Formby’s parking nightmare has forced the council to bring in new restrictions to keep the town’s roads safe.
Good weather regularly brings thousands of visitors to Formby’s beach, resulting in cars being parked on surrounding streets, grass verges and even residents’ driveways.
With concern that irresponsible parking is blocking access for emergency vehicles and limiting visibility for pedestrians, Sefton Council has said it will introduce new restrictions in four parts of the town to prevent cars waiting at any time.
The experimental orders will last for 18 months and are expected to come into force later this month.
Do you think the parking bans are a good thing? Let us know in the comments below
A Sefton Council spokesperson said: “We are very fortunate to have such a popular visitor attraction like Formby in Sefton, however we recognise the difficulties experienced by both residents and visitors on the busiest days, particularly in relation to anti-social and irresponsible parking.
“The council continues to work closely with stakeholders including the National Trust, local councillors and the police, to identify the best actions to improve the situation for all concerned.
“As part of our Coastal Visitor Action Plan for this summer, we are working with ward councillors to implement Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders (TTROs) where necessary to ensure safety for highway users at key locations such as junctions where parking restricts visibility and safe access and egress.”
The orders will ban parking at the following locations:
- The junction of Delph Lane and Wicks Lane;
- The roads around Wicks Green;
- The junction of Edenhurst Drive with Spruce Way and the spur off Edenhurst Drive between Kirklake Road and Spruce Way;
- The junction of Woodlands Road, Harington Road and Wicks Lane.
The council spokesperson added: “The measures are temporary for 18 months and during this time their effectiveness will be reviewed, and consideration given to making them permanent. This also means that residents will have the chance to feedback their thoughts on the measures.
“Sefton has great public transport links to our coast, as well as many walking and cycling routes, and we continue to encourage visitors to make the best use of these where possible when heading to Formby and our other coastal gateways.”
