RESIDENTS in Horrabridge have expressed their dismay at proposals to introduce new double yellow lines in several areas of the village, saying it will have a ‘catastrophic effect’ on local households which have no off-street parking.

Devon County Council has proposed to enforce no waiting at any time in specified lengths of Bedford Road, Jordan Lane, Manor Estate, Station Road and Whitchurch Road in Horrabridge, as well as a number of roads in Tavistock, Yelverton, Dousland, Buckland Monachorum and Bere Alston. The proposals are currently under consultation until November 3.

Graham Stephens, who lives in Bedford Road in Horrabridge, said many of the houses in the centre of the village did not have off-street parking and so residents relied on parking in the streets near their houses.

He said: ‘It’s going to cause mayhem in the village. Invariably there isn’t enough room for residents to park anyway but we muddle along. I think this is going to have a catastrophic effect on local people who rely on on-street parking.

‘There’s going to be a substantial amount of cars that are going to have nowhere to go.

‘In the 13/14 years I’ve lived here I’ve had some difficulty parking but have always managed to find somewhere close by but this is going to change overnight. There will be no waiting, no parking, nothing. It’s very draconian and it is going to put neighbour against neighbour and cause a lot of discord.

‘They’re doing this on the back of minor traffic issues but there’s only been about half-a-dozen in the time that I’ve lived here and they could be easily resolved. Surely they could come up with another solution rather than just a blanket ban on parking?

‘This will not only affect the ability to park, it will affect the selling of houses and possibly car insurance. It’s so short sighted.’

Mr Stephens was also angered at the lack of notification about the consultation, saying that he had only noticed two signs about the proposals — one on an ‘obscure lamppost’ and another at the bottom of a signpost and felt that with something of this stature residents should have been notified in writing.

He said he had spoken to a number of neighbours who had felt the same way about the proposals.

The issue has been discussed on the Horrabridge Noticeboard Facebook page with one person saying: ‘It’s going to make the village worse over Chapel Lane, Greenaway Close up through the village outside the playing park. Don’t think they have thought this through. We are going to be parking wherever we can if these double yellow lines are put down. Yes I agree with double yellow lines outside the old paper shop and the one parking space outside Clowerton Farm. But then if a car is not parked outside Clowerton Farm, they belt up through as fast as they can to get up Jordan Lane.’

Another said: ‘We are well placed to see from our window that it is very rarely bad parking that is the problem in our particular area and more about unsuitably large vehicles blindly following their sat nav into lanes they should never venture near.’

Someone else wrote: ‘How come large tractor and trailer combos always manage to fit through with no difficulties, but car drivers struggle? Yellow lines are not a magic bullet and tend to create more difficulties than they solve.’

However, some agreed that the proposals were a good thing. One person wrote: ‘We have struggled at night with parking to be able to get gritters to turn left over the bridge in Whitchurch Road due to inconsiderate parking of cars and have had to reverse gritters back over the bridge, so I can see why the council is doing this. We have to log each route where parking causes us issues and this has been a problem for a couple of years now.’

Another said: ‘If people parked with any common sense at all, there would be no need for yellow lines.’

Devon County Council has stated in its proposal that the restrictions are being proposed to resolve minor local issues that have been reported to the council. They have also been proposed to avoid danger to persons or other traffic using the road or for preventing the likelihood of any such danger arising, for facilitating the passage on the road or any other road of any class of traffic (including pedestrians) and to preserve/improve the amenities of the area through which the roads run.

Vice chairman of Horrabridge Parish Council Steve Roche said: ‘The lines in Bedford Road/Jordan Lane and those in Whitchurch Road were proposed by Devon Highways due to gritting lorries and buses being unable to negotiate the bends. Horrabridge Parish Council were consulted and agreed.

‘The lines outside the London Inn and those on the bend in Station Road, opposite Walkhampton Road, were requested by the parish council. The lines on Manor Estate were requested by the residents.

‘Horrabridge Parish Council agree that all of the lines are necessary on the grounds of road safety.’

The proposals are available to view at Tavistock Library between 9am and 6pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and on Saturday from 9am to 4pm or on-line at www.devon.gov.uk/trafficorderssearch

Comments can be made until November 3.