I have recently received complaints from residents in Central Broughty Ferry about the state of the gulleys and road margins, especially in King Street. My picture show accumulations of sludge and grit in the gutters. As well as being unsightly, if this is left to wash down the drains, it it likely to block them.
Trying to respond to this problem thoroughly is a challenge. Mechanised street sweepers can't get to the road margins because of 24x7 bumper to bumper parked cars. Car parked close to the pavement don't leave much room for a broom either.
One suggestion that has been passed on to me which is apparently used in parts of Edinburgh is to use occasional one day parking restrictions on one side of a street so that the sweeping vehicles can have a clear run. This would clearly cause real parking difficulties on those days. I think residents and businesses in Central Broughty Ferry need to be involved in a debate about whether the disruptive pain of occasional parking restrictions would be worth the gain of cleaner streets. If there are other constructive suggestions, it would be good to hear them.
I shall also be referring this issue to the Broughty Ferry Local Community Planning Partnership. Meanwhile, I have also asked the Council's Environment Department to try to clean up as best they can.
