A resident is urging the council to put wooden posts in grass verges to stop drivers from ruining them.
Portslade resident Pat Edwards said that drivers have badly damaged the verges in Valley Road by driving and parking on them.
She is being supported in her push for a solution by Independent councillor Peter Atkinson, who represents North Portslade.
The culprits, they said, include council vans and delivery vans as well drivers trying to pass along the narrow stretch on a bend as traffic volumes grow.
Councillor Atkinson called for Brighton and Hove City Council to instal wooden posts on a small stretch of Valley Road between Chalky Road and Wickhurst Road.
Council policy is for residents to pay for the posts and their installation but Pat Edwards is adamant that this should be a council responsibility.
She said: “The verges look awful. When it rains, the mud is spread all across the pavement and is a slip hazard for local residents.
“Most of us are elderly on this stretch of road. It is unfair to expect us to pay hundreds of pounds when we don’t own the verges and we’re not causing the damage in the first place.
Councillor Atkinson said that it could be funded from “section 106 money” paid to the council by the developer of Oak Point, the new estate at the northern end of Mile Oak.
Developer contributions, commonly known as “section 106 money”, are payments by developers towards the cost of community and social infrastructure needed to offset, for example, extra traffic resulting from a new development.
Councillor Atkinson said: “The verges look truly dreadful. And we even had the ludicrous situation recently where OpenReach, having installed full-fibre cabling on the footpath, made good the verge only for it to be churned up within hours as there were no wooden posts stopping vans and cars from driving up on the verge.
“There are double yellow lines on this side of the road but vans often park on the verge for long periods of time.
“This would involve a tiny amount of (section 106) money but would improve the environment for these residents enormously.”
Residents have told Councillor Atkinson that kerb parking and the narrowing of the road close to the junction with Wickhurst Road made the problem worse.
Wooden posts were put in place but have rotted and been knocked over by vans and cars.
The council said: “It is really disappointing that some drivers choose to use verges to park and pass on when moving around the city.”
This is exactly why the council said that it had been pressing the government for the powers to enforce the law when drivers parked on pavements and verges.
The council added: “It may seem that wooden bollards are a solution to the damage this causes. But these bollards are often hit and then require replacement.
“This comes at a significant cost that our limited funding cannot absorb. We are facing an immensely difficult budget situation and will have to agree many million pounds of savings later this month.
“In this context our primary focus has to be on maintaining the safe movement of both vehicles and people around the city.”
Thanks as always to Cllr Atkinson who always is ready to help the residents. I just hope he stands again in May!
He made even rejoin Labour, once all the Momentum fruitcakes have left
You ask for wooden posts? WRONG! If you asked for a cycle lane they would be round in the morning to sort it out.
What’s the point in paying for all this expensive car infra if they’re just going to drive/park on the pavement anyway?
Wooden posts aren’t a good solution, because they rot over time and look unsightly. You want organic things such as planter boxes and boulders. Estate Development Bids are perfect for this.
The problem would be averted if the Council instead of taking a negative view people needing to park on verges took a proactive view. Plastic parking grids exist that stop verges being churned up and allow grass to be less disturbed. They are made out of recycled plastic so a good use of saving the grass and saving the planet. More rules and regulations not needed that’s just called kicking the can and blaming the motorists.