The Front Page. - Copy 117 ( Nigel Collor on Seafront Parking, Connaught Park Filmshow)
4 August 2010
Letter Just In from Transport Chief
On the sea front road issue as you and many others will know, road safety is one of my main concerns and paramount in my efforts as was shown in the work we did on the Dover – Deal road a few years ago now, but one of the hard facts is that any level of road signs and lines will not deal with driver errors.
I asked for all sources of information to be looked into and firstly DDC Officers used your photographs that showed the double car RTC as being on the side of the road where parallel parking is. In the second photograph, the incident involving the motorcyclist, this appeared to be one or other vehicle exiting Wellesley Road into the path of the other travelling along the sea front.
We didn’t stop there but I will come back to this later.
I don’t have the exact words here that John (Goodwin) would have received as I altered the printed answer and officers have the only copy that will be published in the next DDC Members’ Weekly News. But it is along the following lines...
Firstly I thank DDC officers in the Transport Unit, Parking Services and the Community Safety Unit, where we have a number of former Police Officers, for their work in helping to get information at short notice from both Kent Highway Services and Kent Police.
It is noted that there have been two recent accidents on the sea front. However, it is understood that neither of these occurred due to the nature of the road but possible driver error. This has been checked with Kent Highway Services who are responsible for moving traffic issues and Kent Police.
'As far as the end on parking is concerned, this was introduced to achieve a more effective overall parking arrangement facing the sea as is found in other seaside localities such as Cliftonville and Birchington.’
The echelon parking bays were introduced about two or three years ago having consulted both Kent Highway Services and Kent Police Roads Policing Unit plus going through the Dover Joint Transportation Board where Councillors, District and County, alongside representatives of Town and Parish Councils look at transportation issues.
Returning to the sea front, Kent Highway Services advise that their records show that between November 1994 and March 2010 there have been five reported crashes in the vicinity of the sea front.
1. Junction of Druro Place with Marine Parade - 13th November 1994 - when a car turned into the path of another causing slight injury to one person.
2. Marine Parade 40m NW of junction with Wellesley Road – 29th September 1996 - when a minibus drove into another causing slight injuries to two people.
3. Junction of Marine Parade with Wellesley Road – 14th March 1997 - when an emergency vehicle turning right into Wellesley Road collided with a car travelling in the opposite direction causing slight injuries to two people.
4. Marine Parade 100m E of junction with Union Street – 30th September 1997 - when the driver of a car travelling at excess speed lost control and collided with three parked cars causing slight injuries to one person.
5. Townwall Street junction with Marine Parade London bound – 21st March 2002 - when it is thought that a lorry clipped a car pushing it into the barrier this is recorded as serious with two casualties.
As you will notice, all these crashes occurred prior to the introduction of the chevron parking arrangements but unfortunately KHS records currently only show up to March 2010 so the two recent incidents are not yet recorded in their system. Having said that DDC Officers then contacted Kent Police who advise that neither of the cars were entering or leaving the echelon parking bays and they confirmed that the echelon bays were not an impacting factor in the motor cycle incident.
You will appreciate with the record shown above the road could not be described as dangerous but nonetheless we are always prepared to look at any situation and monitor the position which we are doing. Currently I have asked Kent Highway Services to price the resurfacing of the section of the sea front between the Townwall Street junction by the Premier Inn and the block paved section near the Yacht Club to see if my KCC Member’s Highway Fund could cover the cost. If there is a problem with the chevron parking we could look to possibly presenting a new Traffic Regulation Order to change to parallel parking at the same time.
On the subject of large vehicles, they need to park within a marked bay or run the risk of receiving a Penalty Charge Notice whether in chevron or parallel parking areas.
I hope that this helps to clarify the position.
Regards
Nigel
* *
Another fantastic free outdoor cinema event is returning to Connaught Park - following a ‘squeak-quence’ of successful films over recent years - and ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel’ (U) will be showing in the Dover park on Friday 27 August.
The event is being organised by Dover District Council and the film will start around sunset, (around 8.15pm to 8.30pm). The gates will open at 7pm. Visitors are welcome to bring picnics, and there will be refreshments available to buy at the event, but alcohol will not be permitted.
There are a limited number of tickets available. Free Tickets can be collected now from DDC Area Offices in Dover and Sandwich, the Area Office at Aylesham Health Centre, the Visitor Information Centre in Deal, and the main Council offices at Whitfield, with a maximum of five per person. Children aged five and under do not need tickets. You must provide proof of being a district resident and be over 18 to collect a ticket. Entry to the outdoor cinema event will be by ticket only.
Cllr Nigel Collor, DDC Cabinet Member for Access and Property Management, said: “Following the tremendous success of this event over the past four years, we are looking forward to another great evening in this superb setting, and we thank everyone who has worked so hard to bring this all together again.”
Cllr Sue Chandler, DDC Cabinet Member for Community, Housing and Youth said: “This is a great event that has proved very popular. We are very pleased to be able to continue to bring the outdoor cinema to Connaught Park, as part of a range of events for all the family that the District Council arranges for the community.”
For more information, or to make arrangements for disabled access, please contact Joanne Hadfield on (01304) 872458 or email joannehadfield@dover.gov.uk
Letter Just In from Transport Chief
Nigel Collor on the Seafront Parking.
On the sea front road issue as you and many others will know, road safety is one of my main concerns and paramount in my efforts as was shown in the work we did on the Dover – Deal road a few years ago now, but one of the hard facts is that any level of road signs and lines will not deal with driver errors.
I asked for all sources of information to be looked into and firstly DDC Officers used your photographs that showed the double car RTC as being on the side of the road where parallel parking is. In the second photograph, the incident involving the motorcyclist, this appeared to be one or other vehicle exiting Wellesley Road into the path of the other travelling along the sea front.
We didn’t stop there but I will come back to this later.
I don’t have the exact words here that John (Goodwin) would have received as I altered the printed answer and officers have the only copy that will be published in the next DDC Members’ Weekly News. But it is along the following lines...
Firstly I thank DDC officers in the Transport Unit, Parking Services and the Community Safety Unit, where we have a number of former Police Officers, for their work in helping to get information at short notice from both Kent Highway Services and Kent Police.
It is noted that there have been two recent accidents on the sea front. However, it is understood that neither of these occurred due to the nature of the road but possible driver error. This has been checked with Kent Highway Services who are responsible for moving traffic issues and Kent Police.
'As far as the end on parking is concerned, this was introduced to achieve a more effective overall parking arrangement facing the sea as is found in other seaside localities such as Cliftonville and Birchington.’
The echelon parking bays were introduced about two or three years ago having consulted both Kent Highway Services and Kent Police Roads Policing Unit plus going through the Dover Joint Transportation Board where Councillors, District and County, alongside representatives of Town and Parish Councils look at transportation issues.
Returning to the sea front, Kent Highway Services advise that their records show that between November 1994 and March 2010 there have been five reported crashes in the vicinity of the sea front.
1. Junction of Druro Place with Marine Parade - 13th November 1994 - when a car turned into the path of another causing slight injury to one person.
2. Marine Parade 40m NW of junction with Wellesley Road – 29th September 1996 - when a minibus drove into another causing slight injuries to two people.
3. Junction of Marine Parade with Wellesley Road – 14th March 1997 - when an emergency vehicle turning right into Wellesley Road collided with a car travelling in the opposite direction causing slight injuries to two people.
4. Marine Parade 100m E of junction with Union Street – 30th September 1997 - when the driver of a car travelling at excess speed lost control and collided with three parked cars causing slight injuries to one person.
5. Townwall Street junction with Marine Parade London bound – 21st March 2002 - when it is thought that a lorry clipped a car pushing it into the barrier this is recorded as serious with two casualties.
As you will notice, all these crashes occurred prior to the introduction of the chevron parking arrangements but unfortunately KHS records currently only show up to March 2010 so the two recent incidents are not yet recorded in their system. Having said that DDC Officers then contacted Kent Police who advise that neither of the cars were entering or leaving the echelon parking bays and they confirmed that the echelon bays were not an impacting factor in the motor cycle incident.
You will appreciate with the record shown above the road could not be described as dangerous but nonetheless we are always prepared to look at any situation and monitor the position which we are doing. Currently I have asked Kent Highway Services to price the resurfacing of the section of the sea front between the Townwall Street junction by the Premier Inn and the block paved section near the Yacht Club to see if my KCC Member’s Highway Fund could cover the cost. If there is a problem with the chevron parking we could look to possibly presenting a new Traffic Regulation Order to change to parallel parking at the same time.
On the subject of large vehicles, they need to park within a marked bay or run the risk of receiving a Penalty Charge Notice whether in chevron or parallel parking areas.
I hope that this helps to clarify the position.
Regards
Nigel
* *
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUEL
– OUTDOOR CINEMA EVENT RETURNS
Another fantastic free outdoor cinema event is returning to Connaught Park - following a ‘squeak-quence’ of successful films over recent years - and ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel’ (U) will be showing in the Dover park on Friday 27 August.
The event is being organised by Dover District Council and the film will start around sunset, (around 8.15pm to 8.30pm). The gates will open at 7pm. Visitors are welcome to bring picnics, and there will be refreshments available to buy at the event, but alcohol will not be permitted.
There are a limited number of tickets available. Free Tickets can be collected now from DDC Area Offices in Dover and Sandwich, the Area Office at Aylesham Health Centre, the Visitor Information Centre in Deal, and the main Council offices at Whitfield, with a maximum of five per person. Children aged five and under do not need tickets. You must provide proof of being a district resident and be over 18 to collect a ticket. Entry to the outdoor cinema event will be by ticket only.
Cllr Nigel Collor, DDC Cabinet Member for Access and Property Management, said: “Following the tremendous success of this event over the past four years, we are looking forward to another great evening in this superb setting, and we thank everyone who has worked so hard to bring this all together again.”
Cllr Sue Chandler, DDC Cabinet Member for Community, Housing and Youth said: “This is a great event that has proved very popular. We are very pleased to be able to continue to bring the outdoor cinema to Connaught Park, as part of a range of events for all the family that the District Council arranges for the community.”
For more information, or to make arrangements for disabled access, please contact Joanne Hadfield on (01304) 872458 or email joannehadfield@dover.gov.uk