Swanmore TRO Updates

Update 1 – 23 May 2016 – Parish Council

Several of us took the opportunity to talk to the parish councillors who were holding an on open surgery outside the primary school on Saturday morning (21 May 2016).

Key points:

1/ The council have only just, like us, seen the final proposal and have not yet met to discuss whether to support it or not.

2/ Several of the councillors indicated they were in favour of the white ‘School Keep Clear’ lines, and perhaps some restrictions at some of the junctions in the village. Outside of these items there seemed little support.

3/ They pointed out that this was being driven by Winchester City Council (Frank Pearson), not by them.

4/ They are looking at extending the car park.

As I had been told in no uncertain terms that they supported the proposals this was a useful discussion.

Update 2 – 23 May 2016 – Frank Pearson

Frank replied to a Facebook posting. You should be able to see it and all the other comments HERE please read it there if possible.

Some interesting points extracted:

From Frank Pearson:
 
Couple of points of accuracy Mark.

First – I have asked the Parish Council to apply to the HCC to extend the car park.
Second – parents will be permitted to pick up, and drop of children outside the school. They may not park especially on corners, across entrances, and opposite junctions.
Third – walking children to school is part of an HCC Health initiative and is part of the school travel plan.
Fourth – I have been talking about this for more than four years and the requests are usually spoken, and thus would not be registered by an FI request.
 
 My response was:
 
1/ Great to hear that you have suggested extending the car park. So why continue with the TRO proposal until this has been actioned?
2/ While kiss and drop works in the morning this, as you have said, doesn’t work in the afternoon.
3/ I think you have again missed the point on walking to school – 200 children do not live in Swanmore!
4/ If nobody was that concerned that they didn’t complain officially then that is significant. Decisions should be based on facts with data.
 
There were several other very interesting comments, including these from a retired police officer:
 
Frank, I was a Police Officer for 33 years, it is an offence to cause an obstruction and a seperate offence to park within the zig zag zone outside a school. These offences are committed daily outside Swanmore School. There are also a whole range of offences relating to hours of darkness. During the Winter months school times sometimes fall within these hours. Whilst i admire your commitment existing breaches of the law are ignored as would any double yellow lines. As an aside thank you for taking the time to engeage.
 

I would also point out that experience repeatedly shows that the use of yellow lines, where they are enforced, simply moves the problem elsewhere. They solve nothing, Only the carefully considered introduction of free authorised parking spaces, where they are required, alleviates the situation. This is where our Local Authorities have failed and ultimately brought about the demise of town and city centres to the benefit of the ‘Malls’ as our friends across the pond call them.

No need to be sorry Frank and none of this is personal just a suggestion that you have the legislation to tackle the problem already and you don’t need yellow lines. Without getting too political if the Home Secretary had not decimated the Police numbers then tasking an officer on a regular basis would soon solve your problem without having to invest in other methods.