Faded markings make North Road 'so dangerous' with incorrect parking

With vehicles parking right up the hilly North Road, and around the junction with Windle Street and Lord Street, one resident says that it is extremely difficult to see clearly when turning or travelling through.

The resident, who lives in the area but does not wish to be named, says that she has reported this to the council for two years, and that several crashes and near-misses have taken place as a result.

The junction is also not far from the serious police crash which took place on North Road last month, although officers are still investigating the circumstances around this.

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A police car was involved in a serious incident on North Road last month (Image: St Helens Star)
The resident said: "I've complained about this issue to the council and police for two years now.

"People park right up to the junction and it's so dangerous. You can't see when you're coming up North Road so you've just got to chance it.

"It's especially dangerous when lorries and HGVs are driving through [...] but I was told that it's hard to enforce as the lines are faded." 

When approached, the council said it is aware of the issue with parking around North Road, and that it has taken action on several vehicles.

69 vehicles have been fixed penalty notices due to incorrect parking around the area, the council say, while work to restore part of the road markings has been completed over recent months.

Restoration of the rest of the road markings is set to take place as part of the council's maintenance programme, a spokesperson confirmed.

This still image from 2020 shows how road markings have become faded on North Road (Image: Google Maps)
A St Helens Council spokesperson said: "North Road is a location where we have received a wide number of reports from the public and in the last 12 months we have issued 69 fixed penalty notices to vehicles incorrectly parked.

"There are some sections which will benefit from restoring the road markings and it is already on our maintenance programme to be completed.

"We have been working in collaboration with businesses and residents along North Road, and have been able to complete some of this work to restore the markings in September 2023.

"The programme is set to extend to the remaining segments of North Road where required, subject to favourable weather conditions and further traffic management restrictions, including road closures or the need for temporary traffic signals required to safely carry out the works."