Let Mablethorpe be a warning to you.

Life since Pickles.

How cheating councils can misuse regulations to get around government's (Eric Pickles') 10 Minutes Grace Rule.

Welcome to Mablethorpe

All round the town of Mablethorpe, even in side streets, kerb stripes have appeared.

 This is a misuse of a regulation which is intended only for locations, where roads have narrowed, there are central reservations, or on bends and corners. 

These kerb stripes are not discretionary, no time is allowed and it's an absolute offence to be on them. No loading and unloading whatsoever is legal and customers cannot stop for short periods as allowed on yellow lines. Unlike even the one above, the Mablethorpe ban is every day throughout the year and in some cases 24 hours too.  In effect, Mablethorpe is in commercial lock down. So the private company dishing out tickets can do so 24/7.

I have tried, to no avail, to get the councillors behind this, to get them removed as they are an abuse of the system.

The history of the issue is that because yellow lines were very labour intensive to police- the precedent was 20 minutes allowed to be on them- police just lost control and councils thought they could take the job on. How they imagined that they could police Lincolnshire with just 30 wardens when the whole police force, with their massive resources couldn't, just indicates how uninformed councils could be. So councils have had to cheat. Give instant tickets on yellow lines contrary to regulations and purpose. The Government stepped in and told them, 'no more instant tickets you must give 10 minutes on yellow lines.' So I don't think it's a coincidence that the misuse of the kerb stripe system, another manifestation of cheating, is being used. But to lock down a town is not in anyone's interest.

The excuse being given to me is that it is as a result of complaint from a few anonymous whingers. But what was wrong? Were accidents being caused by yellow lines? Was Mablethorpe, High Street, Victoria Road in regular grid lock? What about the side streets? Were they grid locked? Of course the yellow lines were always occupied by people going about their business; so long as they moved on that was the idea of them. To give an idea of the enormity of this change: Blue Badge holders had previously been allowed to safely park for up to three hours on these very same roads and now they are banned.

The county councillors, who we vote in to do these jobs for us and who have instigated and  fallen for this kerb stripe stunt, are now saying that it is for me to get a massive petition to reverse it. Yet how come just a few anonymous people were enough to cause it in the first place? But what of the Town Councillors? 'Not us guv. It's not our concern what goes on in our town' So why did they stand for council if anyone else can impose this on them? It's for them to get an action going. It's their town being screwed.

I have informed the councillors that these stripes are a misuse of a regulation and not in the interests of Mablethorpe at all. They are in the interests of the firm that the LCC have contracted to issue parking tickets though. 

No loading at anytime sign. Even Sundays

Now have a look at your town and see if the same ruse is being used there. It's easy. Kerb stripes should only be where the road is narrow, a corner, or opposite a central reservation otherwise we may as well save millions in time and paint and not bother with yellow lines at all and replace them with stripes. If they are like these pictures too, then start having a go about it for goodness sake. Councillors must learn that all voters depend on drivers as do their towns. And don't let councillors pass the buck. They stood for election to serve the community and should be protecting us from such abuse. 

And here is a total contradiction. If a street can sustain any sort of bay, then clearly there is no question of danger or a traffic flow issue there. Here are kerb stripes with bays among them!