A seaside town has decided to crack down on holidaymakers, with a fresh ban put in place thaat could risk certain vehicles being towed away away. East Suffolk Council has commissioned Suffolk Highways to implement an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order, operational from today (July 7).
The shake-up will introduce dedicated parking bays for disabled badge holders with a three-hour time limit “to ensure they can be used by all those who need them”, the council stated. The order includes the creation of ‘cars only’ parking bays along both sides of Undercliff Road East, which will not have a time limit to enable longer stays. These effectively excluding campervans and motorhomes from the stretch.
Cllr Tim Wilson, East Suffolk’s cabinet member for Economic Development and Transport, said: “These road improvements, which directly address concerns raised by the local community, will provide more parking spaces for cars and motorcycles, as well as additional parking for drivers with disabilities.
“Undercliff Road East is unsuitable for the high volume of large vehicles which visit during the summer months, and these layout changes will encourage these vehicles, including campervans and motorhomes, to find alternative parking.
“Not only will these improvements reduce the impact of large vehicles parking in this area, but will also create additional parking opportunities for car drivers, including those with disabilities who may have a greater need to park closer to their destination.”
Cllr Paul West, Suffolk County Council Cabinet member for Operational Highways and Flooding, said: “This work is to facilitate Felixstowe Town Council and East Suffolk Council’s request to put this Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) in place along Undercliff Road East in Felixstowe.
“They have identified this as an ongoing issue along one of our attractive coastal roads in Suffolk for some time, whereby campervans have been able to dominate the promenade, damaging the footways and limiting opportunities for residents and visitors to access the beachfront easily.
“The ETRO will also help to protect the safety of all highway users by reducing the impact on visibility of large vehicles being parked close to junctions and on a narrow section of the road.
“Leading on the project, Felixstowe Town Council and East Suffolk Council have been able to accommodate all in this situation, with the ETRO issued by Suffolk County Council, hopeful of a lasting solution for the residents of the town, and the campervans who have been offered an alternative parking solution.”
Cllr Seamus Bennett, Felixstowe Town Councillor for the Felixstowe Central ward said: “Overnight camping and parking of motorhomes and campers on Undercliff Road East has become excessive, with dozens of very large vehicles parked for days or weeks and effectively turning this stretch of seafront road into a free campsite, which it was never meant or equipped to be.
“The measures being introduced only apply to such vehicles and were agreed upon and put forward by Felixstowe Town Council.”
