Stoke-on-Trent City Council has said it will take a zero-tolerance approach to reckless drivers in the city centre area of Hanley following a spate of incidents. Delivery vehicles and taxi drivers have also been using a pedestrian zone on Parliament Row in Hanley as an unofficial area for collections and drop offs.
A spokesperson for Stoke-on-Trent City Council said: “In recent months, we have received multiple complaints from visitors to the city centre, and unfortunately, this includes a pedestrian who was hospitalised following an incident with a motor vehicle.”
Stoke-on-Trent clamps down on selfish parking in Hanley
No serious injuries were reported in relation to these incidents, but the council say they had “no alternative” other than to make the area impassible to traffic by installing planters and granite seating in collaboration with the City Centre Business Improvement District (BID).
This was done, the spokesperson said, because although they “had parking enforcement officers on site multiple times a day, but even penalty charges didn’t deter drivers from parking or driving in the pedestrian area zones”.
Richard Buxton, chief executive officer at BID said: “Parliament Row has been a problem with traffic illegally entering the public realm space for a number of years. Working with Stoke-on-Trent City Council a number of measures have been initiated that will stop traffic entering the street, reduce emissions, and make it a cleaner and safer place for our visitors.”
People wanting to make collections or drop offs in the town centre can use the Charles Street car park, where a new 15-minute free tariff will be available for delivery drivers.
Staffordshire sees rise in road fatalities
In July last year following a county-wide rise in fatal accidents involving pedestrians, Staffordshire Police urged drivers to be more careful and considerate of other road users. Head of traffic operations Superintendent Matt Derick said, “We should all pay attention to those who are most vulnerable on the roads, such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists to make sure we all get home safely.”
There have also been problems with “boy racers” taking to the streets of Hanley, particularly around the controversial Smithfield multi-storey car park.
In 2022, 1,766 people were killed because of road accidents in the UK and 28,941 were seriously injured, deaths increased by 8% on the previous year and serious injuries by 10%.
Police ‘Look Again’ campaign for reckless drivers
The measures put in place by Stoke-on-Trent City Council come as Staffordshire Police launch their ‘Look Again’ campaign in response to 45 people losing their lives on the county’s roads over the past year.
Warning drivers to avoid distractions such as mobile phones and to show consideration to vulnerable road users such as cyclists, the council says: “Whether it’s taking a second look for other road users before pulling out at a junction, adjusting your speed when driving in a busy town centre, or taking a moment to sense check a manoeuvre before you do it, these actions could save your life – and those of other road users.”
