The following pictures in from Iain who highlights one of the problem areas of the High street. Iain told the Gurn: " Motorists regularly park in this loading bay and make it impossible for lorries and vans to get access to unload. I saw one van driver the other day photographing the offending vehicle. I think he reports them. I have to admit that I am surprised just how many deliveries are made throughout the day on the High St."
A case of no traffic wardens and some folk will park wherever they can. No fun if you're that truck driver trying to make a delivery. I've even seen people move the traffic cones that some shops put out so they can park their cars in the loading bays
ReplyDelete@ anon = we need photographic evidence for that :-)
ReplyDeleteSolution: double yellow lines in loading bays?
ReplyDelete'Double yellow lines in loading bays' genius!
ReplyDeleteThat would make it illegal for any vehicle to park there including those that can do so now to unload their goods
mmmm,looks like we need one of Gurnshire's many Highway Code experts to giver a professional opinon here.
ReplyDeleteIt's much easier going up the street on a bicycle I have to admit.
The delivery of goods by HGVs is not a new phenomenon on Nairn High Street. However, the conflict between shop deliveries and customer/staff parking has been heightened by the changes to the High Street. The design has brought about a net-deficit in parking and increased the difficulties for shops receiving goods. Boots and Semi-Chem have to get their goods wheeled along from Cawdor Street (was that the design). All of this causes tension between the various road users including pedestrians (older, younger and disabled).
ReplyDeleteI am not sure that the status of the loading bays is anything more than some white paint on the road. The economic vitality of the High Street will rely on finding a middle ground solution so that the shops have access for goods, customers and staff.
I agree Anon, the Streetscape design took away too many parking spaces. People did give warnings but were ignored. The experts of course know better than the punters.
ReplyDeleteThe Streetscape design took away maybe 10 parking spaces at most, and I think I'm being generous with that figure
ReplyDeleteAre people really so dense that they need more than marked parking restrictions to stop them parking where they shouldn't, sadly the answer seems to be yes
Cllr Marsden for some bizarre reason wants a full time traffic warden in Nairn who offers warnings rather than tickets
Some shop keepers are feart that parking restrictions will see further decline in High Street trade, and yet the actual parking bays on the street equal a fraction of the parking offered by the car parks behind the High Street
But, there is no getting away from the fact that Nairn has a certain fixed physical size, and with further housing, parking can't really be increased by very much to accommodate the undoubted extra vehicles.
There is the possibility of the space created by the demolition of the old community centre but I doubt that would generate more than around 20 spaces.
Could we take a leaf from the elitist attitude of the West Community Council and asked for the High Street to be closed except for access? It could provide a more relaxed shopping experience but would mean further loss of parking
The nearest available space that could be developed for parking would be Viewfield, but I doubt many motorists would want to walk that far, plus it would mean the loss of a green space
There doesn't really seem to be an answer to this other than the hope that rising fuel costs will mean folk will use their cars a lot less, but that also means a rise in the cost of goods and another recession as we find our money doesn't go so far - oh dear!
Cannot help but pick out a sentence from the latest Charrette report with regard the problems of parking
ReplyDeleteAlistair went on to say that he thought the cart was driving the horse: “Nairn and Forres, Scottish towns are around the size they are for very good historic reasons and I think we mess about with that at our peril.
Thanks for the comment re the Honda anon. If you know the driver perhaps you should encourage them to make a confession :-)
ReplyDelete