Emily Brown
Locals on a street in Nottingham have decided to tackle an influx of parked cars by using wheelie bins to stop drivers from clogging the road.
Some of the residents living on Alderton Road in Sherwood, Nottingham have expressed their anger at the 'ridiculous' parking situation in the area after cars allegedly parked across driveways and on yellow lines on the road.
The situation has worsened in recent weeks, with bus operator Nottingham City Transport (NCT) explaining one of its routes in the area had to change times or be diverted due to the issue, which comes as car parking charges have been reintroduced at the nearby City Hospital and the Queen's Medical Centre.
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Resident Jessica Landa has argued the road should have parking permits, saying: "When it's been busy, some cars have parked across our drive and we've not been able to get out, it's just ridiculous. There have been yellow lines painted at the bottom of the hill, but it's just moved the problem up the road."
Landa went on to claim locals have been 'ringing the council' about the issue, with fellow resident Sharon Saunders explaining she'd decided to 'put bins out to stop people parking' outside her house.
"They're staying there," she said, adding: "I've tried to get on to my drive before, but I can't get in because cars have been parked so close either side so I can't turn in. I have to reverse and get really close to others to make it in. Everyone still parks on the double yellow lines. There have been some accidents down there."
Blue-badge holder Faye Goodman, 74, expressed belief the parking has worsened as a result of the parking charges being introduced at the hospital, saying: "I think it's bad that people are made to pay to park at Nottingham City Hospital, whether that's staff or people visiting those that are sick."
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Workers dressed in hospital uniforms have been spotted parking on the road before setting off to City Hospital, while a bus was seen struggling to turn onto a nearby road due to parked cars.
Anthony Carver-Smith, head of marketing at NCT, explained the bus has had to be diverted on a number of days due to Alderton Road being 'inaccessible because of how cars are parked'.
"This is a relatively new issue we are experiencing and support any initiative that will ensure our buses can continue to serve the Edwards Lane estate," he said.
A spokesperson for Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the City Hospital, apologised to residents who have been inconvenienced by staff parking and explained workers who do not have a parking permit have access to 'a range of subsidised travel options including our free Medilink Bus, which serves all our hospital sites'.
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Staff can also use the 'staff travel to work scheme to get discounts on local public transport', the spokesperson said.
They added: "We do not condone any illegal parking and If legal offsite parking is absolutely necessary our expectations of staff is to always be considerate to those living there."
Nottingham City Council's transport team has confirmed there have been no complaints on Alderton Road in more than two years. The authority has urged people to report any issues by emailing [email protected].