Strict new rules to tackle a parking “free-for-all” in Heaton are finally set to come into force.
City council bosses have confirmed that they will paint double yellow lines at 75 locations across Heaton, including on the notorious Warwick Street.
Residents, bin collection teams, and bus drivers have long complained about being blocked by “obstructive parking” on the narrow Warwick Street - also posing a safety risk for local children walking to and from school.
Ouseburn ward councillor Gareth Kane said that action to stop Warwick Street being blocked was “long overdue”, with double yellow lines now be painted on the south side of the street between Newington Road and Stratford Road.
He added: "I am not sure why it has taken so long, but I am really pleased that it is moving forward.
“I get a lot of calls about this because the issue is not just about vehicles blocking the road, which is a major bus route, it is also blocking the quite narrow pavements. Clearing away those cars will benefit everybody.
“This is not just about parking. The free-for-all creates traffic congestion and, because a lot of it is around Hotspur Primary School, there is a major road safety and air quality issue as well.
“Having that amount of traffic and people hunting around for parking spaces means it is more than a ‘Can I park outside my house?’ issue. There is a much wider community issue.”
Despite controversial plans for a permit parking scheme in the Heaton area being scrapped in 2016, Coun Kane says he still thinks that is the best long-term option to resolve the traffic chaos.
He added: “This is just about the closest place to the city centre that doesn’t have parking permits, so people tend to drive here instead of paying to park in the city centre.
“I will be interested to see what this will do and then we will have to make a decision on going for permits again some time in the future.”
As well as lengths of double yellow lines on Warwick Street, Heaton Grove, Heaton Park View and Stratford Road, the council will also impose a three-hour parking limit outside the Ouseburn Community Centre.
A council spokesperson said: “We are introducing a number of restrictions to address road safety and general access issues caused by inconsiderate parking in the Heaton area.
"This includes no waiting at any time restrictions near some busy junctions in order to improve visibility and road safety, as well as ensuring essential services like refuse collection and buses can operate safely.
“We’re also introducing parking restrictions near Ouseburn Community Centre to better manage the parking facilities for short-term parking for their visitors.
“We ran a public consultation on this last June, and since then we have carefully considered the objections to the scheme to see where any amendments can be made, such as issues raised by a local nursery concerning drop offs which we are happy to further discuss with them.
“We believe that this scheme will improve the local area, making it safer and easier for people to get around their local streets.”
