Call for action over 'horrendous' parking in town

Regular collisions, "daily near misses" and major traffic blockages have been caused by drivers parking dangerously in a West Yorkshire town, local residents have said.

More than 1,400 people have so far signed a petition calling for more action against illegal parking in Batley, with some claiming they had been threatened when asking drivers to move their cars.

Mason Lockwood, from Batley, who set up the petition after a near-miss involving a young family member, said "more cameras and traffic wardens" were needed before someone was seriously hurt.

A spokesperson for Kirklees Council said its enforcement officers continued to target problem areas "enforcing parking and traffic regulations".

They added there were plans to make the streets of the town "more pedestrian-friendly".

Lockwood said he had launched his petition earlier this year demanding Kirklees Council increase parking enforcement after an incident in which his four-year-old niece was almost harmed.

The cleaning business owner said he was driving with his four-year-old niece in the car when he turned into a tight junction. He said there was a car parked on "a really blind corner, on double yellows" and he had to slam on his brakes.

"If I had not seen the car, someone could have been seriously injured. I felt really shaken up by it," Lockwood explained.

More parking enforcement was required because there was "no incentive for people to actually park properly and not cause issues for other people", he added.

"Batley used to be a really lovely place, but now no-one seems to care about the town centre. It has got worse and worse over the last five years."

Lockwood's petition calls for urgency from Kirklees Council on the issue, stating: "It's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt."

Caroline Moore, the owner of The Flower Shop in Batley, is one of the signatories to Lockwood's petition.

Moore said her florist's was situated next to another "blind corner" and double yellow lines had been painted along that entire section of the street.

But, despite the presence of "free parking a few yards around the corner", Moore said cars would be parked illegally "all day, every day".

"I have seen crashes directly outside the shop because of the way people have parked," she said.

"There are near-misses almost on a daily basis. There is no let-up," she added.

Pointing out to the street where a car was parked on double yellow lines in front of the shop, Moore said the vehicle had been there for some hours and this was a common sight.

She said that vehicles parked in that position made "the whole town come to a standstill" as buses leaving the nearby bus station could not get through.

Employees at two other businesses along the same street, who did not want to be named, agreed with Moore and said these large traffic jams happened on a daily basis.

Suzan Sykes said she used to visit Batley town centre often, but it was now "scary" due to the parking situation.

"I have had somebody drive up on the pavement, and if I had not jumped back he would have hit me," she said.

"Everywhere we go, there are cars on the street. My neighbours cannot get their prams past and they are having to walk on the main road."

Sykes was sceptical Kirklees Council would take the action she thought was necessary to make Batley safe to walk around, especially for "vulnerable" pedestrians like herself.

Isobel Townend, one of the owners of Batley retail site Heeleys and another petition signatory, claimed she was one of many people who had been threatened multiple times after urging drivers to park legally.

"It is absolutely horrendous at the moment. If people challenge drivers, they get abuse, they get aggression. It is just not on," Townend said.

Other residents and business owners in Batley, who did not want to be named, said they had faced similar threats.

David Shepherd, executive director for place at Kirklees Council, said he wanted to "thank the community for their engagement on the issue".

Shepherd said the council would "continue to monitor the petition".

"Road safety is a key priority and enforcement officers continue to target problem areas, enforcing parking and traffic regulations," he explained.

Meanwhile, Shepherd also pointed out what was known as The Batley Blueprint, a series of town centre improvements which he said was "making the streets more pedestrian-friendly".

"These enhancements will make the area safer overall and help reduce problem parking across the town centre," he said.

West Yorkshire Police has been approached for comment.

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