People warn drivers are flouting parking rules around the busy shopping street
Cars park on pavements on busy Rose Lane. (Image: Liverpool ECHO)
People living around the busy Rose Lane area in Mossley Hill fear “lives will be lost” if the “nightmare” parking situation continues. Some have said drivers are flouting parking rules around the busy shopping street, with cars left parked on double yellows, on pavements and on zigzags that protect the pedestrian crossing.
All these infractions were witnessed by the ECHO during a visit on Tuesday, November 11, with residents telling tales of junctions made blind by illegally parked cars and fire engines unable to pass narrow streets. Dave Jackson told the ECHO: “All day every day parking restrictions are being ignored.
“People park on double yellows, pavements and even zig zags. And I do mean all day every day. I am absolutely certain, if nothing is done about this, lives will sooner or later he lost.”
The area has seen growing popularity in recent years, with several new cafés opening up and rail links to both Liverpool city centre and Manchester. Archie MacMichael, an apprentice at Traditions Barber Shop, said: “It’s an absolute nightmare. I always try to park on Bridge Road, but it’s a one-way and its narrow.
The 19-year-old added: “Rose Lane can be quite dangerous at times. You get a lot of nice cars, BMWs and Audis, parked on pavements.”
Left to right: Anna Gray, 31, Laetia Ogungboro, 22, Lauren Jordan, 21, all of whom work at Muse café on Rose Lane. (Image: Liverpool ECHO)
Colin Rigby, 54, has lived on neighbouring Pitville Avenue for most of his life. Rows of cars are parked bumper-to-bumper as far as could be seen from Rose Lane when the ECHO visited. Colin said: “We’ve had to put a driveway in because we couldn’t park.
“The lady next door passed away and people started parking across the end of her drive because they could see that the house was empty. Traffic wardens do come around, but very rarely. We need more traffic wardens and 20mph speed limits.”
Liverpool City Council said it has hired 37 additional parking enforcement officers, and has plans to hire 25 more, adding that traffic wardens are deployed across the city and will ticket any vehicle found to be breaching the rules.
New flats are being built on Rose Lane, with 18 apartments across three buildings. Colin said he worries the arrival of new residents will exacerbate the parking problem. He said: “God knows what will happen when it’s finished.”
Cars parked on Pitville Avenue at the junction with Rose Lane. (Image: Liverpool ECHO)
Maureen Wooding, 65, Jen Bradley, 51, and Phil Andrew, 59, work at the Rose of Mossley pub. Maureen said: “Rose Lane is really bad for parking. We’re losing custom because people can’t park on the road and are using our car park. Almost every day, people park across the barrel-drop, and sometimes we’ve had deliveries drive away.”
Jen told the ECHO: “Sometimes you fear for your life trying to cross the road. It’s bedlam. Cars go too fast over the bridge. And if you’re driving, sometimes you can’t see when pulling out of the side roads because there are cars parked on the pavements.
“Public transport is great here. We have the trains, and buses are good. Apart from parking, it’s a great place to live. My partner is a firefighter, and she often has trouble getting the fire engine around here
A car parked on a pavement by a bus stop on Rose Lane. (Image: Liverpool ECHO)
Jen added firefighters once had to come into the pub and ask customers to move cars parked on narrow, one-way Bridge Road after the fire engine was unable to get through.
Speaking to the ECHO, Phil said: “They need to repaint all the double yellow lines, and it needs to be 20mph all the way along this stretch of Rose Lane.”
Wayne Fogg, 51, works at Pro Light & Sound, an audio equipment shop on the other side of the railway bridge. He said: “A lot of people park around here to use the train station, and customers sometimes can’t find a space. It’s got a lot busier with the cafés opening.
“The only thing that could be done is to introduce permits. Local residents should be able to park close to their properties, and permitted parking would be greatly beneficial for them.”
Sam Carter, 22, is a barber at Attitude on Rose Lane. Of parking around Rose Lane, he said: “It’s a nightmare. It’s hard to park anywhere around here.
“Everyone parks on the zig-zags, and quite a lot of people get tickets. There are yellow lines everywhere. With the new flats going up, there’s going to be absolutely nowhere to park. It’ll be ten times worse.
“It’s ridiculous how many bus stops we have around here. If we didn’t have the one outside here, that would free-up some space.”
Laetia Ogungboro, 22, works at Muse café. She said: “It’s a big issue. It’s completely congested around here by 8am, and there’s no parking left.”
Anna Gray, 31, owner of Muse café said: “It’s hard for everyone, and we need more parking. It’s impacting our customers, who are having to park further away and walk up. That’s going to put people off as it gets colder.”
A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: “Tackling inconsiderate parking is a priority which is why we’ve recently hired 37 additional enforcement officers with plans for 25 more. They are deployed across the city and any vehicle found to be breaching parking rules may be issued a fine.”
Want to have your say on your area? Contact jonathan.blackburn@reachplc.com