20 April 2016
The full Wareham Town Council meeting this week was attended by several residents who spoke about the need for something to be done about Wareham's traffic-clogged streets. Resident Mary Bridger has done a huge amount of work door-to-door and handed in a petition signed by 200 local folk.
SEDGP member Phil Christopher made the following statement.
My name is Phil Christopher and I am a representative of The Green Party in Wareham. We support a neighbourhood parking scheme for roads in Wareham that need it. We would also welcome measures to make Wareham more friendly to pedestrians and cyclists.
The Green Party takes a holistic view of street use. Too many streets have been taken over by motor vehicles, and too little is left for residents' outdoor circulation and living space. These streets have become more dangerous for residents and vulnerable road users than they used to be. There is more traffic, and much of it moves too fast, at speeds that in an accident may kill or seriously injure pedestrians and cyclists in particular.
"In residential streets, we suggest priority should be given to residents, particularly in its use as part of their outdoor living space. Residents should be involved from the outset in the redesigning of these, and a far greater percentage of the funding of roads should be diverted to these works.
As a use of valuable road space, car parking should become subject more generally to charging. The Green Party supports the widespread introduction of neighbourhood parking schemes (controlled parking zones) that entail residents being charged for on-street parking, and would set guidelines to reduce on-street parking where it endangers pedestrians and cyclists. In non-residential sections of urban areas on-street parking should be subject to metering.
I first raised this issue of a parking scheme with DCC 10 years ago and, at my request, WTC kindly put the idea to DCC four or five years ago, where Mr Burt did some brief - and in my opinion flawed - calculations from looking at a map. He did, however, offer a metered parking solution that the WTC committee was against agreeing to.
None of this was the consultation and engagement with Wareham’s residents that I was hoping for and I think we deserve. The problem, of course, has got worse rather than better, so I sincerely hope you might refer the matter to DCC again and push for residents to be able to have their say."
Mayor Dina Adkins, and some other councillors, seemed very concerned and keen to address the issue, and at Dina's request councillors are forming a working group to look into the issue, gain knowledge, and report back at the next meeting.
