Residents at flats in Cliftonville are demanding the reinstatement of yellow lines outside their car park entrance amid claims of ‘frequent fighting in the street’ over blocked access.
The road restriction had stopped people parking outside the Haven car park but pleas to repaint the lines have been rejected after Thanet council said the lines have never been officially approved.
Athelstan Road Tenants and Residents Association says it first requested a repainting of the lines in February and had been told Thanet council would repaint until it came to light that there was no record of the 3m stretch being ‘adopted.’
As the lines have gradually worn away ARTRA say there are daily scenes of disturbance due to residents’ vehicles being trapped in the car park when others park over the entrance.
A spokesperson said: “This results in violent scenes, including verbal aggression and apparently physical violence between Haven residents and those who park across the entranceway, trapping dozens of tenants and residents vehicles inside the car park – which has recently had its ‘Keep Clear’ car park in use 24 hours, signage.
“Most recently, a police officer managed to track down the owner of a car parked across the car park entranceway to their home and found the driver drunk, so the driver gave the police officer the car keys, enabling numerous Haven residents to drive to work!
Scenes like this are a daily occurrence.”
Jane Manners has been living in the Haven for 34 years – since 1986 – and says there always having been double yellow lines outside the entrance to the Haven Car Park – the full width of all 5 houses that make up the Haven block.
But these have not been renewed over the years and only scraps of the double yellow lines are still visible.
The ARTRA spokesperson said: “Thanet council had apparently acknowledged the error and were just about to reinstate the existing double yellow lines when an officer was unable to find the formal paperwork that classified this very long-standing 3m stretch of double yellow lines as ‘adopted’ – the legal definition required.
“Whether this is a clerical error on TDC’s part – a lost file – or whether TDC originally painted the car park entranceway in error, approximately 40 years ago, is not known, so Cllr Alan Currie is in the process of establishing the situation from the Haven management company with a view to applying for the formal paperwork to be created, establishing the entranceway as adopted, so TDC’s planned reinstatement of these double yellow lines can be undertaken.”
Thanet council says the yellow lines aren’t official and are not part of any traffic regulation order.
Advice has been given to consider applying for a dog-bone installation -white line with two short ends – to deter inconsiderate or obstructive parking.
ARTRA, with support from Cllr Currie and county councillor Barry Lewis, says it hopes to be given a timescale for the car park entrance way being formally adopted by the council and “an end to frequent fighting in the street and tenants’ dependence on police to access the public highway.”
