Bath residents left with 'confusing' road markings

Residents of a street are complaining about confusing road markings outside their houses

Residents of a city street say they are frustrated after new road markings were painted outside their homes.

Denmark Road, Bath, is included in the new Oldfield Park and Westmoreland Residents Parking Zone which will come into effect from 31 July.

Locals say it now appears that parking bays extend across the end of people's driveways.

Councillor Manda Rigby said they had "explained how the markings work" to residents.

Changing the markings would mean a new traffic regulation order has to be secured by the council, a process which takes months and costs £4,500, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Locals also say that the parking bays on both sides do not leave enough space to drive down the street; a neighbouring free car park now costs over £500 a year, and some parking bays are curved, meaning cars cannot fit in them.

Mandy Moon has lived on the street for 36 years, and now is one of several people who now appear to have a parking bay across the end of her driveway.

Locals say that parking bays extend across the end of people's driveways

She said: "I'm worried I'm going to wake up and not be able to get out of my house."

The council has painted white "H bars" across the end of these driveways to tell people not to park there, but not everyone has been able to interpret them.

Ms Moon said that she had a neighbour tell her: "'I'm really confused, am I now allowed to park outside your house?'"

Ms Moon had tried to raise the issue in the council's consultation process.

She said: "We have done everything we can to highlight what was a problem at the beginning and it was totally ignored."

The council administration has defended the residents' parking zone plan and the road markings.

Manda Rigby, council cabinet member for transport, said: "We've been told by residents who have had parking zones installed, they are improving their streets.

"One of the issues which a zone tries to address is pavement parking particularly in narrow streets like Denmark Road.

"When enforcement starts residents in Denmark Road should see less pressure on spaces, however this, along with any other issue will be monitored in a rolling review of all RPZs in the city next year.

"Specifically with Denmark Road we have talked to residents and explained how the markings work."