Disabled and elderly residents of a street in Cornwall are preparing to protest against plans by Cornwall Council to stop them parking outside their homes.
The council aims to make the roads around Camborne Science & International Academy safer but nearby residents are angry that traffic calming measures will leave car owners unable to park outside their houses.
Details of proposed traffic calming measures on Cranberry Road, Crane Road, Morrab Road and Cranfield Road in Camborne appeared on lampposts in the area a few weeks ago.
Residents were told to make any objections by May 18 to the plans for double yellow lines, road humps and "build-outs" to ease pedestrian crossing.
The results of a consultation survey will soon be known, Cornwall Live reports.
A number of elderly, disabled and infirm residents who live in sheltered housing bungalows on Cranberry Road are concerned about the impact the measures will have on their lives, saying there will be nowhere nearby to park if double yellows are painted outside their homes. They fear they will either have to find somewhere else to live or be stranded indoors.
The councillor for the area said the work is necessary to make the area safer for the hundreds of children who attend the nearby school, but he's particularly keen to support the elderly residents of three bungalows that would be most affected.
Neighbours who live in bungalows provided by Coastline Housing spoke of their concerns about the proposals being carried out by CORMAC on behalf of Cornwall Council. They worry about being able to get to and from doctors' appointments and also visits from carers if parking is eradicated from the area.
Karen Knight, who has a number of illnesses and uses a motability car, is so upset by the moves she says she's hardly sleeping and keeps breaking down in tears. She said: "I'd have to move if this happens or lose my mobility car which I can't do. I've been up all night crying about this.
"There are seven bungalows, all sheltered housing, all elderly with illnesses and disabilities and two driving motability cars. This will impact on all of us and lots of other people in the area too. This will affect about 50 cars in all, leaving us all with nowhere to park."
Karen is so angry she is organising a protest on Cranberry Road. The entrance to Camborne Science and International Academy is on the street alongside residential properties. She has also created signs saying 'No Double Yellow Lines! Elderly & Disabled People Matter!' which have been put up along the road.
She added: "I'm devastated. I love living here and thought I'd die here, but I cannot stay with nowhere to park. There will only be two parking spaces left on either side of the road which just isn't enough."
Karen has contacted local councillor John Morgan, Camborne Town Council and George Eustice MP asking for support.
Audrey Colwill, who suffers from cancer and COPD, also lives in a sheltered housing bungalow on Cranberry Road: "I'm so angry. Three men from CORMAC were here last week and one of them said of the work 'it's all for the children, not for you', which made me so mad."
Iris Collier, who is almost 80 and lives two doors from Audrey, said: "There won't be anywhere to park at all. I appreciate that children have to be looked after, but what about us who live here?"
Her neighbour David Ridgment has been registered disabled since 1989 and struggles to walk with sticks, relying on a mobility power chair. His car is fitted with aluminium ramps to allow his chair to be transported. He thinks it's a "bloody nerve" that yellow lines would be painted outside his home, meaning his vital lifeline to get out and about will be cut off.
"If my car's not outside then I'm stuffed. I'd be up the proverbial creek without a paddle," added David, 78. "There's a massive pavement across the road. Why can't they create a disabled layby on that?"
A spokesperson for Cornwall Council said: "With more than 1,500 students attending the local secondary school, we are proposing a range of measures to make the surrounding roads safer and easier for people walking in the area - with the aim of encouraging more people to do so.
"This includes new footways and crossing points as well as parking restrictions at key locations where visibility is an issue or where the road is too narrow for people to park safely. As well as making it safer for anyone walking in the area - which also includes a park and the local rugby club - these proposals also aim to improve access for people with visual impairments or mobility issues.
"We are currently analysing the responses to the recent consultation about the proposal and will consider if there are any changes that can be made in light of the issues raised."
Cllr Morgan, Cornwall Council member for Camborne West & Treswithian, added: "The survey isn't in yet and the council is well aware of the situation of the people in the bungalows, so no emphatic decision has been made yet.
"There are almost 2,000 people in that school and those roads get terribly congested when people turn up and park everywhere. You've got children coming out from between cars so we have to make it safer for them but also try not to upset the residents. I'm keen to support the three elderly people whose bungalows are where the yellow lines would extend."
A Cranberry Road Residents' Group page has now been set up on Facebook where concerned neighbours can discuss the matter. Weekly protests are being planned on the street, starting on Monday, June 5.
