ILLEGAL parking at a hotspot in Rugby town centre has been causing more dangerous incidents.
Warwickshire County Council is urging drivers to avoid unsafe and illegal parking at bus stops outside shops in Clifton Road following recent incidents.
In February, a bus was unable to park at its stop due to a blockage caused by several parked cars. When the driver attempted to pull away, a car pulling out of Moultrie Road tried to overtake the bus and hit the front of it, causing damage – although nobody was injured.
There have also been a number of instances where cars parked in the bus stop have tried to pull out when the bus was double parked, putting passenger safety at risk.
The council launched a crackdown on ‘consistently inconsiderate and illegal’ parking at the town centre end of the road in early 2024 following a number of collisions and near-misses – including one in which a bus driver was injured as he got off his bus which had been forced to double park at the designated stop.
The council is advising residents that parking enforcement is set to increase at the busy section of the road between Railway Terrace and Bath Street, making it increasingly likely that anyone parking there illegally will be fined.
In just over a year, there have been 173 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued on Clifton Road, with 94 of those issued to cars parking in the restricted bus stop area.
The council is reminding residents that parking at bus stops is strictly forbidden and that anyone caught doing so is liable to be issued with a PCN.
Mark Ryder, Warwickshire County Council’s Executive Director for Communities, said: “The current situation of cars parking temporarily in the bus stop cannot continue. The consistently inconsiderate and illegal parking along the Clifton Road of drivers using the shops has left us with little option.
“While enforcement is always a last resort, the actions of a small minority of drivers are putting other people’s safety in jeopardy. That is unacceptable.
“We will work with our partners at the police, step up our monitoring and will not hesitate to fine inconsiderate drivers.
“We are committed to supporting local businesses on Clifton Road and will work with them to ensure their customers are able to park safely near to their shops.”
Drivers looking to visit supermarkets, bars and takeaways in the area are advised that legal parking is available nearby at Moultrie Road, Gas Street car park, Railway Terrace car park and John Barford multi-storey car park.
Visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/roadsandtransport for more information about roads and transport in Warwickshire.
