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Daily Record
02-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Record
Maybole neighbours threatened with fines over 'ludicrous' pavement parking law
Residents on Hutchison Street in Maybole have been left with a parking dilemma as South Ayrshire Council crack down on pavement parking. Residents in a narrow Ayrshire street have been left with a parking dilemma after being threatened with fines. South Ayrshire Council have warned motorists on Maybole's Hutchison Street that they face £100 fines for parking on the pavement. However, homeowners have appealed for common sense as the street isn't wide enough to accommodate parked cars fully on the road and allow access for other residents and emergency services. One Hutchison Street resident, James Harper, is worried that parking problems could spill onto adjacent streets if residents are forced to move their cars to avoid fines. Although there are exemptions to the new pavement parking rules, South Ayrshire Council have not applied any to Hutchison Street meaning motorists could be liable for the fines when enforcement of the policy in the town begins. Speaking to Ayrshire Live, 85-year-old James said the council shouldn't be causing problems when there aren't any. He said: "We discovered our cars had been adorned with a notice to say that pavement parkers would be subject to a £100 fine in line with the Scottish Government's new enforcement of the law. "We had all parked with two wheels on the pavement as we always have done - not through choice but by necessity. Our street is not wide enough to allow us to park on the road and still leave room for other vehicles to pass. "Hutchison Street is a cul-de-sac so there is no through traffic. The trouble is, and has always been, the narrowness of the road. "One vehicle, if fully parked on the road, blocks access further into the street. This means there is no room for residents' cars, ambulance, fire brigade or anyone requiring access. "One bit of good news - through the kind heart and consideration of the operators of this draconian piece of legislation, we will get a discount on our fines if we stump up in less than a fortnight. "Where the hell are we supposed to park? Every driver and effected person in the street has signed a petition asking that, out of necessity, we be allowed to park with two wheels on the pavement as we have always done without any complaints. "This law will have a knock on effect as we all would new have to park further afield and inevitably cause parking problems in adjoining streets. "The streets adjacent to Hutchison Street are all fully parked, there's not a space left in them. If we can't get into Hutchison street, we've got to find somewhere else to park. "We'll jump in whenever there's a vacancy round the corner and that could cause trouble. "It is ludicrous, it really it is. "I don't when they are going to enforce this but there is nothing we can do. "What makes it more difficult is that on the other side of the road from where we park, the steps into the houses encroach onto the road which further narrows the street."
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Yahoo
Industry group calls for federal action on work zone safety
This story was originally published on Construction Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Construction Dive newsletter. Construction worker James Harper, 24, was killed when a tractor-trailer struck him April 15 as he filled a pothole on Interstate 77 between Kanawha City and Marmet, West Virginia. The driver has since been arrested and charged with vehicular manslaughter, according to WSAZ 3. One week since his death, jobsites across the country and public and private organizations are hosting activities this week to raise safety awareness around workers like him, as Monday marks the beginning of National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week 2025. The effort seeks to highlight highway work zones to improve safety for construction workers and motorists alike. Activities include a social media blitz, wearing orange to raise awareness and a moment of silence for those who have died in fatal work zone crashes. This year, The American Traffic Safety Services Association chose the theme 'Respect the Zone – So We All Get Home.' 'It's important to grasp the meaning of this year's theme,' said ATSSA President and CEO Stacy Tetschner in a release. 'It reflects the sad reality that the majority of people killed in work zone crashes are drivers and their passengers. That's why it's critical to put away all distractions, slow down and stay alert when approaching and passing through a roadway work zone.' Indeed, data indicates that motorists are in greater danger of death than workers or pedestrians. In 2022, there were 891 total work zone fatalities, according to the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse. Of those, 136, or about 15%, were workers or pedestrians. And it is a common issue. About two-thirds of contractors experienced a car crash on a highway work zone in 2024, according to a survey of highway contractors by the Associated General Contractors of America and construction software firm HCSS. A little over a third of respondents reported no collisions in their work zones, while 33% said they had dealt with five or more. Respondents to AGC's survey also said they want state officials to act, with the majority saying the states in which they work have insufficient penalties to deter motorists from driving recklessly through work zones. The ATSSA and the National Asphalt Pavement Association are trying to change that, announcing April 17 they will lead a coalition to address work zone safety in the next federal highway bill. 'Over the last year, awareness and education has really been the center point in our efforts on the Hill, making work zone safety top-of-mind for members of the House (Transportation and Infrastructure) committee,' NAPA Director, Government Affairs, Mitch Baldwin said in a release. Contingency funds for work zone safety were originally included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, intended to give contractors access to federal money to make work zones safer. But the rollout of the additional federal share has been slow, Baldwin said in the release, with only three states participating, a statistic that road safety organizations hope to address. Baldwin said one of the goals is to establish a federal working group on work zone safety to bring all these ideas, and the relevant stakeholders, to the table. 'We want everyone on the roadways to get home safely,' Tetschner said. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Yahoo
Beckley man identified as worker killed on I-77, one man arrested and charged
CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS) — A Beckley man was identified as the construction worker killed on I-77 in Kanawha County on Monday, April 14, 2025. According to the West Virginia State Police, at 10:46 AM, Parkways Control received a report of a Parkways employee, now identified as 23-year-old James Harper, of Beckley, being hit by a commercial vehicle that was travelling in the southbound lanes near mile marker 92. The driver of the vehicle was identified at 28-year-old Anvar Sabirov, of Rego Park, New York. Witnesses stated that Sabirov allegedly entered the marked work zone with his head down. Harper was hit while he was filling a pothole. GHSP encourages drivers to drive safely during National Distracted Driving Awareness Month Sabirov was arrested and charged with Vehicular Manslaughter. An investigation into the incident remains 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
