Border Telegraph | News

Saturday, 17th May, 2008

Published: Wednesday, 20th February, 2008 11:30

Car-bunkle

By Caitlin Smith

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SCOTTISH Borders Council employees’ cars are taking over a village, it has been claimed.

Residents say serious improvements need to be made to parking in Newtown St Boswells.

And they claim cars are causing a “massive problem” by parking “all over the place”.

Speaking after the Eildon Area Committee meeting this week, George Luke, chairman of Newtown and Eildon Community Council, said that around 600 council staff cars went in and out of the village everyday.

“They are parking on grass and across pavements. It is a massive problem,” he said.

Secretary Raymond duBois said he would like to see the council doing more to limit the number of cars travelling daily to headquarters.

He said: “SBC is a definite presence in the town.

“They’re like a malignancy that has grown and grown over the years, bringing more and more cars in. They’ve taken over the primary school and the headmaster’s house.

“The roads department has built the Reiver Complex, as well as new carparks, but despite this, I see cars parked all over the place.

“They park on the pavement in the village carpark so they block the path leading to the Co-op shop.

“And while an able-bodied person would step around the cars, if there is someone with a buggy or a mobility aide then they have to go all the way back round.”

Mr duBois said the council had been looking into car-sharing but nothing has apparently come from it so far.

He also suggested running a bus service to pick people up from other towns which would save them bringing in their cars, as well as reducing pollution.

“Having the council here does bring business to the village, but at the weekends it’s like a ghost town and because we have to accommodate so many cars, when they aren’t there it looks like the whole place is made of tarmac,” he added.

The issue was raised during the community council spotlight section of the meeting.

The local representatives also called on police to do more to enforce the law and take action when cars were parked erratically.

Community councillor Roger French said they had counted 576 employee cars around Newtown on February 12 and that this was the average number of vehicles entering and exiting each day.

A council spokesperson said: “We have arranged to have the Auction Mart Car Park (officially called the Railway Station car park) earmarked in the budget to increase the number of cars it can accommodate.

“Hopefully this will take some of the staff cars off the roads around the council offices.

“SBC is working on a Staff Travel Plan, having signed up to Tripshare last year to encourage council and non-council travellers to make the most of car sharing.

“Employees are also being encouraged to sign up for the cycle-to-work scheme,” she added.

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