Road being used as car park

I would like to draw your attention to the amount of vehicles using and being parked on the upper part of Dover Road, Folkestone. I am referring to the short stretch that exits Dover Hill B2011 down to the junction with Wearbay Rd and Dover Rd A260 near to the Baptist Church. The road has a 30mph speed limit.

This short stretch of road known locally as “Upper Dover Rd” is not a “primary route” and therefore is recognised as a “C” class road. The Department for Transport website, Guidance on road classification and the primary route network states an unclassified road will generally have very low significance to traffic, and be of only very local importance. Our road is two way but only allows vehicles entering at the bottom of the road to travel up to the “No Entry” signs before they have to turn around and come back down. The west side of the road opposite the side where the houses are has hedgerow ubutting the pavement. There are no restrictions for parking on that side of the road other than heavy motor vehicles.

The volume of vehicles of all classes using upper Dover Rd as a cut through from the B2011 to join the A260 is growing unacceptable. The noise that is generated by the traffic, the pollution and the damage to walls and road surfaces through vibration and use is evident. I have previously sent video footage to the Council showing heavy vehicles entering the road from Dover Rd A260 and travelling up the road thinking they can join Dover Hill B2011 only to find that it is a no entry. They then have to go through the noisy and time staking process of trying to reverse back down the road because they can not turn in the small area at the top. Some vehicles actually just continue up and through the no entry signs only to be confronted by traffic coming towards them which is quite clearly very dangerous. Although the curb side parking on the west side of the road has always attracted drug users, people exchanging all manner of things, unexplained liaisons, overnight camper vans, heavy goods vehicles laying up, businesses parking vehicles for weeks, months on end and even the disgusting consequence of people defecating and urinating in the hedge it has clearly become more noticeable over the years that the area is in fact now actually a horrible and unsightly place and very unpleasant for the community that live between even numbers of 280 and 322 Dover Rd.

I am pretty certain I speak for most when I ask for help in tidying up our district. I personally think the following would be of huge help to the community whilst still allowing the main day to day activities of general road users to utilise the road.

To limit heavy vehicles utilising the road as a cut through by placing weight restrictions on the slip off of Dover Hill B2011 where it joins Dover Rd and also at the bottom by the Wearbay Rd junction near the Baptist Church. This will limit noise and traffic and ensure that most of the business lorries continue on the primary road networks (A260 / B2011) that border our small road. This is essentially what should happen in any case.

To limit businesses and other disruptive anti-social users parking their vehicles on the west side of the road adjacent to the wooded area, introduce a single yellow line the length of the road from the Baptist Church to the no entry signs allowing daytime parking between 9-5. These are simple and effective solutions that are not going to challenge the budget too much but would assist in improving the quality of life for the residents and tidy the area up no