Garage owner tackles parked car problems

Published on 7th September 2006 in News

The owner of Central Garage in Snaith has hit back at reports that his business is to blame for parking problems on Butt Lane.

Andrew Hannah spoke to the Goole Times this week to set the record straight.

The subject of traffic problems has been discussed at recent meetings of Snaith Town Council. Reports have claimed that excessive numbers of parked cars on Butt Lane are a spill over from Mr Hannah's business alone and that, as a result, the council are seeking double yellow lines on the road to clamp down on cars parked close to Central Garage.

The proposed double yellow lines would go down as far as the junction with Mitten Avenue and cover a stretch of road used by homeowners to park their vehicles. The plans for the double yellow lines are being looked at by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, but have not yet reached the public consultation stage and have not been approved.

Central Garage, which has been open since 1928 and was taken over by the Hannah family in 1961, has off-road parking for up to 16 cars, but due to the garage's popularity there are peak times each month when they have so many cars that some are forced to be parked on the road.

Andrew Hannah said: "The number of cars we get in for MoTs peak during the first week and last week of every month. The garage must be able to cater for these peaks and hence over the past years customers have tended to use the public highway to park.

"Occasionally some of these cars do not have valid road tax. These cars will be in need of an MoT and as any motorist would know you are not able to get road tax without a current MoT so this situation is inevitable from time to time."

Mr Hannah has been in contact with his local ERYC ward member, Terry Allison, Humberside Police and the local health centre in a bid to ease traffic congestion on Butt Lane.

He has put forward several possible solutions to the current problems, including placing double yellow lines to the immediate area of the main junction only, considering moving the bus stop a short distance along Butt Lane making it closer to the doctors surgery (as proposed by Dr Clark at the health centre) and making better use of the road space, and finally by agreeing a voluntary working solution where the garage will deter customers from parking on Butt Lane and actively manage parked vehicle towards one side of the road.

Mr Hannah is due to have a meeting with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the Highways Agency, Humberside Police and Dr Clark at Snaith Medical Centre within the next few weeks to discuss his proposals for Butt Lane.