ern's: 'Students are not the only cause of problem'

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

'Students are not the only cause of problem'

WITH hundreds of students converging on the Uplands and Brynmill areas of Swansea as Spring term begins, it is no surprise that parking problems are rife.

And the students themselves are not the only ones who suffer from the influx of extra traffic — as the residents who live there 12 months a year will testify.

Liz Morris, secretary of the Brynmill and Uplands Residents Association, told the Evening Post many residents worry that illegal parking could lead to problems for emergency services.

"We presume the problems we have is mostly students, and we really think it is the responsibility of the university as the students are clients so they should be taking responsibility for the parking problems," she said.

"It is very difficult to get cars along some of the roads in Uplands and Brynmill and if a fire engine or ambulance was called it would not be able to get through.

"If someone is having a heart attack then speed is of the essence, and there are a lot of elderly people living in the area.

"With so many houses in multiple occupation and so many people living in one house, there are simply not enough parking spaces for people.

"A lot of people park their cars here whether they are students or staff of the university and they should realise that it could be a student who needs an emergency service."

The issue of student parking in Uplands and Brynmill — as well as many other problems associated with student behaviour — has been an ongoing one for residents over the years.

And despite the traffic problems, only one street in either Brynmill or Uplands is in the top 20 locations for parking tickets issued in Swansea — Bryn Road.

Ms Morris added: "I am surprised only Bryn Road is in the top 20. Malvern Terrace, Langland Terrace and Trafalgar Place are all bad roads, with Trafalgar even worse because of the school run.

"We have wardens in the area and they have told us they can only deal with certain infringements such as parking in residential spaces.

"Sometimes cars are parked across junctions, which is obviously very dangerous, but apparently only the police can deal with something like that."

Councillor for Uplands, Peter May, said the traffic problems in the area was not simply down to students who live in Uplands or Brynmill.

"The actual population of people living in Brynmill and Uplands and parking there is manageable, but the influx of people on weekdays is when we get problems. Staff and students who do not live in the area park there and then walk to the university, and we have two primary schools in the area as well.

"It is a juggling act but the key to it is enforcement. Weekdays are the problem."

robert.goodman@swwmedia.co.uk