Road verges improved
Around £30,000 is still available to protect grass road verges near homes in St Albans from being destroyed by parked cars.
St Albans City and District Council set aside £150,000 two years ago to deal with the problem in several badly-affected areas after complaints from some residents.
Major improvements have since been made and £30,000 remains in the budget to be spent on other streets.
The Council’s City Neighbourhoods Committee was given an update on the work at a meeting on Tuesday 9 December.
Committee members, including Councillors and representatives of residents’ associations and other community groups, were given the opportunity to submit requests for verge work.
Councillor Robert Donald, Chair of the Committee, said: “Councillors regularly receive complaints from residents about their grass verges being destroyed in many streets in the City Neighbourhoods Committee area.
“Damaged verges ruin the look of a street and spoil the quality of the whole environment for residents, particularly in the City. We have to find a better way of balancing the need for people to park their car and to protect the environment.
“It was very encouraging to hear about the work that has been done to restore damaged verges and the substantial improvements that have been made. It is very good news we can now repair a few more verges elsewhere in the City.
“However, we know we need different solutions in different areas and must try to help residents to park responsibly in their own road or we will just cause a new problem elsewhere.
“Around £30,000 still has to be allocated and we need to make sure this money is directed towards the places with the worst problems once all the requests have been assessed.”
The areas where work has been undertaken already are:
• Cottonmill Lane: additional parking spaces created by tarmacking or paving damaged verges, yellow lines at key locations;
• Holyrood Crescent: grasscrete - a concrete mesh - installed;
• Five Acres estate: hardening of verges, installation of a grasscrete, yellow lines at key locations; and
• New Greens estate: new layby, limited-waiting parking, double-height kerbs, and yellow lines.
One issue uncovered was illegal cross-overs where motorists regularly drive across a verge to get to a parking place.
Letters were sent to the residents involved, advising them to apply to Hertfordshire County Council for a legal crossover to be built.
A report to the Committee warned a blanket ban on parking on pavements and verges covering the City would be expensive to implement. It would also most likely result in a proliferation of unsightly street signage.
It is possible, though, for a ban in a particular street to be imposed through Traffic Regulation Orders. Applications can be made in writing to: parkingrestrictions@stalbans.gov.uk
Councillor contact:
Councillor Robert Donald, Chair of the City Neighbourhoods Committee for St Albans City and District Council.
Tel: 01727 841647. Email: Cllr.R.Donald@stalbans.gov.uk
Contact for the media:
John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, St Albans City District Council
Tel: 01727 296130
E-mail: john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk