Bad student parking blamed for near miss

Apr 25 2008 by David Holmes, Chester Chronicle

Bad student parking blamed for near miss

A COUNCILLOR is on the warpath over “irresponsible” parking by students outside a university campus following a near miss incident in which a bus almost collided with a pushchair.

Cllr Adrian Walmsley (Con, Newton St Michaels) received several messages on his answering machine following the incident outside the University of Chester’s Kingsway campus in which he understands a mother and her infant narrowly escaped injury.

Cllr Walmsley said locals believed thoughtless parking was a contributory factor in the near collision, which happened about 11.30am on Monday last week, because it impeded visibility.

The current university car park is too small, forcing vehicles to park on the street, although more spaces will be added soon.

He said: “We have continually asked the University to address this issue and will do so again. It angers me that there is so much irresponsible on street parking.

“I accept that the university is building a car park on the Kingsway site but students must park sensible and considerately in the meantime.”

Driver Gerald Morris, who witnessed the incident, said the mother had little choice but to emerge from between parked cars because of parking “nose-to-tail” on both sides of the road.

Fortunately, the bus driver anticipated the situation and slammed on his brakes to avoid a collision.

“It was an incident brought about by students using Kingsway as a parking lot,” he said. Blaming the university for moving in before adequate parking was in place, he added: “There was plenty of time to programme in proper parking facilities.”

Andrew Morrison, a spokesman for the University of Chester, said: “The university actively promotes alternative forms of transport to staff and students based at the Kingsway Buildings, and those who travel to the site by car are encouraged to park legally and responsibly.

“A significant number of staff and students walk from the university’s Parkgate Road campus to get to the Kingsway Buildings, while others cycle along Millennium Cycle Route 5. A free minibus, which shuttles between Parkgate Road and the site every hour to correspond with the academic timetable, is well used by both staff and students.”