The parking scheme is due to go live on February 2nd.
Here is the statement we have received from Paul van de Bulk at the GCP summarising the advice provided by Gary Baldwin at the Policy and Regulation team at the County Council.
“So in summary, where there is a formal dropped kerb, residents (or their guests) would not be breaking the law if they crossed a double yellow line to drive over this dropped kerb to access the driveway to park.
However, they would be breaking the law if they crossed the footpath in a vehicle to access a driveway, where there is not a formalised dropped kerb, regardless of whether there are double yellow lines or not.”
Although we asked both the GCP and the CCC to indicate which regulations governed this, neither have done so.
Gary Baldwin has told us that this is simply standard practice in our Highways Authority (the County Council) as it is in others in England .
In other words, if you have a dropped kerb, you can park in your driveway or front garden even if there is a double line outside your house.
If you don’t have a dropped kerb, you may not continue to park in your front garden – even if you have been doing so “for the past 39 years” as one of you have told us they have been doing.
IN ADDITION ….
We met James Hostler, the GCP’s project manager for installing the parking scheme, when he and Paul van de Bulk joined us on site last week.
In practice, James said, it is crossing the undropped kerb which is illegal regardless of whether there are double yellow lines or not.
And Paul warned us that he was aware of an instance where a householder was fined £1,000 for doing so.
But he didn’t provide us with details about this example.
If you don’t have dropped kerb and park in your front garden, you need to heed this warning.
AND …
Previously, we had been told that the County Council would “assist” any residents who park in their front gardens but don’t have a dropped kerb.
On the site visit last week, we asked James Hostler what form this assistance would take.
Disappointedly, he said that the County Council would simply direct such residents to its web page about how to apply for a dropped kerb and nothing more.
ARERA Committee