Lack of parking at Castle Cary station 'making main road unsafe'

Lack of parking spaces at Castle Cary station is forcing drivers to park on the pavement, locals say

People living close to Castle Cary train station say inconsiderate parking by rail commuters is making a nearby busy road unsafe.

Residents of the Somerset town say insufficient space in the station's car park is prompting drivers to park on the pavement and verges.

Locals have reported being forced to walk down the middle of the A371 because the footpath is blocked.

Train operator GWR said it is spending £3m on a new car park.

'Near misses'

The A371 has seen four deaths in the last seven months.

One woman told BBC Radio Somerset the volume of cars parked outside the station often forces drivers onto the wrong side of the road.

She said she had witnessed "a number of near misses".

Barry O'Leary, deputy leader of Mendip District Council, said many of the spaces in the car park were blocked by storage units and temporary fencing.

He said an immediate short-term solution would be to open up the overflow car park used during Glastonbury Festival.

GWR says a new car park is set to open at Castle Cary "in a matter of months"

"People are getting frustrated and people are getting concerned about safety," he said.

The councillor said Somerset Council, which is due to replace Somerset West and Taunton, South Somerset, Mendip, and Sedgemoor councils from April, has committed to putting double yellow lines in place.

'Making progress'

James Davies, of GWR, said the rail operator was "very conscious" of the need for more parking at Castle Cary.

He said GWR had spent £3m buying land for a new carpark and an access road over the past few years.

"I think we ourselves are frustrated at the amount of time it has taken, but we are making progress and the car park will open in a matter of months," he said.

Somerset Highways said: "We will be working with GWR regarding the construction of the lane to the land to the new car park.

"We will continue to liaise with the police and the town council to assess whether the enforcement measures are sufficient, and in the meantime if people spot cars causing an obstruction they should report this to the police."