One-way system
The new one-way system in Stornoway is causing trouble and chaos.Today I just managed to avoid going down Lewis Street the wrong way (it is one-way only between Francis Street and James Street) and went down Keith Street instead.
It was a bit of a shock to get used to the ability to drive on either side of the road, but it was definitely more of a shock to see a car heading up the road toward me. No amount of waving or flashing of lights was able to dissuade the woman from continuing in blissful ignorance.
At the foot, I placed myself in the right hand lane to turn towards South Beach and I found myself waving frantically at the cars signalling to turn into Keith Street. A mere 10 yards down the road, I was flagged down by a marshal for the half-marathon and asked to turn around in the Health Board and head back the other way.
Having made a three-point turn I came back to the foot of Keith Street to see the marshal directing all the traffic the wrong way up Keith Street.
At this point I must apologise to the marshal as neither of us often use that kind of language in public, but as he was utterly unaware that the road was one-way, despite the enormous no-entry signs, it was the quickest and easiest way to draw his attention to the situation.
Later, coming up the new Lewis Street one-way section, the absence of simple signage meant that cars were leaving the right-hand lane of the one-way system and crossing Francis Street to drive up the two-way section of Lewis Street on the wrong side of the road.
It's a mess and dangerous until the foot of Keith Street is clearly segregated into a left and right filter lane (and an island to emphasise the point?), and the small section of Lewis Street has a right only filter lane at the top.
Until then drive very carefully, and expect the unexpected.
Update 25/5 at 5pm: UBC van exits Lewis Street onto Francis Street, having come from Bain & Morrison, and crosses straight over and down the one-way section the wrong way.
(Don't get me started on the parking changes....)
20 comments:
Typical is'nt it of this half baked council, they keep reminding us that they could not organise a booze up in a Brewery !!
Chaos will reign. What for the double yellows along South Beach in front of the Calley? There was enough room for two lanes of cars in addition to the line of parked cars. When Stornoway Harbour upgrade No 1 pier that carpark will be lost and if the Free Church develop their ground there will be just one answer left - pull down the town hall to make room.
I think I can invent a big yellow sign, with black letters reading 'new road layout ahead'....what...- you saw one like that in Glasgow twenty years ago? Obviously the council have used the same non-driver that was responsible for all the white paint spilled in the centre of the Harris road last year to signpost the changes (improvements?- judgement reserved for now!) to the parking in SY.
The council dont seem to came about the local businesses, first not tell people about being able to get a reduction in their business rates, then make sure they charge businesses for getting their bins uplifted now taking away more parking spaces. Its hard enough to find parking as it is, imagine what it will be like when more tourists appear.
If customers cant get parked near shops they will just give up finding parking & get what they wantd elsewhere or online, So even worse for the local economy.
Thanks to the council making it harder, now restricting parking in bayhead. How about getting rid of the cars dumped in bayhead weeks upon end with for sale signs on them? That would free up alot of parking spaces for us customers.
Has anyone yet be subjected to Pinky and Perky standing in front of your car as you pull up to a one hour parking zone and recording your details?
An old lady just stopped and stared at them, wanting to know why they were taking such a big interest in my car, making me feel (and look) like a criminal.
I wouldn't worry about the tourists taking all the spaces. If they keep that practice up then no-one will dare to come into town for fear of being publicly recorded....
As anon 8:31 rightly points out this system is anti local businesses. Now you cannot park outside your own business and anyone who wants to shop in town has an hour maximum to do so.
Did anyone object about the plans with the Council. I did and was pretty much told to f*** off as they were going to do it anyway.
When's the next election?
Whatever happenned to the hydrogen powered tram park and ride system that fronted in the gazette some time ago. It was all very sci-fi and funky.
Were the Stornoway Trust not promoting that? Would it do a church run on Sundays?
I think my new pressure group the LDOS - leave Drivers Out of Stornoway will have many members, Now I'm off to find a gay skipper for the first Sunday sailing :-)
As most of the Maws coming to town havent got a clue what road signs are maybe the Council thought it was a waste of money to warn them. they just park oblivious to any legal notice, were ever they want anyway. If not on the pavement.
Could we not ban cars from the centre of Stornoway completely?? Would make it a much nicer place to be.
Build a multi-storey car park somewhere well out of sight on the outskirts of town and have shuttle buses running in and out from there.
The fact that the council's recent shuttle bus experiment was a failure (surprise, surprise) shouldn't deflect them from the obvious fact that this will eventually become a necessity.
The growing amount of space taken up by private cars in Stornoway, in car parks, on the streets and even in pedestrian precincts, is shocking and makes the town really ugly. As for the bozos that leave their 'for sale' cars on Bayhead day after day, the council should clamp 'em and fine 'em.
how does leaving your car for sale there make you a bozo? There was previously parking space for probably 20 cars. now there is space for about 10. Why was this area redeveloped anyway. I reckon mr kiwi has a hand in some of these responses as i know he feels a threat from the cheaper cars on the street. Its high time the council sorted it out anyway, its a disgrace and becoming dangerous. Road rage is now too common in stornoway with drivers getting frustrated at each other due to failings from within the white house. Boot these people out and bring in people for WHAT they know and not WHO they know. The council is like an old boys club. HR even employ their spouses! Council is an absolute joke unless you are fortunate to have a cushy wee number there!!!
wimh now can't park where they used to - on the same side of the street as their offices. They now are only allowed to park for an hour - despite (verbal) assurances that they would continue the lines on the other side of the road - And people wander why i like things in writing(!)
If you live (or work) in town WTF are you supposed to park if not outside your house or your office??
What the hell are you getting at? Next you are going to tell me that I have to get the bus everywhere I travel, well sorry but it doesn't go when I need it to (including Sunday)
How can any1 run a successfull business when the council do everything they can to try and make it as hard as possible!! As if it was not hard enuf with the down turn in the economy, they try and stop every1 from gettin parked outside the local shops. Its time something was done about the people that are trading for free by leaving their cars for sale right out Bayhead leaving very little parking for shop owners and residents in the area, As they are unable to park outside their own premises!! Maybe should ask the council to allow the cars then they would soon put a stop to it!!!
Good luck to the people who have their cars for sale on Bayhead, bargains to be had there but not I assure you in the showroom across the street.
From one who knows all the tricks on selling overpriced second hand cars.
The cars parked on bayhead provide badly needed competition for the benefit of the public, about time you got used to it.
As an incomer to Scotland and therefore to Lewis does anyone know if this sort of legislation applies here as it cures the problem ‘down south’, and would resolve many of the complaints on this Blog about Bayhead. If Scotland doesn’t have any law like this, just maybe we could take a leaf out of that other Governments book and do something similar in Scotland.
1:32, showrooms have plenty of competition from private sellers using traditional methods of selling, i.e. by word of mouth, by advertising in a newspaper or online, without the vast majority of sellers feeling the need to turn Bayhead into an impromptu car mart.
The council doesn't have the balls to do anything about it, which is not entirely surprising.
I bought my last two cars on Bayhead and it's a much needed thing, an open market like that. Word of mouth... yeah right. Doesn't have to be Bayhead but if parking is at such a premium (and I got parked there today easily) the council could designate another spot. If it IS illegal in Scotland, it shouldn't be, just as selling your car privately through the paper should never be illegal. Of course the govt would like to funnel it all through tax-paying small businesses and squeeze us further.
Its not very often that you get parked easily on Bayhead, especially on the side of the road opposite the shops. Its a disgrace that these people are getting off with selling the cars there and trading on the street without a licence. If they get off with it then why should all the businesses out there pay rates and also is there any point in the burger van having a street traders licence!!
Clamp the 'for sale' cars on Bayhead, or haul them away, and fine the owners for recovery. They are disadvantaging all the traders across the road and making the place ugly.
If the council are serious about the regeneration of Stornoway, they need to deal with this kind of problem early on.
Post a Comment