AN ARTICLE in last week’s paper stated that the council felt parking restrictions would “guarantee” a solution to problems around the Pencoedtre Splash Pad.

There has been some misunderstanding as such restrictions would not.

The Pencoedtre Splash Pad has been a great success and the majority of those who have travelled to the area to enjoy it have parked responsibly in the Pencoedtre Fields Car Park or legally in the local area.

Sadly some visitors have not and have parked their cars irresponsibly in surrounding streets.

Parking restrictions could be introduced to help combat this but they are not a silver bullet and we would not want residents to be misled into thinking this was the case.

The reason for this is that parking restrictions alone often result in irresponsibly parked vehicles moving to the nearest alternative parking area; exactly what is happening with the temporary traffic cone arrangement currently in place.

Restricted parking along a section of St Brides Way could help to address the issue.

However, residents should be aware that such an order would displace some nuisance parking to nearby streets.

In the event of this occurring we could not take steps to restrict parking over a wider area without causing further problems for local residents and their visitors.

The council is currently using a number of methods to manage the issues that are affecting the area.

New road signs have been installed to direct traffic and we are in the process of extending car parking arrangements currently in place at Pencoedtre Fields.

We are confident that these measures along with the enforcement of parking restrictions will allow all who want to visit the site by car to do so in a safe manner, whilst also alleviating the problem of parking being displaced to nearby streets.

Miles Punter

Director of Visible and Housing Services

Vale of Glamorgan Council