‘It’s just chaotic’: Shocking video shows Wirral residents trapped for hours by girls’ football boom traffic
People are getting ‘trapped’ on a Wirral housing estate for several hours a week due to the popularity of girls’ football in a situation which has been described as ‘pretty awful’.
On any weekday, Arrowe Brook Road which runs from the edge of the Woodchurch estate to Greasby is often clear. However for a few hours every weekend, traffic can come to a standstill with cars parked on either side of the road.
This is due to the success of girl’s football on pitches to the south of the road which sees hundreds of people turn out to watch them play up to 36 matches across 12 pitches. The numbers mean the nearby council car park is usually full with the rest spilling out onto the road.
Cllr Mark Skillicorn, who represents the area, said people had at points been trapped on a nearby housing estate and asked Wirral Council to take action “before it leads to tragedy”. Councillors voted on October 20 to introduce restrictions along part of the road as well as seek to find a solution to parking issues in the area.
Barry Brown, who lives on the road, shared drone footage taken at the weekend with cars parked all up one side of the road. He told the LDRS: “It’s just chaotic. Somebody is going to get injured especially at the top, they park on both sides of the road.
“People are walking on the road because they are parked on the pavements. Somebody in a pram or a wheelchair has got no chance whatsoever.
“You get stuck in the traffic. I have seen people winding down their windows shouting abuse to other drivers. I can’t get out of my house because they are parked outside my property.
“Why there hasn’t been any accidents is beyond me. Nothing really happens until there is an accident and somebody is injured or killed. It’s like bolting the gate after the horse has gone.”
However he doesn’t blame drivers for the situation, instead seeing the lack of parking in the area as the real problem. While there are two commercial estates just off the road with plenty of parking, they is only available for customers and staff.
Wirral Council has just introduced no waiting at any time restrictions along the north side of Arrowe Brook Road, brought in unanimously by councillors after safety concerns were raised by the public, businesses, and councillors in the area.
However 50 objections were received over the plans from parents who park along the road to watch their daughters play football on nearby pitches. Council officers said they had tried to find a compromise keeping the south side of the road available for parking but help relieve the gridlock issues in the area.
Mr Brown, like some others, was sceptical much of a difference will be made. He felt there needed to be more parking in the area to cope with demand, describing the current council car park as too small.
Many of those living on the Arrowe Brook Park Estate welcomed the change telling the LDRS they were glad the council was taking action, though some did not feel the parking was much of a problem.
One man described it as hell, adding: “It had to happen because the ambulances or the fire brigade could not get down there sometimes. What happens if one of the kids breaks their legs?
“It’s the right thing to do. I know from speaking to most of the people here, it’s a nightmare.”
Shelly Wiggins, who crosses the road to walk her dog and take her own children to play football, said: “It has been a nightmare, especially as we get people always parking right on the edge but I do not know if [the restrictions] are going to help the issue.
“We have struggled to get out but it is actually trying to cross the road which is quite dangerous. If they put a crossing in, that would make it a bit easier.”
During the debate on October 20, councillors pressed for a solution, asking for officers to encourage talks to try and make parking available on the commercial estates. This is not a responsibility of the council but officers said they would try, adding the sport had been “a victim of its own success”.