First 15 streets selected for Dacorum problem parking clampdown project
The first 15 streets in Dacorum that are set for changes to address verge parking have been revealed by the borough council.
The verges on problem streets will be strengthened or paved to avoid issues including damage to grass and obstructions to pedestrians and vehicles.
Around 100 streets were looked at by council officers to assess whether they should be prioritised for action, and a final shortlist of 15 has been drawn up. Those streets will now go into the first ‘feasibility and delivery’ stage.
The chosen streets, in order of priority, are: Quinces Croft, Bennetts End Close, Belsize Road, Maple Green, Datchworth Turn, Manley Road, Leven Way, Raybarn Road, Barnacres Road, Hitchens Close, Daggs Dell Road, Micklem Drive, Fennycroft Road, Clover Way and Lomond Road.
Streets were selected based on criteria including current parking levels, the environmental impact of verge hardening, anticipated support from residents, and whether there are any unused parking spaces nearby.
Cllr Robin Bromham, portfolio holder for neighbourhood operations, told a Dacorum Borough Council committee meeting on Tuesday (13 January): “We’ve seen a lot of damage to verges, parking congestion, and we get obstruction of pavements and roads, disabled residents can’t get about, verges have become quagmires and bin lorries [have] missed collections.
“Although it really pains me to be tarmacking or putting permeable hard surfaces where we had nice green space before, I think for the quality of life of our residents, we do actually need to implement this as an interim measure.”
He continued: “The long-term solutions really have to be about the reduction of reliance on cars because this won’t do that to the extent that is really needed.
“We need active and sustainable travel and localised facilities as much as possible, in terms of school and work.”
Cllr Bromham stressed the importance of selecting sites for verge hardening “objectively” rather than through an ad-hoc “lobbying” process, as he suggested had previously been the case.
According to a council officer, it is hoped that the first 15 streets selected for verge hardening can be completed by the end of this summer, and that a total of between 25 and 30 streets can be completed by 2028, when Dacorum Borough Council is set to be abolished and replaced by a new unitary council.
A total of £1.21m is available from the council’s capital budget for the scheme, with a previous verge hardening programme suggesting an average cost per street of around £30,5000. An officer said that any street costing £70,000 or more to complete would be subject to additional “cost-benefit analysis” to decide whether it should proceed.