RESIDENTS in the Lake Glen area have called on the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) to act over concerns about excessive on-street parking, which they say is causing chaos for locals.
The small residential streets have been plagued by unsafe parking and congestion caused by motorists visiting businesses on the nearby Falls Road.
Drivers regularly ignore double yellow lines in the area, impeding access for residents, refuse lorries, and emergency services.
Residents say DfI has failed to enforce parking restrictions and have called on it to install physical parking deterrents.
People Before Profit Councillor Matt Collins, who met with DfI officials on Tuesday, said the issue is "a serious accident waiting to happen".
Cllr Matt Collins met with residents this week to discuss their concerns
Grace Connolly, a Lake Glen resident of 33 years, said: "The parking has always been an issue, but since the Glider came onto the scene it has pushed people back off the front of the road.
"The Glider is a great service for local residents, but it has pushed people off the road. We just can't understand why they (motorists) can't park across the road in Sainsbury's."
"I became a grandmother a few years ago and on a daily basis when we're walking to the park you're pushed out onto the road – anybody with a disability or with a pram can't use the footpath," she continued.
"That causes real health and safety issues and a lot of vulnerable people are affected here. There is a serious risk of harm if a car comes up."
Ms Connolly said an increase in illegal parking at the entrance to Lake Glen is creating a bottleneck for motorists and has caused several collisions already.
She told how residents have been unable to park at their own homes and expressed fears for the safety of children in the area.
"People have cones out now to keep their space," she said. "People are driving up here looking a space and they're coming further and further up and then they're turning.
"We chose to live up here because it was all cul-de-sacs and it was a safe environment for your children to grow up in. Children don't have the freedom that they should have."
Cllr Collins called on DfI to address what he has described as an "unacceptable" situation.
"Residents have had to put up with cars restricting access at the entrance to the estate for years, but the situation has only gotten worse," he stated.
"This is a daily problem for locals, especially for those in need of disability access and for those with prams. The double yellow lines are clearly not being respected and it is increasingly disruptive and frustrating for residents.
"Following our meeting, the Department has committed to installing a no-through sign at the bottom of the estate and to repainting the yellow lines to increase visibility. While this is welcome, it is unlikely to resolve the situation.
"It has gotten so frustrating for residents that many have expressed a need to install bollards or trees to prevent problem parking. The Department needs to urgently address this situation.”
A DfI spokesperson said the Department has "no plans to install bollards" as they are "usually only considered in association with traffic calming features and to install on a footway is a hazard to those in the vicinity".
"Traffic Attendants patrol Lake Glen Drive daily Monday to Friday and take enforcement action against any vehicle detected parking in contravention of the no waiting restrictions" they added.
DfI urged drivers to be considerate of others while parking.
