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Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Tina (9th Jan 2013 - 18:52:55) I would love to thank all of those commuters that are now parking outside the properties nearest the station on the Portsmouth Road following the installation of Yellow Lines by the Station Road. What a shame that the lines didn't go the whole way up the road. When the cars were parked near the junction at least cars were slowing down but now its a joke!! I watched a lady dump her silver fiat punto at 6.30am yesterday morning and trot off to the station(I assume) with a rollalong small suitcase behind her. The car is still there now, not sure how long she has gone away for but I do believe this was the same vehicle that was there all week and during the carnival. Due to this car and others parked constantly on the road, we have to sit and listen to car stopping and starting all day and night, tooting of horns as drivers plough through with no regard for anything coming the other way, there will be an accident soon and I won't be rushing out to help, only to speak to the police re the speed. It is also now VERY VERY dangerous to try and get in and out of my driveway. Yes as a resident who has paid a premium for living near a railway station, I should be able to access my driveway safely and in the knowledge that I won't be hit by cars flying into the space as they haven't allowed for cars coming the other way. Maybe we need permits for residence. If you are using the station it has a car park- use it. I will be writing to Hampshire Highways, East Hants District council and the Parish Council with regards to these issues. This is a main busy road not a car park. Maybe we should use some of that waste land for parking for the station and this would ease all the problems, we don't need anymore housing or old people's homes. And whilst I am ranting maybe the flower shop delivery truck that delivers and blocks the top of the Portsmouth Road on a Tuesday morning, could be asked to use the large layby at the top which was completely empty, as this would help with traffic flow which is bad enough in the village at 8.15am. And maybe if people remembered the rules of the Highway Code ie give way to the right on a roundabout and give way if something is parked on your side of the road,and of course signalling, driving in Liphook would be much safer, and before anyone asks I have been a Liphook resident for over 30 years, so I am not one of these moaning outsiders.

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Simon (9th Jan 2013 - 19:39:14) I fully agree Tina. We have the same problem with commuters parking in Newtown Road opposite the station. The road is full with cars during the day, leaving no space for residents or visitors. Yes, parking provided at the station is expensive. The council should look at the potential for affordable parking near the station for commuters. I am reluctant to call for residents only parking in surrounding roads, but unless commuters are more considerate, this may be the only option.

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Clive (9th Jan 2013 - 20:22:16) Well said Tina, the Portsmouth Road area down by the Station Road junction is now a joke for the residents living here. Traffic coming into Liphook from the Petersfield direction now approaches at well over 30mph up to the Station Road junction as the yellow lines now at least mean they won\'t have to slow down until the straight up into the center of the village. Once they see the cars now parked further down the road the brakes are slightly applied but as they have right of way they plough through despite on-coming traffic. Great fun for the residents now who are trying to move off their drives onto the road amongst all of the parked cars, it is dangerous. The recent yellow lines in my mind have not helped anything other than make the traffic go faster in this area and moved the problem originally addressed further down the road. It won\'t be long until there is an accident soon, some drivers coming out of the village center even think they can squeeze through parked cars and the on-coming traffic coming into the village. Is the road wide enough for 3 vehicles? Come on Parish Council, EHDC or Highways agency, you have made the stretch of road outside our houses now very dangerous since you have forced the lovely commuters to park further down the road, bless them! God help them if they had to pay for a car park space somewhere closer to the station. I did also suggest a few years ago to EHDC that maybe a few sleeping policemen along the Portsmouth Road (especially one at the pinch point which is supposed to help cyclists and pedestrians cross the road) would definitely slow down traffic -can this be a suggestion again? This won\'t help stop the commuter car park but might help prevent accidents. I\'m sure there are other locals unhappy with the current situation, please voice your opinions too.

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Clive (9th Jan 2013 - 20:51:44) Just to clarify my above comment and suggestion, the pinch point I originally asked EHDC to consider with a sleeping policeman is the one by Fletchers Field, halfway down the main straight on the Portsmouth Road. Others would be good, but this one I believe would have a great affect on slowing traffic along our road in both directions.

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Julie (9th Jan 2013 - 22:20:56) I agree the increasing traffic in Liphook is becoming a problem (I've lived here for 16 years) and the standard of driving sometimes beggars belief! Giving way to the right at roundabouts seems to be more of a novelty than a requirement. As for signalling, what's that?! The morning influx of traffic from Petersfield direction heading for Churchers via Station Road and Midhurst Road is a particular issue, and the bridge over the railway on Midhurst Road isn't really wide enough for the school coach is it? Numerous times I've seen traffic come to a standstill as the coach negotiates the turn from Station Road onto the bridge. Very scary! I do urge drivers to slow down and PLEASE be aware of those children walking to Bohunt and other schools in the village. They have to cross main roads, and Bohunt's dark green blazers are not the best colour to spot!!

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Jay W (10th Jan 2013 - 14:29:33) Hi Tina - yes I had noticed the cars had moved up and now park outside different houses. And Clive, no, I don't think there is enough room for 3 cars to pass safely at that spot (depending on vehicle size). I travel home that way from Petersfield in the evenings and often find I have traffic from the village centre bearing down on me - forgetting that actually I have the right of way and too impatient to wait. Having been forced by fast oncoming traffic to kerb my tyres on the bank, (which doesn't help you keep in a straight line) I think I will simply stop my car in future and let them squeeze between me and the parked cars if they think there is room. I expect they will damage both my car and the parked ones before driving off into the sunset. Unfortunately, station parking is the same in every town/village and hasn't our station car park been reduced in size due to the work going on there?

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Barry (10th Jan 2013 - 15:57:03) You are also having this issue because commuters who were parking in the disused carpark of building opposite Countrywide that is now fenced off because of arson , now need to find somewhere else free to park , there were at least 20/25 cars parked there daily.

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - NCP (10th Jan 2013 - 20:43:36) If a road has unrestricted parking, and motorists wishing to park have valid tax, insurance and MOT, then they can legally park. If you buy a house with this facility outside, and you are close to an amenity or facility that people are attracted to, then surely you should take this into account when purchasing your property. Portsmouth Road obviously used to be much busier, being the A3, and frankly when there was the Jet petrol station, a caravan show room, a butcher, a post office and Liphook coachworks, there was not as many residents to be annoyed. Can all of these residents, hand on heart say that they have never parked somewhere that could be annoying to somebody else. Tolerance is needed, or moving to the countryside.

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Newtown Rd resident (11th Jan 2013 - 15:56:08) It's a real problem, I totally agree with Tina, Simon and Julie. Newtown Road is an access only road; commuters should not be parking there leaving no space for residents, 'the influx of traffic from Petersfield heading for Churchers' shouldn't be using it as a short cut to jump the queue wating to turn right onto the Midhurst Road - I believe drivers can be given a verabl warning or fixed penalty if caught by the police for using a restricted road.

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - marian c (11th Jan 2013 - 18:41:41) I agree as a fellow resident in Portsmouth road that it is becoming very dangerous especially as the cars park so close to the driveways it is impossible to reverse into my drive so I then have the added problem of having to reverse out in the morning. I think it would be a shame to put yellow lines outside the houses as this would mean there would be nowhere for visitors to park but perhaps a permit only arrangement or a no parking between 12-1 in the afternoon might deter the commuter parking.

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Kaz (11th Jan 2013 - 19:43:08) I totally agree with Tina and the other replies on this issue except that of NCP, if you have lived in our village for many years over ten, you would not have seen living on this road as a potential problem for parking. We were a small village, with less commuters taking advantage of free parking and this road was a main route to Petersfield. I have visited friends along this road now and accessing their drivers is absolutely awful, you can not see to pull out and believe me the drivers are not keeping to the speed limit of 30mph. I have had many near misses and the car owners causing this problem are miles away all day. I do believe our village has major parking problems look at the Headley road not too far away from the main roundabout. Just needs people to join in parking along the busy Haslemere and Longmoor roads and we will have a full set. All classed as B roads with 30mph but not residential closes or culdesac or minor roads where I would except parking with car tax, MOT and valid insurance is less of an issue.

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Tina (11th Jan 2013 - 20:31:32) Thanks NCP for your comments not really helping what we are addressing. The fact is taxed or not, its the speed that people are going around these parked cars that are making it Very dangerous to use our driveway. I wouldn't consider my house close enough to the station to warrant parking outside of it, its only started in the last couple of years as the village has grown and grown. I don't mind if they park with consideration so that I can see and access my driveway, but this doesn't seem to be the case, and to leave your car there for days on end is not on. Maybe NCP you are one of the culprits trying to justify not paying to park in the station car park. And if I have to park anywhere I find a car park and pay. I am well aware of the fact that the Portsmouth Road use to be the A3, as I said I have lived in the village for a long time and do remember the butchers, Post office, Liphook coachworks and of course the Jet garage, the closer of this has caused some of the issue as when the flats took its place the double yellow lines were not applied back, when they should have been straight away ,then the parking may not have started. Please note the term village which is what it use to be and people had consideration for each other. Cars rarely parked on the A3 being the main road, it still is a main road and has lots of traffic travelling daily up and down it. We are not talking about a little cul- de- sac here. Its a shame that the parked cars don't slow people down in their cars but this doesn't seem to be the case, as everyone these days are in so much of a hurry. 30 doesn't apply to them, like many of the other rules of the road as previously mentioned. The one thing I did forget last time was the use of mobile phones at the wheel, which seems to be very common.

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - R (11th Jan 2013 - 21:34:31) The basic truth is that parts of the 1835 Highways Act are still in force, they state that the purpose of the HIGHWAYS is to allow free passage for people and vehicles. Anything left there on may be considered to be causing an obstruction. One is left wondering why the authorities do not take action on such a plainly worded piece of legislation.

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Tracy (12th Jan 2013 - 09:26:54) Is it just me or is there a common theme going on here with the recent talkback articles below? There's already been one prediction of an accident turn into reality. When will the next one have to be and how many more people have to be put at risk? What is the Parish Council doing about it all? Traffic Bedlam - Headley Road Station Road / Portsmouth Road Junction

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Mary W (12th Jan 2013 - 13:58:43) With all the redevelopment, Liphook is much busier, and will get even more so. I feel very sorry for the people in Portsmouth Road. Matters aren't helped by there being no obvious signing from the A3 to Haslemere. They should sign the lorries via Milford to avoid Liphook centre. All those empty warehouses, or whatever they, behind the shops in Station Road, maybe the Council and the railways should get together and forget about more development of housing until they can sort things out for the existing residents.

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Kevin Jackson (12th Jan 2013 - 16:28:24) Tracy I would think that the answer to your question - What is the Parish Council doing about it all?" is - not very much - as they seem to spend a great deal of time fighting and disagreeing with each other. On the one hand we read in Dawn Hoskins' posting dated 23 November in the Traffic Bedlam Thread and I quote \"The Parish Council have no remit on highways etc.\" On the other hand, Paul Robinson then states in his posting dated 11 December in the Station Road/Portsmouth Road Junction and I quote \" At long last the Parish Council is pleased to announce that in conjunction with the Police and Hampshire Highways we have at last got double yellow lines on the approach to the Station Road junction with the Portsmouth Road.\" So obviously although the parish council do not have a remit they do have input and influence. However it now seems that as a result of their efforts and the actions Police and Hampshire Highways in painting the double lines on the approach to Station Road junction with the Portsmouth Road junction more problems have been created see the Thread Portsmouth Road - Car Park. I wonder how many people who commute and park their cars near the station live within 2 miles of the station. When I was growing up my father who commuted to London daily, walked to the station which was just under two miles away in the morning and walked back in the evening. We did not have a car. So perhaps some of these commuters could walk to the station - I am sure they would be a great deal fitter. In conclusion I would say that if commuters have to park in a road near a station or any other facilitiy, they should park in such a way so as not to inconvenience the residents ie do not park close to driveways etc.etc as I do totally sympathise with residents whose sightlines are obscured when accessing their own property. All that is needed is a little more thought, consideration and courtesy to others. In addition I would advise drivers to SLOW DOWN, particularly in built up areas. It is not rocket science!

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Lovely Rita (12th Jan 2013 - 21:06:03) I expect the people of Milford would be thrilled with Mary W's idea.

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Jane Ives (13th Jan 2013 - 10:18:38) This problem to me is not easily solved. The minute you put in double yellow lines which, in this case, help safety issues at a junction, you just move the commuter parking problem elsewhere. If you extend the yellow lines further down the Portsmouth Road you will probably find that the commuters will just find somewhere else to park. You would also probably upset residents by then stopping their friends/relatives to park outside the houses they are visiting. In effect the solution would be to keep extending the yellow lines further and further from the station until the commuters have too far to walk and choose to use the station parking, and a lot of unhappy residents who cannot park outside their own house. Residents permits seem like a good option until you consider that again they do not help friends/relatives visiting that house, or a 2nd or 3rd car owned by the household. I lived in Guildford many years ago where a residents parking scheme was introduced and we were only allowed one permit in a two car household. It caused such a problem for both us and any visitors who had to park miles away in a public car park and walk. There is clearly an issue with speeding along the Portsmouth Road that has been raised on Talkback a number of times in the past. The parish council have recently joined the Speedwatch scheme and there was a thread posted on here at the back end of last year, and I quote.. " The police are currently moving forward with SpeedWatch Schemes in Alton and Petersfield. Liphook will operate under the Petersfield Scheme. There is now a need to recruit volunteers and a co-ordinator to help operate the scheme and a minimum of 6 volunteers will be needed. Anyone wishing to assist with the scheme will need to make an e- application which is linked to the Police website at www.hampshire.police.uk. The co-ordinator will need to be vetted by the police, but not the other volunteers." I have recently joined the Parish Council and whilst these opinions above are totally personal I would urge anyone with an issue that they would like to raise to come along to a Parish Council meeting to voice their opinions. It would also allow you to be informed about the issues and initiatives that are being dealt with by the Parish Council. The next meeting is on 28th January at The Peak Centre.

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - tony (13th Jan 2013 - 20:58:01) One thing I've seen done elsewhere is yellow lines with No Parking from say 8am to 9am or something along those lines, on the basis that it prevents commuters dumping their cars there without affecting the locals quite so much. On the other question of increasing traffic in the village I would love to see a bypass that cuts out the through routes from Haslemere to the A3 and towards Bordon but I think it would take a lot of money and political will, once the new estates are built there won't be the land available to connect the Bordon/Lindford route to the bypass. You would need to somehow link the Headley Road to the A3 with a new northbound junction on and southbound junction off, the others being taken care of elsewhere. This would need to link south of the existing services to Longmoor Road, round to Portsmouth Road just North of the Links, under the railway to a widened Highfield Lane. I wouldn't imagine it happening soon, however one day the need will become intolerable and will then require even more engineering and money.

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Mike G (15th Jan 2013 - 11:58:40) You are all imagining things. There cannot possibly be a problem because if there were they would not consider building an eco town of 14,000 extra residents 5 miles away without building a new railway station. I wonder how they will get to work.

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - liz (15th Jan 2013 - 13:15:26) Mike Good forward thinking by the so called 'planners' - as always!!

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Alan Pearce (16th Jan 2013 - 15:12:10) Not so very long ago, there was a lot of excitement generated locally, when it was mooted that an answer to the rail commuter issue, would be the re-laying and the re-opening of the branch line from Bentley to Bordon. There would be issues, understandably, as to the original course of same, especially concerning the siting of a new station at Bordon, but having obtained some insider information at the time, the project was deemed feasible! Also if I remember correctly, the developers of this eco-town were thought to be 'contributing'! Has it all lost in the mists of time I wonder? Alan Pearce

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Mike G (17th Jan 2013 - 11:21:17) I think most of the excitement waned when it was realised that the "Rail Link" to Bentley would be little more than a bus on rails and could only open years after the development was complete, if ever. Those not inclined to walk to this facility would probably prefer to drive directly to a mainline station

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - May (17th Jan 2013 - 20:05:55) Please no more buses ............. i cant get in and out of my drive which incidentally has double yellow lines because the buses can not be bothered to go to the bus stop preferring instead to stop blocking my drive and holding up the traffic on station road whether to let passengers to alight or disembark or just because they need to wait for the train link before moving on and yes before anyone asks i have complained to bus company and to highways but it dont make a difference so dont hold your breath

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Richard (17th Jan 2013 - 21:11:58) Try taking a picture and complain to the Police... The camera alone may make them move

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Dawn Hoskins (28th Jan 2013 - 18:52:30) Please come along to the Parish meeting tonight as this item is on our county councillors report. Cllr Cowper is happy to answer questions from the public and it is a good forum to attend if you want to get to know your district and county councillors better. see you there

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Tina (29th Jan 2013 - 19:07:20) HI Dawn Thanks for your invite, but I had prior commitments last night. I was hoping that it was on the agenda as I emailed the deputy parish clerk who said she would bring it up with the relevant people, such as Parish council, Hampshire and the Police. I thought the situation had got better last week but I would love to thank the two commuters who today made accessing my drive and my neighbours drive very dangerous as I can't see as they were both 4X4's. Please be considerate when parking, I hope that Ferris had some good ideas maybe permits or as suggested no parking between 12.00-1.00 to stop the commuters. I hope the parking and bad driving in the whole village was discussed as per the two other threads, school crossing and big yellow helicopter. The crossing at the top of the Portsmouth road is great to get the children to use if, drivers slow down coming over the roundabout, I have seen people drive straight through a red light there, too busy on their phone, plus as previously mentioned the delivery of flowers from Holland that insists on parking at the top instead of an empty layby again this morning. Wouldn't it be nice if people starting thinking about others and taking a little more time and care over their driving and journey's. It would also be great if people slowed down and did the speed limit, it does apply regardless of 7.00am or 7.00pm.

Re: Portsmouth Road-Car Park! - Tina (21st Feb 2013 - 22:22:52) Thought a little update was needed on this matter as we don't want it forgotten. Went past the station car park yesterday at about five ish and guess what there is loads of space in there! It's such a shame that those leaving there cars outside every morning at six thirty still haven't got the idea that the car park is for them to use, instead of waking residents up parking there cars and then making it dangerous all day to travel on what Is a very busy main road,, let alone make it easy for residents guests to park or access driveways. Any chance people might start being considerate

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