Driving through an area of Bradford has been described as being like “Wacky Races” due to dangerous parking.
Councillors were discussing a section of Toller Lane during a planning meeting, with one saying many drivers “didn’t take any notice” of parking restrictions on the road.
The discussion came about during a debate on a planning application for the creation of a driveway at a terraced property on the street.
The application, by N Hussain, was for the excavation of the front garden of 285 Toller Lane to create a parking space. A dropped kerb would be created on Baslow Grove, near the junction with Toller Lane, to create new access to the parking space.
Planning officers had recommended the plans be refused, with highways officers pointing out that there would only be 3m from the dropped kerb to the junction of the two roads, whereas a safe distance is typically 15m.
The application went before the Council’s district planning panel last week, with a report to members saying: “The proposed development would result in an unsafe and poorly sited means of site ingress and egress located close to the junction of Baslow Grove with Toller Lane. The plan would cause severe harm to highways safety.”
Image: LDRS
Some members of the committee pointed out that dropped kerbs had been installed at other homes on Toller Lane without any issue.
Planning officer Andrew Moxon revealed that some of the dropped kerbs in the area had, in fact, been installed “without authorisation”.
Councillor Kamran Hussain (Lab, Toller), executive for neighbourhoods and community safety on the Council, spoke in support of the applicants.
He said: “70 per cent of properties on Toller Lane have driveways, I don’t think this one is going to cause a problem.”
Councillor Paul Sullivan (Cons, Bingley Rural) said: “I know this road very well, and driving there is like Wacky Races at the best of times.”
Pointing out that photos shown to the committee seemed to show cars parked on double yellow lines, he said: “Drivers are clearly not taking any notice of existing restrictions.”
Councillor Mohammed Amran (Lab, Heaton) countered: “Once we have a dropped kerb people won’t be allowed to park there, and it is enforceable. There are so many dropped kerbs in that area.”
Councillor Riaz Ahmed (Lib Dem, Bradford Moor) said: “We have to weigh up the safety issues. Once you have more dropped kerbs it creates a safety issue for pedestrians.”
When it came to voting, six members of the panel voted to approve the application, against planning officer’s recommendations, and five voted to refuse it.
