Residents in Merthyr Tydfil are angry after yellow zigzag lines were painted directly outside their driveways, leaving them worried about receiving fines for simply entering or leaving their homes. The markings were put down by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council outside the new Blessed Carlo Acutis (BCA) Catholic School, built on the site of the former Bishop Hedley Catholic High School in Galon Uchaf Road, leading from Gwaunfarren Road in Penydarren.
Residents claim they were not consulted
Anthony Brown, who has lived on the street for 26 years, said he and his neighbours had no idea the markings were going to be painted because they were not told directly by the council. “When I saw the markings I went straight down to the council office to see what was going on and why we had not been told anything about them,” he said. “They obstruct our drives because we have to stop and wait on the zigzags just to get out of our homes.”
Mr Brown said he asked to speak to someone at the council and was told a notice had been put up on the school gates, but he and his neighbours did not see it. He also claims the markings were painted on August 21, but were not officially signed off until a council meeting on August 24.
Fear of fines
Residents are concerned about the council’s CCTV enforcement vehicle, which drives around and records number plates of cars parked illegally at zebra crossings, bus stops and zigzag markings around schools. Mr Brown worries that if the vehicle passes while he is entering or leaving his driveway, he could receive a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) demanding up to £70.
“Technically that would be a traffic violation,” said Mr Brown. “They (the council) have said that because I live there they should be able to squash or reverse a penalty notice. But what about someone coming to visit, what are they meant to do? I have no objection to the school being built across the road, but we as residents should have at least been told about these zigzag lines. The council will not answer our questions, they just fob you off.”
Council response
In a response to Mr Brown, Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council said: “A notice of intention appeared in the press on July 30. Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) notices were also put up on the site - these notices required any objections to be made to our head of legal, Geraint Morgan, by August 31. No objections were made within the statutory period - the TRO was made on August 24 and came into force on August 31.”
Regarding the claim that the zigzag lines were painted before the TRO was in place, the council added: “This is routinely the case and the markings merely enable the authority to enforce the TRO once the TRO has been made and comes into force.”
