Over 7 months ago, a petition was signed by over 100 people calling for double yellow lines in Bakers Bottom, at the junctions of Rochester/Livingstone St, Bute/Livingstone St and Hendon/Livingstone St. It was presented by local Labour Party activist Chris Cooke at the Environment Cabinet in March 2011. There is now a proposal that it will be advertised on a Traffic Order at the end of November 2011.

This follows a long campaign to do something about the problem-parking in that area, given the Council’s failed attempt to turn the area into a Controlled Parking Zone in September 2010. During that long process of consultation , residents had often been told that no double yellows could be considered whilst the CPZ was going on.

Craven Vale Local Action Team then asked the police to try to get double yellow lines painted on the junctions on Bakers Bottom after the CPZ consultation ended. The council told the police that residents would need to submit a petition to the council before any action could take place, even though it was patently obvious that the introduction of double yellow lines just on these three junctions would go a long way to alleviate the problem.

Police had been constantly called to this area to deal with cars and other vehicles parked on the above junctions. The streets in Bakers Bottom are narrow and when vehicles park on the junctions they then obstruct not only other road users but also access by emergency vehicles. More importantly, pedestrians, often with buggies, had been forced into the road, turning it into “shared space” by default but without the warning signage.

The local PCSO's organised a paper petition and an e-petition in tandem with local residents. Over the summer and a new administration, transport officers look into the area (again.) The Council aims to advertise such Traffic Orders every 6 months such that TRO’s from across the City are bundled together as a cost-effective way. Bakers Bottom was just out of time for the last tranche of TRO’s but now it seems it will get the green light for double yellow lines soon.

As long as there are no objections from the public, the 5 metre lines will be painted on all corners.

And the ticketing will begin.