Safety Concerns Over Mosque Parking !
Another week, another problem, and it’s not even Ramadan yet ! As Friday prayers get busier and busier, the Clarion Gate estate and the surrounding roads are becoming increasingly dangerous for both residents and pedestrians.
Marshalls Obstructing The Kings Highway
A recurring problem that the Chelmsford Muslim Society just plan to keep ignoring. The parking marshalls may only operate on the land owned by CMS, and they may not hold or obstruct traffic or walk in the road to do so.
The parking marshalls are there to :
Prioritise traffic flow in favour of residents trying to access their properties
Help worshippers park properly and safely onsite
And yet we’ve received two recent complaints from residents who were held, obstructed and intimidated by parking marshalls. This week’s complaint also included the parking marshalls not even wearing any form of ID or hi vis attire. But what transpired slightly later was even worse.
Leaving The scene of an accident
After Friday prayers, a local resident was outside their property when they heard a loud bang. A car had reversed off the grass verge by the tennis courts and collided with a property on the opposite side of the road.
The resident shouted at the driver to stop, but he drove off from the scene, and pulled into Hamptons to inspect the damage. Leaving the scene of an accident is a criminal offence.
We have seen footage of the accident from a CCTV camera, but we cannot post it or comment further, as the matter is now in the hands of the police.
Hitting the residential property is bad enough, but what would’ve happened if a pedestrian or God forbid a child, was walking on that side of the road. Where were the parking marshalls ?
“We will however park vehicles on our grass verge next to the tennis courts
In an email to a resident, the centre manager Ann Silk, stated “We will however park vehicles on our grass verge next to the tennis courts when we are busy as this land is owned by us. I'm surprised to hear you. had an issue with the marshalls, these gentlemen are very pleasant however I will speak with them”. Perhaps Ann needs to review the venue’s CCTV.
Even at it’s busiest times, the Marconi Club never allowed parking on the grass verges by the tennis courts, to minimise disturbance to the residential properties just 4m away.
Highway Safety Must Come First
It’s just not safe to continue to use the grass verges for parking, and it needs to stop before someone is injured. At busy times there can be 30+ cars parked in this area.
don’t expect any action from the counciL, it’s nearly ramadan
KBO