Parking and roads

May 2021

Consultation on Ratby Road is closed

Villages can sometimes be faced with problems that seem impossible to resolve to everyone’s satisfaction. For Groby, street parking is one of those problems with two issues that keep recurring. One is street parking by incoming commuters and another is street parking on Ratby Road.

It’s a proposal to ease the Ratby Road problem that is the subject of the current Leicestershire County Council consultation. Part of Ratby Road does not have enough off street parking to accommodate all the vehicles that need it and over the years the increase in the number of cars per household has probably contributed to the parking issue.

The result has been double parking in places, with vehicles on both sides of the road, effectively reducing the road to one lane.

This causes disruption to the traffic flow of people passing through the area, including delivery drivers, ambulances, fire engines, and refuse vehicles, in addition to the many Groby motorists going about their daily business, which includes Druck employees and the school run to the Brookvale Campus. In such circumstances broken wing mirrors or other damage to vehicles can occur.

Discussions to resolve difficulties have gone on for years, and in 2016 officers from the Highways Department at County Hall who attended a Parish Council meeting confirmed that they did not have a resolution to the Ratby Road parking problem.

They explained that their directive on areas of concern is based on accident levels, speed levels, and a combination of both.

They added that the highways budget was being reduced from £26 million to £16 million by 2020, so the department was having to look carefully how the budget is spent, members were told, and "As this area has not had an accident in the last 5 years it does not meet the criteria set."

But local councillors didn’t give up and County Councillor Ozzie O’Shea was eventually able to confirm that a proposal would be put out for consultation.

So what’s proposed?

Read the County Council proposals at -

https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/sites/default/files/field/pdf/2021/5/7/HTWMT-4877-Waiting-Order-Ratby-Road-Groby.pdf

“There is no easy answer,” said Ozzie O’Shea “and it is important that everyone with something to say participates in the consultation so that all sides of the debate are considered before a final decision is made.”

Without parking restrictions the flow of traffic will continue to be hampered, with some degree of risk to both vehicles, motorists and pedestrians.

But everyone likes to park as close to home as possible, and so some residents on Ratby Road will be inconvenienced if parking restrictions are introduced.

September 2019

Druck interested in using Groby Pool car park

Earlier this year Druck wrote to Groby Parish Council outlining a range of proposals which would help provide additional off street parking for employee vehicles. The Parish Council responded by offering the use of a number of spaces on recreational car parks. Although this offer was for a trial period only some residents were concerned that the increased traffic that this might generate in the mornings and late afternoon could create a safety hazard, especially during school term times. The Chair of the Council confirmed that before any formal permanent arrangement could be considered the Council would carry out risk and impact assessments.

The utilization of spaces on the recreational car parks hasn’t been as successful as first anticipated. “As a business we have asked our employees for feedback and the main reason for the low usage is that the current opening times don’t coincide with the working patterns, ” a spokesperson for the company explained. “We have made a request to the council to review the gate opening times to provide our employees who’s shifts start at 07:00am or 08:00am with the opportunity to park.”

Representatives of the company attended the September Parish Council meeting and outlined another proposal which would result in Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council being asked for the use of Groby Pool car park. This might involve the extension of the opening hours of the Pool car park, with Druck taking responsibility for gate opening and locking. The company would provide a transport service for employees in what was described as a Ford Galaxy style 7 seater vehicle. The possibility of using the footpath between the car park and Markfield Road was also raised.

The company has also requested a change to their lease which would give them access from the upper car park on their site to the Quarry Park area. They continue to be interested in the development of parking at the Scout Hut. The matters raised will be the subject of further discussion within the Parish Council.

During the summer months around 70 employees have taken advantage of Druck's 'Incentivised Cycle & Walk to Work Scheme & Car Share', and the company will be monitoring the use of alternative forms of transport to commute to work as the weather changes with the coming winter season.

More on Druck parking (from 2010)

GE Sensing to get tough over employee car parking

A representative from GE Sensing(Druck) attended the Parish Council meeting in March to explain the steps that are being taken to reduce the parking nuisance in the village. There has been criticism that the car park that was constructed to take cars off the road often has many empty spaces. "My committment is that we will get very tough with our employees," he said. He explained that many more permits had now been issued and dedicated name spaces created so that it would be easier to see who was not using the facility. In addition staff who park on the street are being encouraged to say where they park and to move their cars onto the car park if monitoring shows that space is available on any day. The idea of offsite parking and a shuttle bus service suggested in 2004 is being looked at.

Criticism of the company

He also spoke of the involvement of the company in the community but had to deal with criticism of GE Sensing from a resident who is organising sporting facilities aimed particularly at young people. An approach had been made to the company to consider whether they could support the initiative but it took repeated emails and phone calls before any response could be obtained. It was alleged that the company had failed to act in a professional manner and the representative acknowledged that they appeared to have fallen short of their normal standards on this occasion.

January 2019

Brookvale may be included in school parking fines scheme

A trial to combat the problems of inconsiderate parking outside schools across the county, launched last September, has resulted in more than 50 fines.

Last September the School Keep Clear scheme was launched, with one-off funding of £500,000, to address concerns that parents, residents and teachers have about parking outside schools. “We’re launching the scheme which essentially makes more zig-zag zones enforceable outside schools and believe it will go some way to alleviating concerns. We work closely with schools and colleges to improve issues around on-street parking as well as pedestrian and pupil safety and we invited schools to register their interest in the scheme,” said Councillor Blake Pain, County Council Cabinet Member for environment and transport.

The work to make the zig-zag zones enforceable involves ensuring traffic regulation orders are in place and upgrading mandatory signs and lines so the zones are enforceable. A total of 32 schools that already have the necessary mandatory markings are taking part in the trial. Another 25 schools who have reported issues with parking also registered an interest, but needed further work at their locations in order to become eligible.

Enforcement officers continue with their normal duties while a camera car is also being used as part of the scheme. Using automatic number plate recognition technology, the car is be used by officers to collect the necessary evidence to enable fines to be issued, via post, to drivers who park on zig-zag markings. The message to people parking on the zig-zag zones outside of schools was clear - anyone caught faced a £70 fine.

Councillor Pain added: “Ideally, the schools and local communities work together to encourage parents to park appropriately on the school run and we provide help and guidance on school travel plans to help tackle the problem where necessary. We know that inconsiderate and dangerous parking outside schools can be a real problem, and we hope that this trial proves to be a major deterrent and a big boost to road safety. Since the beginning of September, 22 warnings have been issued and 54 penalties have been processed.”

Brookvale may be included

More schools are lined up to be included in the camera car scheme to catch drivers who park illegally, and it hoped that Groby's Brookvale will be included. At January's Parish Council meeting a resident expressed concern at the continuing problem of parents using the cemetery car park as a drop off and pick up zone for schoolchildren. Some residents have said that their visits to what they feel should be a place of peace and quiet remembrance have been marred by noisy or unruly children not under appropriate parental control and who are often too young to appreciate the offence they cause.

Groby Parish Council is still assessing the best way of controlling illegal parking at the cemetery. The car park is for the use of visitors to the cemetery only and unauthorised parking may be subject to further action. All persons visiting the cemetery should act in a responsible manner whilst in the grounds.

December 2016

County Council has no solution to Ratby Road parking problems

Some local residents are facing difficulties in finding a space to park their cars on Ratby Road. This can result in controversy if cars are parked on both sides, sometimes partly on the pavement. In last month's Spotlight County Councillor O'Shea said he had received numerous complaints from residents and had been working with both police and highway officers to try and discourage parking on the right hand side outside the terraced houses. He added that some vehicles have been parked partly on the road and partly on the pavement creating difficulties for those with mobility scooters or pushchairs. Occupants have received a letter from the police, and two from County Hall regarding the problems caused. One fixed penalty ticket has been issued.

In November Groby Parish Council members were urged to 'name and shame' residents who cause parking and safety issues on Ratby Road, after two officers from Leicestershire County Council who attended the Parish council meeting confirmed that they do not have a resolution to the problem. The officers from the County Council explained that their current directive on areas of concern is based on accident levels, speed levels, and a combination of both.

The highways budget is being reduced from £26million to £16million by 2020, a reduction of 78% when inflation is taken into account. So the department is having to look carefully how the budget is spent, members were told, and as this area has not had an accident in the last 5 years it does not meet the criteria set. The major cost that would be incurred in introducing parking restrictions, thought by some to be necessary, would be between £3,000 and £5,000 to fund a traffic Regulation Order. Some councils had paid for these themselves, but even if Groby decided to subsidise the County Council in this way nothing could be done until at least April 2017. One member said “We are having to wait for accidents before something can be done. How sad we have to wait for someone to be killed.”

Double yellow lines pointless?

Another parish councillor questioned the effectiveness of a Traffic Regulation Order because of the lack of enforcement and added “this is not the failure to put down double yellow lines but the ignorance and arrogance of people themselves. We should look at it a different way locally, if we are going to spend any money let's take some space naming and shaming with photographs these people who keep doing it. Let's put a section on our website naming and shaming these people. Let's put a newsletter around the village with photographs of inconsiderate people and sort of say 'are your neighbours really community minded, do they give a monkey's?' and explain the issues. It's pointless having double yellow lines because people who ignore safety issues now are just as likely to ignore double yellow lines.”

The Chairman added that he was sure the Council could use the press and website to name and shame and welcomed the offer of the County Council representative to provide samples of the documentation that they had put through the doors on Ratby Road. Another member explained that following a serious accident it was an unwritten rule that parking should be limited to one side of the road.

Brookvale and Community College concerns

There are also concerns about road safety at the nearby Brookvale and Community College site. In a joint letter to parents and carers in September the Heads said “we are a large and busy campus with 1600 students on site across Brookvale and Groby. As a result, there is a lot of traffic along Ratby Road as parents and carers drop off their sons and daughters for school each day and pick them up at 3.10pm. If you do transport your child to the campus, please can we ask you to drop them off away from the school entrance so that they have just a short walk onto the site. Not only will the walk help them with their daily activity, but most importantly it will stagger the traffic outside the campus, making it safer for everyone.”

They added that they are extremely concerned that dropping students off directly outside the campus significantly heightens the risk of an accident for young people, something they are desperate to avoid.

February 2016

Parish Council car park news

As February arrived so did the diggers at Stamford Drive car park. It has been transformed from a partially grass and weed infested area to a pristine surface at a cost of £22,000. The car park at the opposite end of the field also needs some work. Although it had been thought that this would be relatively minor in comparison a more detailed examination has shown that any short term fix would be just that – a short term fix. It has been estimated that £17,000 needs to be spent but the work can be deferred beyond the current financial year. The car parks are there for the convenience of residents but it should be remembered that there's a daily routine for Parish Council staff of unlocking the car parks at recreation areas in the morning and re-locking them at night. If you make use of the car parks you need to check the locking time on your way in to ensure that you have left before the gatekeeper arrives, as occasionally residents with vehicles do get locked in.If this happens you'll find that your visit is much longer than you anticipated, as out of hours the Parish Council telephone is diverted to an answering machine. You'll have to get in touch with Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council( HBBC) who will then try to contact someone locally with a key to let you out. Your car won't be stranded overnight but you will have to wait for help to arrive and this will not be a pleasant experience as darkness falls, particularly for lone females or those with small children. The HBBC emergency out of hours number is 01455 251137.

So do ensure you check the locking times and remove your car before the gate is locked. And, just in case, it's worth ensuring you are carrying a charged mobile phone so that you can ring for help and finally be sure you know which car park you are in so that help can get to you as quickly as possible.

August 2015

Time limits on parking at Quarry Park?

The improved parking facilities at Quarry Park were provided for the benefit of residents visiting the facilities including the new Multi Use Games Area. It was perhaps inevitable that with Martinshaw School and GE Druck within easy walking distance the car park would attract the interest of those not visiting the park.

It has been estimated that at one point 50% of the spaces were taken by GE Druck employees. In order to discourage all day commuter parking a new 3 hour maximum parking period is being considered with the possibility of penalties for those who stay longer. The management of Druck are said to be be fully supportive of such a move and have confirmed they will be continuing to try and find solutions to keep more employees from parking in the village. The renovations following the 2014 fire have allowed the company to create a further 35 on-site parking spaces.

The issue of vehicular access to Martinshaw School is likely to be a growing problem. The County Council has plans to substantially increase the number of pupils at the school and this will inevitably lead to an increase in vehicle movements. The additional pupil places are largely needed to accommodate the anticipated growth in pupils travelling from outside the immediate catchment area, including Ratby.

An updated Travel Plan will need to be submitted and agreed by the County Council with the aim of reducing vehicle emissions, single occupancy vehicle use and reducing vehicular travel at peak times. Encouragement should be given to more car sharing, public transport use, cycling and walking. The use of IT substitutes for real travel is also suggested but not fully explained. There should be measurable outcome targets which are subject to regular review and monitoring. Whether this will reassure residents that the traffic situation will not deteriorate further remains to be seen.

Although the school site is relatively large the County Council plan appears to make no provision to take radical steps to deal with the congestion caused in the area, and it seems that they made no contribution to the substantial cost of improving, or the ongoing costs of maintaining, the parking facilities at Quarry Park.

November 2014

Fresh pair of eyes to look at parking issues

The appeal by a newcomer to the staff at GE Druck for an off street parking space produced a few offers, so hopefully it might result in some additional cars being taken off the road. The company continues to look for ways to reduce the parking problem. “I myself have just started at GE and have been asked to have a think about possible ways of alleviating the problem due to being a fresh pair of eyes on the situation,” explained Emma.

One of the initiatives is to look at at car sharing opportunities and another is an employee survey to see whether there is any further interest in working with local residents who can offer driveway spaces, establish how much they would be prepared to pay and how far they would walk from the parking space to the site. It has been said that some employees have had their vehicles damaged and their tyres slashed, and so off street parking might seem an attractive option. If a demand is identified it will be time to consider what would make it an attractive option for residents. Some might welcome a monthly payment, though others may feel they do not need the money and they would prefer a regular donation to their favourite charity, the church, or even a community fund to support activities such as Groby library.

October 2014

Parking – can you help someone who wants to be part of the solution not part of the problem?

On street parking in Groby is one of those issues which won't go away. All sorts of compromises have been tried but there is no sign that a permanent solution that would be fair to both residents and employees of GE Sensing is in sight. Warned about the problem of parking one new starter at the company decided that she would make her own attempt to find a solution.

“Wondered if you can help,” she wrote. I'm due to start a temporary contract job at GE Druck and will be commuting. I understand parking is an issue and wondered if you could give any advice about available car parks in the area. I'd also be interested in maybe renting a spot on someone's drive if that could be a possibility - don't know if you could advise how I might get in touch with anyone interested.”

You'll not be surprised that she had to be told that it was likely because of the shortfall in parking facilities she would have to join her fellow employees who park on the street, something she really didn't want to do as she knows from first hand experience the annoyance it can cause. “Mainly I am just looking for somewhere reliable to park which doesn't annoy the local residents,” she added. “At one point in my life I had a neighbour running a business from home and all their customers used to park on the road outside my house and it used to drive me bonkers. All perfectly legal but so irritating so I completely get the nuisance that can be caused.”

The one glimmer of hope in her appeal was her willingness to pay to rent a spot on someone's drive. Suggested in the Spotlight some time ago there has been no feedback to show whether any employees or residents came together in this way. One of the websites mentioned at the time has been renamed www.justpark.com and there are a couple of listings for parking available on drives in Groby with rental prices of £159.50 and £212.50 per month. That is probably beyond the reach of the average employee locally.

This leaves our correspondent with the problem of where to park considerately, and provides an opportunity for the community to meet the employees half way if they have some spare parking space available for a modest monthly rental. You may feel that you want to help someone who shares your views about on street parking. In fact following her appeal a temporary spot has been found for her thanks to the kindness of a local resident. But it is only temporary and so she needs a more permanent resolution. In return you receive a small income and if you are away from home all day have the comfort that a car parked on the drive gives the impression that someone is at home. Recently most burglaries in the village have taken place during the day.

Earlier this year Communities Secretary Eric Pickles announced that new regulations prevent councils from making money from ‘resourceful and entrepreneurial families, adding that government guidance would encourage people to make a bit of extra money, and insisted that homeowners have a ‘fundamental right’ to rent their driveway.

So if you can help take a commuter's car off the road, whilst at the same time putting some money in your pocket, you can email contact@grobyonline.tk and your email will be passed on. If you want to make direct contact you can text or call 07973780853.

More information and advice is available on http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/cheap-parking-rental.

July2013

Road works will delay laying of yellow lines

The County Council had hoped to introduce the new parking restrictions on August 5th, but plans for resurfacing work in the Rookery and Rookery Lane will cause a delay. The work is provisionally scheduled for the middle of August and the new road markings will be laid once the work is completed.

June 2013

Yellow lines on the way

The new street parking regulations have cleared the final hurdle and will now be implemented. It is hoped that by limiting waiting times to 2 hours on parts of Markfield Road, Ratby Road, Rookery Lane and Fir Tree Lane both local businesses and customers will benefit.

February 2013

Waiting restrictions latest

In these days when we're used to forecasts that prove inaccurate there is one that seems to be more or less on the mark – the time it would take to introduce new waiting restrictions on the roads in the village centre. We were told it would take what would seem like an age and it has, because of all the legal processes that have to be followed.

There may only be a few months more to wait. “The earliest we are looking at is the end of April 2013 as a potential target date for the completion of the Order, this may still be subject to revision,” said a spokesperson for the County Council.

“The amendment/addition to the scheme for Chapel Hill is currently progressing. The remaining majority of the scheme will then be advertised together with the Chapel Hill portion and the minor amendments requested by the Parish Council, as an entire scheme.

Because there were objections to the original scheme we will have to go to the local County Councillor with a report recommending that these be overruled, which he will have to agree to. Subject to this approval, the entire scheme can then be 'Made' and as soon as it is practical the actual lines and signs can be installed to coincide with the Order making date.”

Once the waiting restrictions are in place residents who do not currently have commuters parking outside their homes may find that this changes, as they have to find new parking spaces.

Planning application

The company has applied to install a specialist made, prefabricated, fire resistant Chemical Store on a reinforced concrete base as part of the continuing updating and improvement of the site facilities. It is considered to be essential to the safety of staff, visitors and delivery persons and will presumably be a welcome improvement to the storage of items already safely stored on site. The application explains that the proposal does not take up any of the present allocated parking spaces and will not in its self generate the requirement for further parking provision. It goes on to say that the site benefits from a "considerable number of parking spaces for cars, motorcycles, bicycles, vans and the like" and concludes that "it is not necessary or in the best interests of the site to introduce further parking spaces."

It may well be that space is limited and it is not in the best interests of the site to introduce further parking spaces, but those who have to navigate their way through Groby's on street parking problems on a daily basis may well feel that further parking spaces dedicated to GE Druck staff either on or off site are most certainly necessary.

More jobs at Groby?

The Groby manufacturing site of GE’s Sensing business has been awarded £4.2million over the next five years from the UK taxpayer’s Regional Growth Fund. The funding will be used to help the company to develop its GE UK metrology centre and to continue its investment in advanced pressure sensor design and manufacture, creating innovative products for harsh environments, ranging from aerospace to sub-sea oil and gas production. The good news is that the award will sustain existing jobs at the Groby site. It will also create a number of highly skilled, engineering and advanced manufacturing posts. If these new posts are also at Groby the current parking problem will worsen unless the company takes steps to provide additional parking.

In 2008 the company reported UK turnover of £5 billion. The GE website explains that the company has a long history of supporting communities where employees live and work, but despite the company slogan of "Imagination at work" there doesn't seem to be one of the 18000 employees(2008) with responsibility for resolving a parking problem in a small Leicestershire village. It will, of course, cost some money, but wouldn't make too much of a dent in the cash of $19 billion that the US parent company said it had in the bank at the end of 2010. That cash balance makes the £4.2 million grant over 5 years look like petty cash.

January 2012

Limited feedback on parking proposals

There has been a limited feedback to the County Council as a result of the initial informal consultation with Groby residents directly affected by the suggested restrictions. Nevertheless the responses are welcomed and are proving useful.

"We have received eleven responses so far, although the consultation period was for 28 days, which ended on the 1st January 2011, we have extended this to allow for the Christmas/New Year period and give extra time for responses in case of people being away on holiday," said a spokesman for the County Council.

"There is useful feedback being provided and as is normal with proposals of this nature, the comments could provide the basis for a revised scheme. We will be reporting the outcome of the consultation, together with our recommendations, to the Parish Council as soon as is practical.

If a revised scheme is approved, we will take this to another formal consultation in line with the Traffic Regulation Order procedure. Residents will have this further opportunity to make comments before a final decision is made as to whether a scheme will be advertised and eventually implemented.

"If people do have comments or concerns they should write these in letter form and send then to the Environment and Transport Department, Leicestershire County Council, Southern Area, Coventry road, Croft, Leicestershire LE9 3GP," he added. January 2011

The parking proposals map we cannot show

All day on street parking in Groby has been an issue in the village for years and has continued to be a problem despite the efforts made to resolve it. Eventually the conclusion was reached that further parking restrictions would be necessary and the Annual Parish Meeting was told in May 2009 that the Parish Council would work towards this objective with Leicestershire County Council(LCC).

Earlier this year proposals were put forward for comment by the Parish Council but the County Council did not release them to the public at that stage. Following further discussion the LCC has now written to householders and businesses directly affected by changes to parking restrictions outside their premises. They have one month to comment on the proposals. The details of the proposed changes are displayed in a very clear format on a copyright Ordnance Survey map of the village.

A spokesman for the County Council explained that this is just the first stage of a lengthy process. It is an additional informal consultation and is targeted primarily at those who will be most directly affected by the changes. When their comments have been considered and any changes made the proposal will be referred back to the Parish and County Councillors for Groby. If it is decided to proceed with a new scheme this will be consulted on again before a final decision is taken to advertise in the press and with notices, followed by 21 days in which to object or comment. However anyone who feels they have a constructive comment to make directly related to the specific proposals at this early stage is free to do so.

The proposals are of interest to the wider community but the Spotlight is not allowed to print the copyright OS map and show you what is being suggested as it cannot be reproduced and no further copies can be made. It can, however, be seen at the Parish Council office. The information which follows has not been drafted by the County Council and is an interpretation of the map. It has been checked but nevertheless if you have concerns and wish to comment you are recommended to look at the map first.

The proposals can be broken down into three elements -

• 1. New no waiting at any time restrictions.

  2. New weekday no waiting 8.00 to 17.00 restrictions.

  3. New Monday to Saturday daytime 2 hour waiting limit.

Any time restrictions

• • All four corners of the Ratby Road, Chapel Hill, Fir Tree Lane junction.

  • Left hand side of Ratby Road from Chapel Hill to the pedestrian crossing access opposite Stephenson Way.

  • Both corners of the Ratby Road/Rookery Lane Junction. on the side next to Santander this will extend past their car park and the electricity substation.

  • From 20 Rookery Lane to the surgery and on the opposite side round into the Rookery making all this side of Rookery no waiting.

  • The Rookery Lane intersectionwith Pymm ley Lane on both sides up to Leicester Road.

  • From the Stamford Arms car park to the bus stop on Leicester Road and on the corner around the Bradgate Stores. A short length on the opposite side near the entrance to the Old Hall.

  • Chapel Hill both sides near the thatched cottages/Stockingers Cottage.

New weekday no waiting

• • Right side of Markfield Road alongside the Old Hall up to, but not in front of, the church.

• Left side of Chapel Hill from Crane Ley Road to the thatched cottages.

Monday to Saturday 2 hour waiting

• • Most of the left hand side of Fir Tree Lane from Ratby Road towards GESensing (Druck).

  • Left hand side of Ratby Road from Barclays to Leicester Road.

  • Left hand side of Markfield Road from Ratby Road to 15 Markfield Road.

  • Right hand side of Markfield Road from near Old Hall to opposite number 19.

  • In front of 23 Ratby Road(house) and Flint(shop)

  • Left hand side of Rookery Lane from Ratby Road towards Blacksmith’s Cottage.

Whilst generally welcoming the proposals some residents are concerned that there will be parking restrictions outside their homes which mean once inward commuters have taken the available spaces there will be no parking for their visitors. And as the restrictions will not limit parking in front of the church there will continue to be problems for church visitors particularly,for example, when there are funerals. There are also concerns that displaced commuters will simply park further into the residential area, as has happened in other areas where restrictions have been introduced, and that in some places double sided parking will still lead to dangerous bottlenecks.

The view was expressed at the September meeting of the Parish Council that the new restrictions were inadequate and would only move the parking problem from one street to another. Members were told in November that it would take a long time to achieve anything more comprehensive.

If you would like further information about this review of traffic regulation orders you can telephone Miss J Parle at the County Council on 0116 3050001.

December 2010

Here's the original 2008 story

Car parking and the Curate's egg

Since the new car park at GE Sensing (Druck) was opened earlier this year the parking situation in the village has been rather like the Curate's egg, good in parts. Some parts of Groby have seen an improvement whilst others continue to have a lot of on-street parking during the day, as the photograph of Markfield Road ouside the church illustrates. Luckily there wasn't a funeral or other service when the photograph was taken as this would have caused real problems for visitors.

The new GE car park which looks out over the Forest Rise playing fields was opened after years of negotiation with the Parish Council and represents a significant investment by the company and the village to try and resolve the congestion. A new ramp was needed to enable vehicles to access the car park from within the GE site.

Until the car park opened the company had been consistently blamed over the years for the parking problems in the village. However on the day the photographs were taken the GE car park was far from overflowing and was only around half full, with over 20 spaces free. Meanwhile cars were parked nose to tail on Markfield Road. Does this mean that someone else has a parking problem at their premises or is the answer simply that the cars belong to residents who have come to the centre of the village to use the local shops and services?

Parking proposals inadequate?

October 2010 The Parish Council has reviewed the proposals for new parking restrictions in the centre of Groby but details have not yet been released. The view was expressed at the September meeting that the new restrictions were inadequate and would only move the parking problem from one street to another. Members were told that it would take a long time to achieve anything more comprehensive and in the short term it would be better to negotiate on these proposals in order to achieve some changes. The issue of on street parking continues to annoy residents of the streets affected, and though most of the problems are alleged to be caused by employees of GE Sensing(Druck) some have suggested in the past that staff from Glenfield Hospital may park in Groby and catch the bus to work. The issue of parking in the streets around the hospital has been reported again in the Leicester Mercury. A 156-space overflow staff car park near Gilroes Cemetery in Groby Road has not removed the problem. One resident told the Mercury "We confront a lot of the staff and they say they're on a waiting list for car park permits and have nowhere else to go. It's a nightmare." Rob Pinsent, Director of Facilities at Leicester's Hospitals, said the hospital would work to ensure staff parked considerately, adding that "If our neighbours feel staff are parking inappropriately on nearby streets we will place leaflets on these cars reminding them to park in a considerate manner."

Park and ride on hold

August 2010 There'll be mixed feelings about the news that the Park and Ride scheme at the A50/A46 intersection may be shelved. On the one hand some residents may feel that as well as more traffic and congestion it would also result in part of the remaining open land between the bypass and Gynsill Lane disappearing under concrete. On the other hand much needed traffic lights for the island seem to depend on the scheme.

A County Council spokesman said: "The government has said that funding for major schemes is on hold, pending the spending review this October, so work on Glenfield park and ride is currently suspended. Improvements to the A46/A50 roundabout were due to be linked to this park and ride but in light of developments, we will review our approach which will be determined by the funding available.”

Saturday shoppers can still use the Park and Ride service at County Hall which gives a fast direct link to the city centre rather than St Margaret's bus station. One reader has commented on how few people seem to take advantage of this service, pointing out that parking is free and for over 60's with a pass there's no bus fare to pay either. The County Council has no plans at the moment to cut this service but with the financial constraints it may well turn out to be a case of use it or lose it.

Buses leave County Hall every 15 minutes from 08.45, with the last bus back leaving the city at 17.45.

First published in the Groby Spotlight October 2008 And is this part of the answer?

Last month the Spotlight reported on continuing parking problems in the Groby and speculated whether someone else in the village has a parking problem now that GE (Druck) employees have an additional car park.

This has brought a response from a reader whose comments can be read on the Letters page in this issue. Ms Hancock drives to work and has noticed that there are motorists who park on Markfield Road by the church and then catch a bus in the direction of Leicester.

“Obviously it is cheaper, quicker or both to continue their journey into Leicester or to Glenfield Hospital by bus than pay parking charges at their destination. So we obviously have our own park and ride going on,” she concludes. It may seem an unlikely scenario, but when one looks at the costs of parking it does start to look as a workable compromise for some commuters.

Glenfield Hospital

Take the case of Glenfield Hospital, for example. When the hospital introduced parking charges both patients and staff were understandably unhappy. Staff can apply for a parking permit and then pay from £5 to £20 a month depending on how much they earn. But the existing car parks are full to capacity and there is a waiting list for staff permits. A car park at Gilroes Cemetery is to be brought into use as an additional staff car park and this should ease the problem.

Bus or car?

In the meantime staff can use public transport or pay the normal parking charges of £6 for up to 8 hours or £8 for over 8 hours. Patients and prime carers have concessions – a maximum daily charge of £5 a day or £10 per week, but these tickets are not available for staff. This means that staff on the waiting list for a permit could pay up to £40 a week to park at their place of work. In these circumstances parking in Groby becomes an attractive option, as onward travel to the hospital by bus with an Arriva weekly ticket will cost just £13. This is still not cheap but represents a saving of £27 a week or over £1000 a year.

Commuters to Leicester could also save money but the amounts would be significantly reduced because of the availability of more competitive all day parking rates at some car parks.

So is this the answer to the Markfield Road parking problem? It's speculation at this stage but there must surely be a reader who knows a friend of a friend who parks there and who can confirm it or provide another explanation?

First published in the Groby Spotlight November 2008