Waveney Road Wortley: Resident's anger over 'risk to life' on Leeds street

Stephen Coulter wants Leeds City Council to take action as he fears the “bottleneck” created by vehicles being parked on both sides of the road is making the street difficult for emergency services to access.

He said: "I was petitioning to get double yellow lines put down on our road - from the top to the bottom. The council said there wasn't a risk to life, which is preposterous and rubbish. There is a risk to life, should an ambulance or blue light service not be able to access the road because there are cars parked on either side.

"They create a funnel, a bottleneck, where vehicles cannot get up or down. I did have a few residents behind me. I'm angry about it. I have a baby and there are other people on the street with children too. It wasn't long ago an ambulance needed access to the top of the street and struggled to get access to the top of the street and was there a while. If blue light services can't get up the street, it poses risk to life.”

Stephen claims his wife was nearly struck by a vehicle while walking with their baby because cars were blocking the pavement, causing her to walk on the road. He said: "My wife was walking down the street with the dog and the baby in the pram. A driver sped down the road and almost hit my wife. This is another safety issue - cars blocking pavements to they can't walk on pavements, they are forced to walk out on the road into oncoming traffic."

A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said: “The request for double yellow lines the full length of this residential cul-de-sac has been investigated. Double yellow lines already exists to protect the junction, enabling unobstructed access into the street.

"Whilst the majority of households on Waveney Road have private off street parking, the level of car ownership is such that some residents have no option than to park their vehicles on the highway. Any on street parking that may obstruct the highway or instances of anti-social driving should be reported to West Yorkshire Police.”