Sunday, September 30, 2012

BRIGG POLICE OUT AND ABOUT ON A SUNDAY

It was welcome to see two police out and about in Brigg Market Place this morning.
However, if they had chosen to head off down Wrawby Street rather than go the opposite way over the County Bridge, they might have come across a car that had just entered the allegedly vehicle-free pedestrian area.
Months...years...even decades... pass without anyone in authority getting to grips with this issue. 

  • A matter for the council? 
  • One for the police? 
  • Something the expensive CCTV system should be flagging up?

As we've said before, we need monetary penalties imposed, and details released into the public domain, so errant motorists can see they run a high risk of being hit in the pocket if they abuse the pedestrian area.
The "parking police" rightly deal with motorists who fail to comply with yellow lines in side streets and those who do not pay and display in municipal car parks.
We suggest sending some of them into Brigg Market Place for a few days.




DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN NOW READ MORE INTERESTING NEWS  ABOUT BRIGG AND DISTRICT BY VISITING THE BRIGG PEOPLE WEBSITE?

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1 comment:

Ken Harrison said...

Confusion reigns again!!
The pedestrian zone is not entirely vehicle free.
For example, the folks living in Ancholme Mews have legitimate right to cross the area to access/leave their dwellings...and then there is the so-called Blue Badge holders, issued by NLC,are allowed to use the pedestrain area.
A disabled badge does not give a driver permission to use the zone...but Blue Badges are issued by NLC, except it is unclear what the criteria are for qualifying for the badge.
My understanding is that they are offered to drivers who need to access the zone for a temporary period - ie loading/unloading purposes - but many drivers ignore such a need to display such a badge....and some of the few drivers who do have a Blue Badge use it to legitimate their stopping alongside ATM machines.
Indeed, on one occasion, I observed one Blue Badge owner stopping outside Scalanis while he ordered a fish supper!
In addition, it has been recently reported (officially) within the sphere of Brigg People, or Brigg Blog that the NLC's Civil Enforcement Parking Officers have now the authority to ticket unathorised vehicles in the pedestrian zone....but when I spoke to a NLC's parking officer recently he/she was not aware of such a ruling.
Another issue is that there is some rumour that the pedestrian zone was never officially legitimised and is still a legally classified as a road.
Overall, there are odd features about the pedestrian zone - for instance, it has 'One-Way Traffic' arrows.....and, if we accept that certain vehicles can use the zone, then they could legally travel up to 30mph, as there are no other signs indicating a reduced speed limit is in operation, or, indeed, exists, or has been legally imposed.
Then we have duplicity......various official bodies condemn vehicles using the pedestrian zone, while the same bodies support (or, at least, turn a blind eye) at Classic Car events and such like using the Market Place.
We need to go back to the basics....
Somewhere in NLC's archives should be the legal documents indicating how and what purpose Bigby St and Wrawby St leagally ceased to classified roads and became an official pedestrian zone.
Clauses in such documentation should indicate whether vehicles can use the zone.
Until the basics are clear....confusion will continue.