Knockholt Station parking consultation sparks debate
NEW proposals to change car parking for rail commuters have sparked a debate among residents and drivers.
Sevenoaks District Council has released a final draft of arrangements near Knockholt Station, following complaints about cars parked in the area.
These include introducing more charges, double and single-yellow lines to prevent all -day parking, and restrictions by junctions to improve visibility.
John Taylor, of Badgers Mount, said: "Putting parking restrictions in will only push cars further out. Where I live is only a 12-minute walk away, and our cul-de-sac will just get clogged up with cars."
John Rayfield, of London Road, Knockholt, said: "Improving the current facilities would be a start, before making life more difficult."
Others called the proposals "excessive" and said the problems could be resolved with double-yellow lines near junctions.
Heather Lambert, who commutes to London from Knockholt, said: "Why cars should not continue to park sensibly in the road adjacent to the station remains unclear.
"There are no houses along the stretch and the road here is wide, so there is no obstruction to traffic."
District council spokesman Daniel Whitmarsh said: "At the end of last year, the council carried out an informal consultation with immediate residents and amended the plans to reflect their comments.
"The consultation on these proposals ends on March 7, so we would urge residents with comments to contact the Council before the deadline. The proposals can we viewed on www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/parking"
7 Comments
by Driver, Kent
Friday, March 12 2010, 9:37PM
“This is theft. Pure and simple.”
by bill, Riverhead
Friday, March 12 2010, 4:21PM
“They had a similar genius idea at Dunton Green station 18 months ago, the formerly free car park had the lines re-painted, a sign put up and they started charging £2 a day for parking. No other improvements whatsoever.
This has only resulted in commuters parking 100 yards further down the road in the station approach, I'd imagine much to the annoyance of local residents and this year they doubled the previously free parking charge to £4. That's a collossal increase!
£4 a day for no improvements whatsoever. Daylight robbery”
by Knockholt Resident, knockholt
Tuesday, March 09 2010, 3:42PM
“I will be parking my car in the same place as I always have to commute from Knockholt village to London, I will just have to now pay for the pleasure.
How does this solve the complaints - am I missing something here ?”
by John Rayfield, Knockholt
Tuesday, March 09 2010, 11:18AM
“Just to clarify my comments, the council should first deal with the problems of criminal damage and petty theft that occurs on a daily basis where we park our cars. Will they be accountable for criminal damage that occurs in their newly safe white parking bays? The council should also consider the implications of local people having to walk / ride to the station down country roads with no street lights and no pavements, what are the implications of more accidents on these roads.
I have just spoken to Sevenoaks council and asked them if their staff have to pay for parking. They don¿t, ¿they have got a car park for staff out the back¿. Well isn¿t that nice.”
by john parkin, knockholt
Tuesday, March 09 2010, 10:07AM
“This huge review was sparked by "a few complaints" mainly about illegal parking which should have been dealt with by the appropriate authority. The station is essential to Knockholt and Halstead and can only be accessed by car from these communities. Imposing charges will be a tax on residents who have no viable option.”
by Resident, Sevenoaks
Sunday, March 07 2010, 9:05PM
“Similar poorly thought through parking changes were implemented in Sevenoaks town 18 months ago to raise additional funds for the council and have been a total disaster ever since.
They have increased health and safefy issues, caused significant displacement of parked traffic to areas where there were previously no parking problems, caused additional parking congestion, increased parking charges to local council tax payers, reduced the ability for some wide roads to have cycling lanes now and, incredibly, some of the obvious errors were almost immediately reversed soon after implementation wastefully costing the local tax payer £000s.
It is a disgrace which to date has not been reviewed properly despite promises to do so. Unbelievably the managers responsible for this farce at still in their posts!
P.S. Kent County Council has 41 council officers earning in excess of £100,000 per annum - the most of any council in the country by some way and a massive increase in recent years. If you want to know where the paring charges and council tax increases are going - there's one answer... (As reported in the Sunday Times today)”
by alex.r, sevenoaks
Saturday, March 06 2010, 12:04PM
“Has anyone noticed that they are parking in only of the few cycle lanes in the sevenoaks area?”