Queensbridge road

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Permalink Reply by Sarah-Jane on June 17, 2011 at 19:50

I used to work at Uffculme - the random parking on/off the pavement making the road very narrow for two lanes of traffic can make it a bit hair raising. Also idiot parents dropping off kids and pulling away without looking, but that's not a unique feature of Queensbridge school!

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Permalink Reply by David on June 17, 2011 at 20:03

Thanks Sarah,

Are the idiot parents on one, the other, or both sides of the road?

Do you have any thoughts as to what you'd like them to do instead, e.g., use the school car park?

Ditto for the on/off pavement parking.

Preferred solutions?

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Permalink Reply by Sarah-Jane on June 17, 2011 at 20:29

The idiot parents do what they like, where they like - I live opposite one of the KE Grammar Schools and the same problems there. I would prefer them to make their own way to school - they're certainly old enough and I would have died if my mum had come to pick me up from school when I was 16.

Uffculme is a training centre and so has varying amounts of people using it, but the site has plenty of parking, with more behind the main building, but people can't be arsed to look for it. If people could cycle or make the most of the frequent bus service in Europe that stops nearly outside, even better.

The way people park along there buggers things up for both road and pavement users on what is quite a busy road.

There are cycle racks at Uffculme but it's where all the smokers hang out - I wouldn't mind so much much if they didn't sit or lean on my bike while doing it...

End of rant.

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Permalink Reply by David on June 17, 2011 at 20:48

Okay, good stuff. Am surprised that there's plenty of parking and a bike rack at Uffculme! Will have to investigate. BTW, is it true the canteen is open to the public?

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Permalink Reply by Sarah-Jane on June 17, 2011 at 20:54

It's very true and cheap too - cooked breakfast, toast etc, proper lunch and some of the veg is grown in the garden by patients. There's also free tea and wifi in the main hall but don't tell anyone I told you that.

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Permalink Reply by David on June 17, 2011 at 21:42

Good, I'll be going along for breakfast/lunch in the next two weeks, and will look for the veg!

 

Now, back to the school run (or should that be school hit & run?) and the parking: anyone else got a word to say about it?

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Permalink Reply by LS on June 17, 2011 at 22:44

My son is at Queensbridge, I sometimes give him a lift to school if he's going to be late*. I hadn't ever noticed a problem at 8.45 but I recently dropped him off later after a dental appoinment and was quite surprised to see cars parked on the road/pavement which aren't there at evenings or weekends. I thought there might be a one-off event happening and the car park was full. I didn't realise it was a regular occurence?

 

I think we all know what the solution should be... concrete over Highbury Park for car parking and make the road a dual carriageway to solve congestion.

 

 

*he sits on the pannier rack, what do you take me for?

 

 

 

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Permalink Reply by David on June 17, 2011 at 22:53

LS, what would you say about the idea of asking Uffculme to make more effort to have people use the internal parking?

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Permalink Reply by LS on June 17, 2011 at 23:01

If the cars are from people at Uffculme then absolutely. Cycling down there is not pleasant as cars go pretty fast and overtake close. Parked cars make it worse and also parking half on the pavement blocks pedestrians with pushchairs, wheelchairs etc. Pavement parking is out of control in Birmingham.

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Permalink Reply by Sarah-Jane on June 18, 2011 at 9:02

The afternoon school run is particularly bad, with parents parking and making dangerous turns in the road without looking made worse by all the parked cars.

Slightly off topic, but demonstrates the issues: returning home after a rare trip out in the car, I couldn't get onto my own drive because of one of the many 4x4s waiting to pick up kids from the school opposite. After much gesturing, the woman finally said to me "Can't you turn round somewhere else? I'm waiting for my daughter". When I told her that I lived there she looked utterly amazed that the pavement and driveway was there for any other purpose than the school run. Sorry, I said I'd ended ranting.

The problem with Uffculme is that its activities vary, so some days are busier than others and it's not people who use the centre every day parking there mainly. There's always Yew Tree Lane - it's wider, quieter and there's a gate to the main entrance off Queensbridge Road.

Smashing idea to concrete over Highbury Park LS - far too many green spaces in this city.

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Permalink Reply by David on June 19, 2011 at 22:00

Sarah,

what gate to the main entrance is that?

 

Or are you referring to the Four Seasons/Chamberlain House car park?

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Permalink Reply by Sarah-Jane on June 20, 2011 at 8:12

There's a small door off Queensbridge Road in the wall almost directly opposite the main entrance to the main Uffculme building. It's actually where pedestrians are meant to go into the site so that they don't have to walk across the car park. You've probably passed it no end of times and didn't realise it was there.

I used to work for a theatre company who moved offices to a building on site in January, and I used to take the company van out during the day and almost always found a parking space when I got back. There are odd days when they have a big conference or whatever, when it can be an issue, but most days, I think people could just park a bit better! They are starting to do weddings etc there so the same issue will happen at weekends.

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