Parking restrictions in Clarence ward have come under fire from residents for causing congestion and displacing parked cars to other roads.

St Albans council introduced restrictions on Monday, December 3 forbidding vehicles from parking in Jennings Road, Blenheim Road and Brampton Road without a permit.

Drivers are now parking in Woodstock Road North and Sandpit Lane, which residents say causes obstructions to the free flow of traffic and creates dangerous blind spots.

Julian Tatlock, who lives in Woodstock Road North, said: “All the cars just got displaced, which doesn’t solve the problem. Woodstock Road North is quite a busy through-road anyway so it creates more of an issue. Only one car can go forward at a time and it just causes congestion and visibility is poor at junctions.

“It’s just not very well thought through.”

Another Woodstock Road North resident, who did not want to be named, said: “It’s very difficult for people to get out of their drives. I can’t reverse off my drive because I’m blocked all round. They’re just creating a different set of problems in a different road.”

Controlled Parking Zones are introduced by the council at the request of residents, after a consultation with affected households.

Cllr Salih Gaygusuz, portfolio holder for community services, said: “Residents are able to make a formal request for parking controls when supported by their local ward councillors. The council then carries out a statutory consultation which is part of a democratic process. This statutory process was followed in the case of the Ladder Roads scheme where the majority response was in favour of controls.

“There was an opportunity for people to raise any objections to the scheme that they might have and we placed notifications of the intended scheme on signs and lampposts which is a requirement of the consultation process.

“In the case of the Ladder Roads scheme we intended to carry out a full review once it had been running for six months. This would enable us to fully understand how the scheme is operating and identify any measures which may help support traffic management.

“However, residents may formally petition the Council before the six month period to ask for a review of the area if they wish.”