by councillors at an environment and transport committee, the local authority has banned parking along the north side of Arrowe Boork Road in Wirral. The no waiting at any time restrictions will be introduced after safety concerns were raised by the public, businesses, and councillors in the area.
However 50 objections had been recieved over the plans from parents who park along the road to watch their daughters play football on nearby pitches. Council officers said they had tried to find a compromise keeping the south side of the road available for parking but help relieve the gridlock issues in the area.
Used by Wirral and Cheshire’s girls’ football leagues, over 200 girls play every weekend in up to 36 matches across 12 pitches. Photos seen by the ECHO show long queues of traffic and cars parked on grass verges and pavements.
Cllr Skillicorn told the ECHO there had recently been a 20 minute stand off meaning people could not leave a nearby estate for over half an hour.
The Greasby councillor said he’d knocked on every door of the 127 homes on Arrowe Brook Park Estate and found total support for the new restrictions as well as numerous complaints. He said businesses on nearby industrial estates were struggling to operate due to blocked entrances and some were unable to open at times.
He said people had made it clear the current situation “has become intolerable and is worsening,” adding this had to be a priority “not the inconvenience of those parking irresponsibly”.
Cllr Skillicorn told councillors there had even been confrontations between motorists and people “have been trapped in their own estate raising serious concerns about access for emergency vehicles”. He said the issues “must be addressed before it leads to tragedy”.
Despite the concerns, he asked councillors to also try and find a solution to the problems in order to support parents trying to park in the area.
Restrictions will be introduced on the north side of Arrowe Brook Road.(Image: Copyright Unknown)
During the debate, councillors pressed for a solution asking for officers to encourage talks between football associations and the owners of two nearby industrial estates. This is not a responsibility of the council but officers said they would try, adding the sport had been “a victim of its own success”.
Greasby Green Cllr Gail Jenkinson said she welcomed the restrictions, adding she goes to a gym in the area and “getting there at the weekend is pretty awful”, but added: “The last thing I want to do it discourage the girls and their families from cheering them on.”
Labour Cllr Liz Grey, who chairs the committee, said she supported the restrictions with a heavy heart because of the sport’s success but it was “a problematic and very dangerous situation we are facing”.
She pointed out emergency vehicles would not be able to get through if the road was blocked, potentially endangering people in the wider area of Greasby.
Conservative Cllr Jenny Johnson said the growth of women’s football was commendable and fantastic and wanted to see a solution to the parking issues before the restrictions were introduced as it was a really tough area for parking.