Perils of bad parking

Dec 13 2007 by Val Javin, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

PARKING is often a contentious topic whether that be on lack of availability or cost.

Now there’s a far bigger issue being raised about just where people leave their vehicles. Some, it seems, are doing the one thing that could cost far more than inconvenience or financial difficulties. How you park your car could actually endanger someone’s life.

Who says so? The firefighters who have to negotiate our streets, often in the worst possible circumstances when they are called out to potentially life threatening situations.

The fear is that so many cars are parked in many streets without thought to whether an emergency vehicle could get through.

The firefighters point out that a delay of just one or two minutes could have serious consequences.

They see this as a growing problem in a town where there are many narrow streets and many homes with more than one car.

But look around many local streets and you will see that it is not just where these two things combine that there is a problem. All too often on our roads we see vehicles double parked without thought for the potential dangers caused to other drivers and it seems to those at risk in cases of emergency. A little more thought, and yes, in some cases, a touch of inconvenience may go a long way.

Isn’t walking just that bit further to your car a small price to pay for leaving the road clear enough for an emergency vehicle to get through to help those who need them?