PEOPLE parking along a busy main road in Greenfield have forced Oldham Council to paint double yellow lines.
Social media was flooded with pictures and videos showing vehicles left on the A635 Greenfield-Holmfirth Road as hundreds flocked to Dovestone Reservoir while the Covid-19 lockdown was eased.Now Oldham Council has stepped up its bid to solve the problem by putting a more visual restriction in place.
On Wednesday, June 3, workmen from the authority started putting double yellow lines in place from the roundabout at The Clarence pub in Greenfield right up the hill to the border with West Yorkshire.
And the council’s frustration at seeing the scenes of cars parked along the 50mph stretch of road, which has been the scene of numerous accidents, was clear in its notice.
It said: “We’ve taken action after motorists continually ignored existing parking restrictions near Dovestone Reservoir.
“Double yellow lines will be marked along both sides of Holmfirth Road (A635). Anyone who illegally parks a vehicle on this stretch of road will now face a fine of £70.
“We used emergency powers to introduce the restrictions after visitors to the site repeatedly caused issues, including blocking the carriageway and footways, and parking over access points.
“These have increased in recent weeks as more people have visited the site for their daily exercise during the crisis.”
While the lines were painted on the main A635 route, some of the side roads running off it, like Tunstead Lane, Hollins Lane, Bank Lane and Hawk Yard Lane, will also be covered.
Disabled blue badge holders will not be exempt from the new restrictions, unlike many other settings where they can park on double yellow lines for three hours.
And if there is a knock-on effect in many people parking further away, Oldham Council may look at putting restrictions in place.
The order adds: “The order will cover from the roundabout at the Clarence pub to the borough boundary. It applies to all vehicles including blue badge holders.
“Some of the side road junctions will also be covered to deal with the effects of displaced parking.
“We’ll be monitoring to see if these are needed once the impact of the yellow lines on Holmfirth Road has been established.”
Parking charges at Dovestone Reservoir will also be reintroduced.