It appears that since Thanet council has done nothing to replace recently lost parking spaces in Margate (Rendezvous Site) that nature has now filled the void and the Market Place in the old town has now become a new car park.
Whilst this is handy for motorists it does seem to detract from a part of Margate which looks better when not cluttered with vans and cars.
Along with an uneven refuse collection service, parking is another one of those policy area’s which hardly bother the local council officers or councillors.
Margate high street businesses have over the years been starved of customers by a two pronged attack, by TDC, on the one hand, the multi story car park in Mill Lane is commandeered Monday to Friday by well paid council staff for free (necessary since many senior staff choose not to live in Thanet) this leaves only expensive short term on street parking patrolled by predatory council jobsworths.
the Harbour arm covered in cars in a completely ugly sight also - and surely some kind of health and safety risk for pedestrian users. is this what the harbour arm company got there re-generation grants for - a lovely new car park`?
ReplyDeleteWell I suppose they could just charge pedestrians to walk along the Harbour Arm.
ReplyDeleteBut as its operated as a business and they can earn from parked cars whats the problem, were not communists are we.
I think the Harbour Arm company have are doing their best.
While you may think that the Harbour Arm company are doing their best - the main theme of your post was that
ReplyDelete"Whilst this is handy for motorists it does seem to detract from a part of Margate which looks better when not cluttered with vans and cars."
Does this setiment not apply to other parts of the town then. Surely the Harbour Arm looks better without a row of cars and vans parked along that as well? it is such a prominent icon of Margate should it be a secondary carpark?.
So, if you are to make a post like that based on your own aesthetic judgment and opinion, why would you condemn another. We may not be communists, but what, a dictatorship?
Its tastefully done, anyhow these are just my opinions, the harbour arm used to be more of a working structure, but and it may be false memory syndrome I recall cars parked in the past in the same location
ReplyDeleteThe harbour arm has had life breathed into it which is more than can be said for much of Margate.
There seems to have been a touch of criticism just for the sake of it in regard to the harbour arm.
Tony... there are vehicles all over the place, I counted at least 6 vehicles parked on pavements the other day... 3 ouside Westcoast and the Rokka van to name a few, years ago my missus got a fixed penalty for parking on the verge at Dane Park, somewhere people have been parking for years, the PC didn't ticket any of the other 20+ cars as he was "showing a new constable the ropes". Needless to say we ended up paying the fine and the Inspector who came to explain the situation (after my father had a piece publised in the local rag) didn't give too hoots at the attitude of the officers at his station.
ReplyDeleteThe council has fecked up as usual, and the Police are obviously targetting some other crime as they don't give a crap about illegal parking anymore.
Lest we forget that the Turner Centre will require parking for its 250,000 visitors every year.
ReplyDeleteA question that was raised at the public meeting, but at the time had not been resolved. I wonder if it has yet?
The new Morrisons store in College Sq will find that customers will struggle to find car parking spaces.One level Mon-Fri of the carpark is also full of freeloading council employee's cars! Isn't it time they contributed finacially for the parking in this time of council cutbacks. They should also be encouraged to use public transport,as advertised, it's greener on the Loop.
ReplyDeleteWell said 8.59 my other half got a parking fine when making a necessary visit to Northdown road, i suggested he could have used more petrol but driven to Westwood and avoided the fee (and fine due to lack of change!) - what sort of message does it send out, perhaps they should cut out the traffic wardens and charges and divert the budgetary amount onto rubbish collection instead?
ReplyDelete