Irresponsible car parkers ruining Littlehampton verges

I am equally appalled by the appearance of large tracts of grassy areas which have been destroyed by irresponsible, dare I suggest illegal, parking of vehicles.

However, I would take issue about the nature of the vehicles causing the damage.

It is my experience that the majority of culprits are the residents’ cars themselves not visiting white vans.

They probably think, quite erroneously, that the grass verge is part of their own property and have nothing to do with the Highway Authority.

The road is 20 feet wide making it quite unnecessary for any car (average width six feet) to mount the kerb. Indeed, a double-decker bus at eight feet in width would have more than enough room to pass and still leave a clearance of six feet.

I am staggered to learn from your correspondent’s letter, that the depth of the damage is a consideration before action can be taken; some of the areas are not far short of becoming trenches. The unsightliness of what is left once all traces of grass is removed leaves one to wonder whether the guilty parties are the actual house owners because clearly kerb appeal doesn’t seem to enter into their heads.

At least one site of such vandalism (what else can it be called?) prompts the following quote:

It is an offence to drive across a footpath (public footway) without an authorised vehicular crossing, also known as a dropped kerb or crossover.

This is because it may cause damage to the footpath or the services (gas, electrics, water) underneath. A licence is required to create a vehicle crossover, for which a fee is payable to WSCC.

Do motorists not realise that, apart from the damage they are causing to the grass verges and associated aesthetics of the road by mounting the kerb, they are also damaging their own vehicles, viz. steering, suspension and tyres (the last suffering an estimated life reduction of some 50 miles each time)? But then, I guess, they really don’t care.

James Algar

Southfields Road

Littlehampton

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