An OAP said she was left 'trapped' in her home due to cars parked outside her home, blocking her garden gate. Carol Tabere, 75 said a parking bay at her property meant vehicles were parking just inches from her front gate in Withington completely cutting off her way out.
With no pavement outside the premises, Carol would be unable to leave the home she's lived in for the past 31 years to go to the shops or walk her dog. The elderly woman complained to Manchester City Council and the parking space has now been painted with over double yellow lines, the Manchester Evening News reports.
The space was one of many other bays that had been introduced as part of the Christie Parking Scheme. However, it's most recent extension has been paused and is under review following feedback from residents.
In previous images, it can be seen how narrowly close cars had to park to her front gate to be parked appropriately within the designated lines.
The 75 year old who suffers from narcolepsy and angina and can no loner drive has vocalised her anger about the scheme. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Carol said: "I wasn't being pedantic and complaining for the sake of it, but I don't have a pavement outside my house, so when cars were parked there there was no way I could get out. I was trapped.
"I told them (the council) to send someone out to take a look. People were coming and parking up and everytime I opened my door, I would say 'oh no, not again'. I was constantly going out and putting notes on people's cars asking them not to park there.
"I know it was a lined bay, but common sense would tell you it's right outside someone's gate. My son had said that if paramedics needed to get in the house, they wouldn't be able to, or if the house was to set on fire, I would've been trapped."
The Resident Parking Zone (RPZ) was established in 2015 to address the impact of parking on the surrounding residential areas. However, this caused displaced parking problems in the wider Withington neighbour, coupled with an increase of staff and visitor numbers in the hospital which was what brought about the expansion.
"People didn't think they were doing anything wrong because it was a parking bay. I have had to tell people they are blocking my path, and one man even swore at me when I asked him to move and called me an 'old b***'," she added.
"There were days I would try to go out with my dog, and would have to shuffle past the cars and drag him along past the hedge. The council could've put the spaces on the other side of the road, where there is a pavement and no houses.
"But instead, people come and wallop their doors into my hedge. It's been a nightmare, but when they removed the space I was delighted, because I could finally get out of my house."
Carol said that although the bay directly outside her gate has been taken away, there are still bays further up that are so close to her garden hedge that vehicles are forced to scrape along her bushes. A spokesperson for Manchester City Council said: “Earlier this year the Council informed residents in the vicinity of the new Resident Parking Zone that its rollout was being paused following feedback from the community.
“In the case of this resident, remedial works were carried out to implement double yellow lines in front of their property to prevent future parking.”
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