CITY RESIDENTS will have a greater say on where double yellow lines are introduced across Worcester as part of a six-month pilot scheme by county highways chiefs, the Observer can reveal.
Worcestershire County Council is introducing the new scheme from Sunday in a bid to get residents and businesses who could be affected by the introduction of the measures more involved with the process.
Greater feedback will be encouraged between businesses and residents and county highways chiefs as part of the pilot which begins this weekend and will last until the end of January.
Should the scheme prove successful, highways chief Coun Alan Amos said it could be rolled out across Worcestershire to ensure all residents had a say where double yellow lines were introduced.
“At the moment, the arrangements for double yellow lines are public notices are put up on streetlights or similar prominent posts or in the local newspaper. I am well aware many people will not see these and so will probably not be aware of proposals for double yellow lines in their street,” he added.
“So we want a more extensive and meaningful consultation on all no waiting restrictions in all situations unless they are being introduced for safety reasons.
“This will give the public most affected – residencies and businesses – directly about the highway where the regulations are to be implemented and will be impacted by the TRO (Traffic Regulation Order) – enhanced notification by mail correspondence.”
Coun Amos said he hoped the move would encourage residents to make their voices heard on where double yellow lines should be introduced and would ensure Worcester businesses wouldn’t be adversely impacted by the introduction of any new measures.
“I’m well aware of the problems coming out of side roads where your line of sight is blocked by park cars and you have to edge out to ensure you aren’t causing an accident while all the time thinking about any traffic building up behind you,” he said.
“We want people to become involved because it will help us in the long run identify where we should be targeting our resources.
“At the end of the scheme, if it has improved public involvement and awareness we’ll decide if the scheme should be extended for longer and to other areas, or discontinued,” he added.
* What do you think? Are there areas you think need double yellow lines? E-mail [email protected] with your views
