PARKING in an overloaded Newport road is becoming so strained that it is only a matter of time before a serious accident occurs, residents are warning.

Commuter parking has been largely to blame for the increase in vehicle numbers using Frambury Lane and the situation was raised with councillors at the last meeting of Newport Parish Council.

A Newport resident, who wished to remain anonymous, described the road as “complete chaos”.

“It is an accident waiting to happen,” he said. “Every day is a relief that no-one has got knocked over. That may last five years or it could happen tomorrow – something needs to be done urgently.”

The resident said a key factor behind the problem is escalating car parking charges at Newport station which is forcing commuters to park in Frambury Lane, putting more strain on an already overloaded village road.

“It would help if the railways company dropped their prices,” he said. “There is nothing to stop commuters then using Frambury Lane to park between 6.30am and 11pm. Some leave their cars for a few days at a time with little consideration for residents. It is very annoying when you can’t park anywhere near your own house.

“Yellow lines don’t work because there is no-one to enforce anything.

“The garage at the bottom of the road also uses it as a parking bay, while delivery vans and lorries have nowhere to stop so tend to cause obstructions. It is complete chaos, particularly when the school run happens.”

Led by the chairman of Newport Parish Council, Andrew Yarwood, a petition was carried out in May which revealed that some 95 per cent of Frambury Lane residents want something done to ease the situation.

Cllr Yarwood agreed with the resident, admitting that the situation is high priority for the parish council and that their traffic management committee had brought about some change by introducing a 20mph speed limit.

But he stressed that this is the first step, that there is no easy fix, and there is a long way to go yet (There should soon be double yellow lines for the junction next to the primary school subject to an Essex County Council consultation currently).

“We are well aware of what is going on and have been working on this for a while,” he said. “It is very frustrating for residents, but this road cannot be addressed as one issue because there are so many factors involved – it is not a ‘one size fits all’. A scheme that may be right in one part of the road, may not be right in another.”

A number of potential solutions have been mooted, including cichanes, double yellow lines, speed humps, limited parking restrictions and making the road one-way, but Cllr Yarwood said 100 per cent residents’ backing is normally needed to persuade Essex Highways to act, and that they tend to think about single not multiple solutions.

“The simple fact is that the road was not designed for the traffic it has got now. It is going to take some doing to get this sorted out,” he said. “And I fully appreciate that any resulting solution may not be popular with all residents, but that something must be done. I intend to arrange a meeting in the next 30 days for residents to put their views verbally to myself and other councillors.”