A local councillor has put forward a proposal to resolve ongoing parking issues
The churned up grass verge on Gorsey Lane in Litherland
People in one part of Merseyside are calling for a major change to a road in Litherland, after ongoing complaints about parking in the area. A local councillor is proposing to have Gorsey Lane’s verges tarmacked after reports of delivery vans getting stuck in the mud and people falling over in puddles.
The Liverpool ECHO understands the number of cars using the grass verges on Gorsey Lane has increased over the last few years, and parking spaces have become more and more limited. There have been complaints Sefton Council has not maintained the verges which have become muddy and clogged when it rains, especially when cars or delivery trucks park up.
The ECHO was also told delivery vans frequently get stuck in the mud and a recent incident resulted in on truck being towed out from the verges. Additionally, residents have also reported slipping over on the mud and falling over in puddles.
Residents says the muddy verges become waterlogged when it rains
Gorsey Lane is similar to the adjoining Fleetwoods Lane inasmuch as it has an extended space between the boundary of the houses and the road. However, on Fleetwoods Lane, this space is entirely made up of tarmac whereas on Gorsey Lane, the space is a mixture of pavement and grass verge.
Sefton councillor Joe Johnson is the elected member for St Oswald ward, and said he has contacted the council to find a resolution, posting on his Facebook page, he wrote: “I’ve once again written to Sefton Council to push for a proper resolution to the verge and parking issues on Gorsey Lane (opposite the Aldi).
“I know how frustrating it is for residents who are having to park on the muddy, uneven and often dangerous area near their homes — and how often vehicles end up getting stuck.
“I’ve asked whether the area can be replaced with tarmac and gullies, similar to the improvements made on Fleetwoods Lane. I’ve raised this before, and I’ll keep raising it until the problem is sorted for our community.”
Responding to the post, several local residents appeared to support the proposal. Colin Grimes commented: “Something needs to be done as not only the grassy areas like a moonscape, there are also Utility Pipes and cables exposed too.” Brenda Bowles added: “It’s supposed to be a green not a car park.”
Cars parked on the grass verge on Gorsey Lane
Cllr Johnson’s post was also shared to a local Facebook group, which prompted more comments, including one written by Paul Irving: “If people need to park there it would be much better if it was tarmac instead. Further down past the cemetery people are still parking on the grass despite the landlord recently sending a letter out about it, but down here they don’t need to do it they are just being lazy and inconsiderate.”
Other responses outright supported the idea of tarmacking the pedestrian spaces on Gorsey Lane, while others suggested a survey would be helpful to ascertain the number of viable car parking spaces, as a way of preserving some of the grass verges and maintain some green spaces.
After contacting Sefton Council, the ECHO was told the local authority is aware of the issues on Gorsey Lane and is currently assessing all options.
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