I’d like to know if action is going to be taken to stop and/or fine the owners of vehicles that are constantly parked on the pavement on Winsover Road near the Station Street junction.
All times of day or night they park outside Chilli Masters and on the opposite side of the road outside the Polish shop next to the Post Office. This is probably the busiest and most congested part of the town centre and it annoys me that they are allowed to get away with putting other road users and pedestrians at risk.
I’d also like to see action being taken to stop cyclists weaving around pedestrians on the pavements on Winsover Road.
Patrick Wensor, Mansell Close, Spalding
- Insp Reeves’s reply includes a response to a letter by Spalding resident John Tippler published in The Voice on October 8. He asked what the local police’s policy is for dealing with the less serious transgressions by car drivers and cyclists.
INSP REEVES SAYS: Thank you for raising your concerns and questions about parking issues and cycling.
I will attempt to deal with them both together as they are inherently linked in terms of road traffic legislation. Both of these subjects are raised with us regularly and often feature as Neighbourhood Panel Priorities for the policing teams, particularly in the town centre.
In respect of parking issues on Winsover Road, work has been done with local businesses in an attempt to educate drivers and prevent them from parking in this manner. There are offences which can be dealt with in respect of double yellow lines and causing an obstruction, however there is only a finite time officers can spend enforcing this issue. In order to enforce traffic matters officers have to be in uniform and, at those times, we do find fewer infringements are committed.
Double yellow line offences are enforced by South Holland District Council officers and they are also aware of the issue in this area. Education and consideration of all road users are the key requirements to ensure that these offences are not committed at all times, not simply when police are present.
The same is true in relation to Mr Tippler’s concerns and I can assure you that the situation is not simply ignored, nor do we accept breaches of the law in these areas.
However, as is rightly observed we simply cannot have officers everywhere all of the time and have to prioritise more serious criminal offences and responding to incidents reported by members of the public.
As such, until such time that the public have respect for the road traffic laws that are in existence for their own safety, and that of others, we will never be able to prosecute all breaches but will continue to do so when we encounter them.
- Got a question for Insp Reeves? Email [email protected] with the subject line ‘Ask Jo’ or write to Ask Jo, The Spalding and South Holland Voice, Units 1&2, 14-16 Winsover Road, Spalding PE11 1EJ
