Parking may be cut at Wrose Health Centre (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Parking may be cut at Wrose Health Centre

5:57pm Thursday 13th August 2009

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A row has erupted over a proposed traffic calming scheme outside a medical centre which some argue will cause major access problems for the elderly and infirm.

Bradford Council’s highways department wants to install a traffic island in Kings Road, Wrose, directly outside Wrose Health Centre.

It will include a central “pedestrian refuge” and restricted parking on either side of the road.

The Liberal Democrats in the neighbouring Windhill and Wrose ward – whose councillor John Watmough has pressed for the traffic island – have hailed the move as a boost for pedestrian safety. However, Vanda Greenwood, Labour’s councillor for Windhill and Wrose, has hit out at her colleagues for pre-empting the Council’s decision on whether to allow the scheme.

She said: “There is no evidence yet of local support for the island and if it goes ahead it could cause untold difficulties with access to Wrose Health Centre.

“This is a clear example of the Liberal Democrats yet again jumping in with both feet.”

Lib Dem Councillor John Hall (Windhill & Wrose) hit back, saying residents had shown public support for the project at community meetings.

He said: “This is about pedestrian safety rather than making disabled people walk a bit further.”

He said Coun Watmough, who sits on the Council’s health improvement committee, had previously raised problems over a lack of parking.

Wrose Health Centre practice manager Rachel Thompson said the centre had objected to the latest proposals.

She said: “The surgery is well used by the community of Wrose and the car park is not overly large and it often overspills into the road.

“People using our facility are coming because they are unwell. They usually come in a car driven by a relative and they want to park outside.

“If this is put outside the centre, it will mean yellow lines or other restrictions and the traffic from people using the centre will have to park further from the entrance.

“They say this has been proposed for public – and patient – safety. While we obviously want the public to be safe and don’t want them to get run down, we have never, ever known a single episode of anyone having an accident on that stretch of road.

“I just fear that access to the facility is going to be far worse.”

A Bradford Council spokesman said: “An informal consultation process has taken place and we are now looking at the proposals again, taking into account the comments received.

“We will now discuss the amended proposals with ward councillors, the emergency services and residents before making a recommendation to Bradford North Area Committee.”

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