St Ives estate set to get more parking places (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Bradford Council plans congestion easing

10:40am Thursday 21st April 2011 in News By Marc Meneaud, Aire Valley Chief Reporter

Cars at St Ives

Bradford Council has vowed to tackle major parking problems at a popular beauty spot.

Visitor numbers to the St Ives estate near Bingley have risen hugely since its children’s play park opened.

But guardians of the park claim this has brought huge problems with traffic and parking.

As reported in the Telegraph & Argus yesterday, the Friends of St Ives group has reported incidents of motorists verbally abusing each other while trying to get past each other in the narrow lane leading to the children’s playground.

They fear that the “gridlocked” lane, coupled with cars parked on grass verges, could pose a risk to pedestrians and at the estate mansion, which is run by Elder Homes as a care home for disabled people.

A Council spokesman said it was “looking at a number of possibilities” to create more parking.

She said: “Since we revamped the playground area a year ago, the estate has proved increasingly popular which means the demand for parking places is growing. We need to address the parking problems where cars are parked on the grassed areas near the playground to ensure safe access and traffic flow, particularly in light of its close proximity to Elder Homes where disabled people reside.

“We are pleased that St Ives is so successful in attracting visitors and we are working with the Friends of St Ives to ensure we manage problems that the success engenders.”

Improvements will include redesigning existing car parks to fit in more vehicles.

The Council is also trying to find other areas of the estate to use for car parking, and introducing traffic calming outside Betty’s Lodge – a house next to the narrow lane.

Give-Way signs to give pedestrians priority might also be installed.

Pam Laking, Friends of St Ives chairman, said the group was planning a children’s nature walk to encourage families to park in the estate’s bottom car park and walk through the woods to the playground.

The Council has already created a path and a toddlers’ cycle track from the less-well-used car park, and is set to put up signs directing people to use the path.

Mrs Laking said: “It is a lovely walk across the lower meadow with paths, rocky areas and streams.”

• Read the full story in Thursday's T&A