Drivers baffled by 'contradictory' parking lines on street

Residents have been left confused by new parking spaces they claim are contradictory.

Locals living on Denmark Road, in Bath, said the new spaces appeared to stretch across people's driveways, with some fearing cars would block homes.

The white 'H bars' access lines, also known as access protection markings, are meant to deter people from parking across driveways, although they are still legal to use.

Resident Mandy Moon told the BBC her neighbour was "confused" and had questioned whether she was allowed to park outside her house now.

Another local added: “I’m worried I’m going to wake up and not be able to get out of my house.”

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Residents also said the street's parking bays on either side were too narrow to drive through comfortably, and some of the parking bays were also curved, making it impossible for cars to fit in them.

In addition, they added a nearby car park was no longer free to use and now charged over £500 annually.

Bath and North East Somerset Council said the road markings were part of a wider scheme to install road parking for residents which have improved other areas of the city.

Cllr Manda Rigby, the council cabinet member for transport, defended the parking zones but admitted planners had faced difficulties due to narrow roads.

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She told Somerset Live: “One of the issues which a zone tries to address is pavement parking particularly in narrow streets like Denmark Road.

“Specifically with Denmark Road we have talked to residents and explained how the markings work.

“The curved bay is only suitable for smaller vehicles but does provide an additional parking space and we would take a common sense approach to enforcement.''

Cllr Rigby added some residents had told her the new parking zones were “improving their streets.”

The white access protection markings are not legally binding and are only meant to indicate the location of an access point.

Therefore, parking against these lines is not considered illegal, and the council cannot issue a penalty charge notice in such cases.