A long, heavy goods vehicle found itself unable to turn up Hilders Cliff, Rye, on Tuesday and came to a halt at the Landgate arch, writes Tony Nunn.
Its size was not the issue, but a 4×4 parked on double yellow lines at the top of Tower Street, which narrowed the angle for the lorry driver. The HGV driver stopped and took advice from his office before two pedestrians helped him reverse back into Tower Street, a manoeuvre he managed with a lot of skill.
Traffic was building up fast and it looked as if the jam, just before 4pm, would cause serious disruption. Thanks to the driver, it didn’t.
The incident once again highlighted the fragility of traffic flow when vehicles park close to junctions. A similar situation prevented fire engines from getting to a potential fire in Watchbell in August. That situation caused debate at Rye council and saw the intervention of the local MP, which in turn has seen a police blitz on illegal parking in Rye.
Photos: Tony Nunn