Tuesday saw local residents being given their chance to have a say on parking issues in Brierley Hill town centre when the Community Forum’s open meeting met at Bank Street Methodist Church. Those attending the meeting heard that the introduction of car park charging at Merry Hill was, for legal reasons, some time off. But there are exisiting parking problems in the town which needed to be tackled.
The notes of the meeting are given below.
OPEN MEETING
9TH February 2010
Bank Street Methodist Church
4.30pm –6.00pm
Theme: Parking Issues in Brierley Hill
Points raised:
Current Issues:
- Why aren’t more people using buses now? Need to improve public transport, particularly Sundays.
- Transport Links – public poor – “bone Shakers”; private good
- Why are car parks in Level Street and Bank Street empty? Charges?
- Visitors coming in is good for the future but residents around the Centre already experience parking problems in being able to park in their own roads.
- Could employer’s bulk buy car-parking tickets for staff at discounts?
- Russell’s Hall Hospital – again displacement of cars is seen into local roads (Fens Pool) due to charges. There is a Park and Ride Service for staff at the hospital. This needs to be extended for the Hospital but could this be considered for future plans in Merry Hill.
- Improvements needed on road lay out for buses
- Mill Street junction with Venture Way, Bus gate needs reconsideration, as it is not working.
- Bus 222 gets jammed because of prioritisation of traffic lights.
- Timing of pedestrian crossings on High Street is not right.
- Could we make hopping on a bus easy by being able to pre buy tickets at local shops – “ oyster” type cards.
- Slip Roads – problems around A4036
- Coppice Lane – Merry Hill west to East 2 lanes into 1 lane = problem
Issues when charging is implemented in Merry Hill:
- What will happen for residents in Central Brierley Hill when car park charges are implemented in Merry Hill? Concern of displacement of cars onto local roads near the Centre.
- What will the level of fee be for parking at Merry Hill? What will the cost be of improved public transport?
- Will Westfield recharge the cost of parking to shoppers? As Asda and Concord Market do
- Any plans for Brierley Hill Area in terms of new car parks? Future Plans will seek to increase parking spaces from 14,000 to 21,000.
- Merry Hill in terms of traffic flow is not as bad as in some areas, except peak times such as Christmas. However, charging at Merry Hill could cause people to dump cars on roads outside the Centre and cause traffic build up?
- Commercial Vehicle Delivery times – can deliveries be at specific staggered times out of rush hour to alleviate traffic build up.
- Would employees of Merry Hill have free parking?
- Where else has public transport been used effectively outside London?
- Birmingham has a good system because it is within a radial network of transport links. The aim is to create a radial link around Brierley Hill.
- Metro – what about the use of Round Oak Rail? Tram Train is being considered as an alternative metro using the existing infrastructure of the Stourbridge Junction to Walsall freight line. This could be in place by 2014.
- In the longer term development is there a single IN and OUT Access planned for the Centre as seen in Sheffield and elsewhere?
Just curious about public transport, why do the buses need to use the high street and why cant they now divert around the bypass. I mean if people want to catch the bus its less than a couple of minutes to the next step either side of Brierley Hill.
It would allow people to be safer from large vehicles along the high street.
It would reduce congestion at busy times along the high street too.
Along with this why is there no enforcement of the double yellow lines along the high street. There are constantly vast numbers of people parking their. It’s ridiculous having to weave in and out if you do drive along the high street.
Maybe it’s time to give right of way to pedestrians??