It is often difficult to determine who has parked badly or illegally, but if the culprits might be hotel guests then perhaps it’s time for the Town Council to produce a parking flyer that hoteliers can hand out to guests on check-in.
Yesterday evening (Wednesday September 13) we arrived back in Rye at about 6pm to find a large saloon parked on Mermaid Street outside the Mermaid Inn. It was a squeeze to get the car past it, even by driving well up onto the opposite pavement. No emergency vehicle would have made it. Accordingly I reported the car to the police (note- the 101 line has a queue of 10 minutes or more) but the following morning it was still there. It may have been a coincidence, as I have no idea whether the owner was a Mermaid Inn guest, but within half an hour of my asking at reception it had been moved.
Residents are reasonably good at avoiding obstructive if not illegal parking, but obstructing the only easy access for a fire engine is frankly unforgivable.
Photo: Andrew Bamji
What Rye needs, dare I say it, is parking wardens. Never mind the “access only” roads like Mermaid Street, double yellow lines all over town seem to have no meaning because, I suspect, they have not been enforced in years. No point in having rules if there’s no enforcement! But parking is not a police job.
Why are Rye people so obsessed about a bit of parking? I spend much of the year in France and they are much more relaxed about such things. Find something more important to worry about
It is now over a year since I retired as Rye Town’s PCSO and I forget how many years since our last Traffic warden, the excellent Robin Warner, left that post.
Still the problem of parking simmers away and nothing concrete seems to have been done, although I gather that Sussex Police are being more proactive than previously. How much longer they can devote time to the problem, given the current overall situation of finance, manpower and terrorism remains to be seen.
I was recently in Thetford, Norfolk. I was surprised to find numerous public car parks, free to use, plenty of them and no time restrictions. There is a large pedestrianised area and I saw only one empty shop. Double yellow lines were much in evidence but I saw no illegal parking. An on line enquiry revealed that Council tax in the town is slightly lower than I pay.
Overall a clean, busy, well maintained town. Anyone care to find out how they do it?
In reply to the comment from John, I would explain that some of us can cope with more than one issue at a time and concerns about parking violations in Mermaid Street are not at the expense of more serious matters. If John had read the article more closely he would note that there are denial of access issues which I do not regard as trivial.
Many years ago I lived on Mermaid Street and have parked a largish car immediately outside the property but with ample room for another vehicle to pass. At that time the town had an exceptionally effective Traffic Warden, Robin Warner, who always used his discretion wisely in allowing a reasonable period before moving drivers on. I never saw him book anyone, but my word he kept the traffic moving.
It’s difficult to understand why it would appear that Robin hasn’t been replaced.
The car pictured leaves me despairing that any driver could be so reckless and mindless parking overnight with no access for emergency services. I’m puzzled why the Hotel didn’t ask the driver to find a spot elsewhere.
In reply to Michael Smith’s comment. Robin Warner did indeed keep the traffic moving and he issued many fixed penalty tickets when necessary. Robin knew the locals and the locals knew him. He was treated with respect and he had an encyclopedic knowledge of the waiting regulations. He told me that “Tickets don’t move cars” which is quite true.
It is also more cost effective to trace a driver and advise them to move, the reason being that it may cost the police force much money to process a fixed penalty ticket however the fine eventually paid by the driver goes direct to the treasury.