Council ridiculed over car parking spaces 'barely big enough to fit a toddler’s bike'
Confused residents in Kent have complained about the freshly-painted lines
Tiny new parking spaces have been ridiculed by confused residents who say they are just about big enough for a "toddler's bike".
Photos show vehicles of all sizes straddling the white lines in Borough Green, Kent.
The new lines were repainted last week, with the far wider faded lines there before still visible.
The council has since admitted the paint job was "clearly a mistake" and said parking fines would be suspended until the issue was fixed.
Residents Mary and Christopher Scott, who have lived on the road for around seven years, were bemused by the paint job.
"It's quite ridiculous," Mr Scott said.
He added: "You could fit a toddler's bike on it – that’s about it.
"Nobody sent a letter through the door or anything, it just suddenly happened.
"The cars are still parking as normal."
Kaine Sharp, who moved to the area around five months ago, called the new bays "hilarious".
The 22-year-old added: "It's a small bay, you can't really fit much in it, but I assumed it was for the lack of space on the road.
"I have a van, so I park further down the road to prevent it from getting hit.
"I don't really fancy any scratches on it."
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Another resident, Kitty Peploe, says when she first moved into the area around seven years ago, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council decided to widen the pavement to make it safer for pedestrians.
She added they never adjusted the width of the parking bay, so it was always half the parking width.
She said: "It didn't really matter as much because the lines were quite faded, but now they have come back and gone over the original lines which makes it look a bit ridiculous."
What the council said
A spokesman for Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council admitted the lines were an error.
He said: "We've been to the road and inspected the repainting of parking bay lines carried out on our behalf by a contractor and clearly a mistake has been made.
"It appears that old white lines, which were in place prior to a widening of the pavement, have been gone over instead of the newer wider ones.
"We will get this put right as soon as possible and in the meantime will not be issuing any penalties for parking outside the lines."
What are the new driving laws in the UK in 2023?
Several new driving laws have been announced over the past few years, with many introduced in 2023.
Fines of up to £180 can be imposed if drivers break some of the new rules, that are being introduced both in specific areas and nationwide.
Among the rules are a ban on pavement parking in Scotland later this year, which has been delayed since its announcement in 2019.
All residential roads in Wales now have a 20mph speed limit in an effort to improve road safety and air quality, while also reducing noise pollution.
And the controversial ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) scheme has rolled out across all London boroughs – meaning a £12.50 charge being imposed on any vehicle that exceeds the minimum emissions standards for every day that it is used.
Meanwhile, Manchester, Tyneside and Sheffield will all introduce clean air zones, meaning vehicles being charged for exceeding the new emission standard.
