PEOPLE have been urged to stay calm in the escalating problem of student parking in around Alton College. Some may be guilty of irresponsible parking and immature driving but the police say students have the same rights as others to park legally, and abuse will not be tolerated. Police say they will prosecute anyone inflicting criminal damage on student cars. It was a reminder to residents to stay within the law in seeking to put pressure on Alton College to address a lack of onsite parking. Residents packed into the College Forum building last Thursday. They came from Alexandra and Edward Road, Old Odiham Road, Aldersey Fields and roads on the Greenfields, Pound Gate and Wooteys estates, Linnets Way, Cherry Way and Walnut Close. They have had enough of being besieged by students parking off-site and causing problems for householders barricaded in for most of the day. Their main gripes were irresponsible parking by students who blocked access to garages and driveways, creating congestion for residents and emergency and service vehicles. Some students were also parking dangerously close to road junctions, on verges and even on gardens. There were concerns too about the standard of driving which was often fast and unsafe in built-up areas, about the amount of litter left behind in the evenings which in some places was attracting rats, and about abusive language. Representing the residents of Alexandra and Edward Road, Ian Urquhart pointed out that with a 185-space car park serving 1,850 students, the college was providing just one space for every 100 students. "At that rate whatever you do the problem won't go away," he said. In warning that "sooner or later a young child would be killed" by a student, desperate to find a parking space and using the local roads as a racetrack, Neil King from Walnut Close laid the blame at the feet of the college. He said: "It is a problem the college has to solve – we can't do it. You can't keep building without making accommodation for cars." It was a fear echoed by others. While accepting that the problem had been exacerbated by current building work that had taken over part of the car park, residents had been dismayed to learn that yet more work was planned. Addressing the meeting on behalf of Alton College, principal Jane Machell said that while the concerns expressed would be taken "extremely seriously", it was not a problem that could be solved by the college alone – it would need to be addressed in partnership with the police and the local authorities. But she was determined to improve the situation. Mrs Machell confirmed that there were currently 1,930 students attending the college for 180 days a year. Over 1,000 of these students used public transport to and from college – a trend encouraged by the Green Transport Plan. However, with only 29 per cent of students coming from the Alton area, the majority had to travel reasonable distances and some were not able to access the bus or train. Furthermore, when the current building work was complete, in September, it would free up 88 parking spaces, 24 of them new. In pointing out that student car parking provision was a national problem, Mrs Machell said that she would be among those lobbying the Government to increase the driving age to 18 – a move which would solve Alton's problem in one fell swoop and should help to decrease the numbers of driving- related fatalities among young people. County councillor Tony Ludlow accepted that Alton College had a "serious parking problem" which, he said, had been brought about by planners. While he stressed that he had "no magic wand to wave" he believed the only way out was to increase the number of onsite parking spaces. Although local planning policy was to allow one space to every two full-time members of staff there was nothing to say that this ruling applied to students and, he believed, this could be the way forward. There were other ways to prevent students parking on the streets, including the introduction of residents-only parking but, he warned, this could have a negative impact by reducing all parking. The college took on board suggestions made by residents which included dropping the car park charging scheme and giving permit priority to those who take lessons to improve driving, and the introduction of a park-and-ride scheme, possibly from Anstey Park. There were calls too for more double yellow lines to prevent parking at dangerous junctions, and a hint by East Hampshire District Council that a deal could be struck, for short-term use by students of the town car parks. While the college has gone away to consider the options, another residents meeting is to be convened in the autumn to discuss the outcome.
