INCONSIDERATE parking has returned along Evendons Lane, prompting a call for parents to get out of their cars.
For the last four years, nuisance parking has been an issue raised by Wokingham Town and Evendons Neighbourhood Action Group, said chair Ken Rowland.
With pandemic restrictions easing, Mr Rowland said parents are driving their children to Evendons Primary School more and more.
This, he said, leads to cars blocking driveways.
“You’re always going to get people rushing about in the car — they don’t give themselves enough time [to walk]. But it’s gotten worse since the lockdown.”
He is urging parents to “get back on their feet” and walk to school with their children.
He believes it would help resolve some of the frustration residents of the lane have.
Cllr Sarah Kerr, Liberal Democrat councillor for Evendons, said one person missed an appointment earlier this month, after being blocked-in on their driveway.
Where Evendons Lane meets Finchampstead Road, there is a short road running parallel, with a dead end.
Also referred to as a banjo, it provides a safe turning space for residents whose homes line its length.
Cllr Kerr said she would like to see double yellow lines on this stretch, as residents living here are struggling with regular inconsiderate parking — also on the weekends.
Parking on dropped curbs and double yellow lines can be enforced by the borough council, and Cllr Kerr said a number of fines have been handed out in recent weeks.
“There are way too many parents not considering it’s a residential area,” she said. “But the answer isn’t just fines.”
She is concerned that adding more restrictions along the entire lane will just “move the problem elsewhere”.
“Evendons Primary School is excellent at encouraging sustainable transport,” she said. “But it’s at the stage where we need the borough council involved.”
She believes some families are “forced into cars” due to a lack of walking or cycling routes to get them safely to school.
Mr Rowland said some footpaths had been installed in fields, to help families on their journey.
This includes a path linking Viking Field with Leslie Sears Playing Field.
“There is a network of footpaths around Evendons, people could use them more,” he said.
Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, executive member for highways at the borough council said she is aware of the issue and sympathises with nearby residents.
She said the council is developing controls to deter poor parking at the end of Evendons Lane and in Tanners Row.
“The school has an excellent record in terms of encouraging good travel behaviour from their staff and students and are aware of the issues in the area,” Cllr Jorgensen added. “They have worked closely with the council’s active travel team, My Journey Wokingham on their travel plan, which contains 75 initiatives to encourage walking or cycling to school.”
The school also won the Modeshift Regional Award for being the best in the borough at encouraging pupils to walk, cycle and scoot to school.
The councillor said they have also installed a temporary chicane outside the school to control speeds, deter through traffic and provide a better experience for people walking and cycling.
She said several Evendons residents took part in a walking consultation, which will be used to inform any changes.
