Time restrictions on parking along Clevedon seafront have been amended as part of a controversial new road scheme. New parking bays were installed along The Beach amid a £700,000 scheme by North Somerset Council to make the seafront one way and install a new cycle lane.
More than 6,000 people have now signed a petition, calling on the council to reverse the updated road layout. Residents say the scheme has made the seafront more dangerous for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, reports Somerset Live.
Instead of parking looking out to the coast, the new bays now run parallel to the prom with the number of spaces reduced. People used to be able to park along the seafront for three hours, but this has now been changed to four hours.
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The changes have been included in a new traffic regulation order by North Somerset Council. The order will also add time restrictions to the newly installed parking bays along Elton Road.
The restrictions will apply between 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday. As part of the work, new signage will also be installed to formalise the new parking arrangements.
A North Somerset Council spokesman said: “The Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) is not relating to any new works. It is only formalising the parking restrictions for the parking spaces that are already in place within the area.
“For example, this will include adding signposts to lampposts next to disabled parking bays or adding time restrictions (Monday to Saturday, 8am to 6pm with no return within two hours) to the new parking bays on Elton Road and amending the parking time limit on The Beach.
“Before the works, there was a maximum three-hour parking limit at The Beach. This has now changed to four-hours so visitors have further time to spend enjoying Clevedon.”
The road scheme has seen the layout changed and a new cycle lane installed so cars can only park parallel to the beach . The changes have seen the amount of parking along the seafront dramatically reduced, with local businesses claiming it has killed off trade.
New loading bays have been installed and a ‘roundabout’ installed at the junction of The Beach , Marine Parade and Alexandra Gardens. A new buff surfacing installed along The Beach led locals to dub it as Clevedon’s new ‘yellow brick road.’
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