Furious neighbours living near Nottingham City Hospital have blockaded their street with wheelie bins to stop hospital workers and patients from parking outside their homes.
Residents living on Alderton Road in Sherwood have taken matters into their own hands by putting green bins in the road to stop motorists from parking on either side of the road, on yellow lines and across driveways.
Homeowners say they can’t get in and out of their driveways because of non-residents parking on the street – who even leave their vehicles on double yellow lines.
Public transport buses have also been affected by the additional parking on the road, with operator Nottingham City Transport saying that they have had to stop routes early and divert vehicles because of the blockage.
The Blue 40 bus should serve stops on Alderton Road, Longmead Drive and Northwood Crescent – but can’t because of the congestion.
Residents living on Alderton Road say they have had enough and want the area to have permits like other roads and streets around them.
Locals have complained at how busy the road gets during the work-week, as bus services were also forced to divert their route because of the chaos
Residents living on Alderton Close in Nottingham have taken matters into their own hands, putting wheelie bins outside their homes in a bid to stop motorists from parking on the road
Residents say that the issue has become increasingly problematic in the last few weeks – with many believing it has been caused by the reintroduction of parking charges at nearby City Hospital and the Queen’s Medical Centre.
Patients and workers are said to be parking in the residential road in a bid to avoid the costly tickets at the hospitals.
In turn, locals have been forced to blockade the road with their bins to reclaim the spaces outside their homes as they beg the council to introduce resident permits.
Local Jessica Landa, 29, said: ‘When it’s been busy, some cars have parked across our drive and we’ve not been able to get out, it’s just ridiculous. There have been yellow lines painted at the bottom of the hill, but it’s just moved the problem up the road.
‘We could do with this road having permits. Everyone around here has been ringing the council about it.’
Resident Sharon Saunders, 45, added: ‘I can’t get out sometimes because of cars in the way. People around here park so stupidly, so I’ve put bins out to stop people parking outside my house, and they’re staying there.
‘I’ve tried to get on to my drive before, but I can’t get in because cars have been parked so close either side so I can’t turn in. I have to reverse and get really close to others to make it in.
‘Everyone still parks on the double yellow lines. There have been some accidents down there.’
One blue-badge holder who lives on the street said that the motorists don’t follow the sign outside her home and park there anyway – meaning she can’t get into or out of her taxi.
Furious Faye Goodman, 74, who has lived in her house for 68 years, said: ‘It’s a huge problem, I had a stroke and have a blue badge sign outside my house so that it’s clear for access and so I can get into taxis, but people still park outside it. People around here park anywhere.
‘I go to the shop sometimes, and if a taxi pulls up opposite, I can’t get across the road. Sometimes it has to stop in the middle of the road and then it holds up traffic, it’s a catch 22.
‘It’s been bad in the past couple of weeks especially. I think it’s bad that people are made to pay to park at Nottingham City Hospital, whether that’s staff or people visiting those that are sick.’
While Nottinghamshire Live was speaking to residents, two people wearing hospital uniforms were seen parking their cars and walking to City Hospital. A NCT bus was followed too, and it had to stop in the middle of the road to serve bus stops on Alderton Road, and struggled to turn onto Longmead Drive because of parked cars.
Anthony Carver-Smith, head of marketing at NCT, said: ‘We have had to curtail or divert our Blue 40 bus on a number of days now due to Alderton Road being inaccessible because of how cars are parked. This is a relatively new issue we are experiencing and support any initiative that will ensure our buses can continue to serve the Edwards Lane estate.’
A union representing NHS staff at Nottingham’s hospitals has said current parking arrangements are nothing but a ‘cash-grab’ on workers.
Car parking charges were reintroduced at both City Hospital and at the Queen’s Medical Centre this week. An automatic number plate recognition barrier system will be in place, along with boards telling motorists how many spaces are left in car parks.
A spokesperson for Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the City Hospital, said: ‘We apologise to any residents who have been inconvenienced by staff parking on their streets. Staff who do not have a parking permit have access to a range of subsidised travel options including our free Medilink Bus, which serves all our hospital sites, or can use the staff travel to work scheme to get discounts on local public transport.
‘We do not condone any illegal parking and if legal offsite parking is absolutely necessary our expectations of staff is to always be considerate to those living there.’