General Discussion
Loading bays
Just noticed the parking signs outside Bastons, Loading Only 0900/1200 surely most deliveries have already taken place by 0900, so we lose three pulic parking spaces until after 12 noon, having already lost the majority of public parking spaces does not make a lot of sense to me, but will for the CEO's
Have had a look at a newsletter sent out to traders from the Town Centre Manager, there will be 20 spaces including 2 disabled, in addition 6 more after 12noon + 3 for collecting/dropping off outside the Coop. Whoopee!!!
@user4549 It is unrealistic to presume that most deliveries will have taken place by 9am. You only have to have a quick look at most town centres to see the number of deliveries that take place throughout the day. Having loading only bays even for the morning will assist those businesses that do need deliveries during the day - but I bet that (as seems to be the case anyway) most people will just ignore the fact that they are loading only and park there anyway. Just a few weeks ago I waited for about 20 minutes in a queue of traffic through Topsham because a delivery being made to a local butcher had to be done from a van blocking the road because all the loading bays were full with shoppers cars so he couldn't use them to get out of the way.
I agree with DJ.
Being a (Agency) delivery driver, I (and any delivery driver) have to start somewhere and finish somewhere, and therefore cannot be in 2, 3, 4, or more places at the same time.
If all deliveries were to be accomplished by 9am, then delivery companies will have to employ thousands of more people and vehicles, and only employ those people for just a few hours each day.
Not forgetting, that if the companies along the Strand or anywhere else, if they wanted to send something out by the same company, then that consignment will have to be ready at the same time, so that the nasty deliver/collection driver wont take up space in the precious loading bay after 9am.
Standing by to receive lots of flack.
Previously up until 9am this area was used by delivery drivers and cars, after 9am it was disabled parking only, and very frequently these spaces were empty afternoons. Now with only 18 open car parking spaces until these become available, are we going to find spaces takebn by disabled displaying there 2hr Permits,in which case it limits the free half and hour even more, just throwing another spanner in the equation 
Disabled drivers are allowed to park all day in pay and display unless it states otherwise if you take notice you will see 4 or 5 vehicles with badges parking all day as they live in the Strand.
@leatash. i don't see 4 or 5 cars with blue badges parked on the strand when i walk my dog at nights along the strand. surely i would if they are living there?
Comment from across the pond, I believe you can park your car free of charge after 6pm and must be moved by 9am the following morning.
When the Police managed parking disabled drivers had 2hrs in a disabled bay and 1hr in the pay and display that changed when parking was decrimed disabled drivers can now park free all day in a pay and display bay. MICHAELCLAYSON if you monitor the Strand during the day you will see a number of vehicles displaying a badge parking all day so they are either residents or work in town
@leatash i will happily enquire with teignbridge whether any blue badges have been issued that entitle the owners to park on the strand all day.
I think this is something that needs looking at , otherwise I can see it becoming contentious. Surely the free half hour was to help the shops and the residents, and to keep parking to a mininmum time, if that is true there will be even less spaces, its bad enough now, that spaces have been reduced so much. . Before the work started the signs at the disabled bays stated 9am-6pm 2hrs displaying a blue badge, its been sometime since the enforcement officers took over so those signs must have been incorrect if what you say is true leatash
Isnt providing disabled only parking a form of discrimination especially as the blue badge scheme allows them to park anywhere in any case.
There's something not quite right here we have disabled bays which can ONLY be used by blue badge holders, and we have loading bays which can be used by anyone including blue badge holders.
The parking has been reduced by half and what is left is going to be taken up solely by blue badgers. The whole issue is a joke and a total waste of money on what was and still will be a dead town centre, typical of local authority planning.
Should have left the Strand as it was and spent the money down the Warren to provide some shops to replace the wood huts that used to be such a feature some years ago
What I cant understand is the need to have spent all that money on the Strand, surely less expensive slabs and it could have been extended to go all around Tucks Plot and Viaduct. Also it would have looked just as good if they had made it like Brunswick, path alongside lawn with smart ballustrading, parking along that side, and just made the path wider on the shop side and No Parking just the 2Loading Bays One Stop and Coop as before, or was that too simple, now we have this seperate issue of disabled parking it beggars belief, I await your reply Michael. By the way there are grease spots and chewing gum already on the new slabs I think that is going to take some upkeep although Teignbridge have promised to clean them regularly!
The point is that disabled drivers are allowed to park in pay and display bays for as long as they want that wasnt so under the old system so to my way of thinking if i was a disabled driver living or working close to the Strand it would be a great place to park for free. I did raise the point of limiting parking for disabled drivers with Devon County and they said they would look into it but as yet no joy.
@Brazilnut. to answer your question about why not use cheaper materials and continue the work around the viaduct and tuck's plot. it just would not work out financially. The money saved by using cheaper materials would not pay for a further period of construction work around such a large area.
I do understand the worries about cleaning the new Strand, and the answer lies in making sure that Teignbridge keep this up, which is why I keep reminding everyone what has been said and have asked our District Councillors to take this up within Forde House. Realisitically, the Strand will not be pristine, but we want it as good as a public pavement can be.