In the 1970s, the then Urban District Council were anxious to combat the practice of drivers of heavy commercial vehicles of parking their vehicles for long periods in roads in the Urban District. It was thought that for the most part, the practice arose because it was convenient for drivers to park in the vicinity of their homes or where they were staying overnight, and advantageous to drivers’ employers that this should be done. It was, however, a considerable disadvantage to other people living where such parking occured, causing annoyance and inconvenience when vehicles arrived or left noisily at night, or were stationed unduly close to windows. Furthermore it increased traffic problems in the road.
To combat the problem, in 1974 the Urban District Council made an order making it an offence for a commercial vehicle exceeding 2 tons unladen weight (5 T maximum gross weight) to be parked at night and weekends on any road in the Borough (excluding trunk roads). This weight roughly equates to the size of a small truck, but does not include transit vans. There was a proposal to lower this weight limit to include large transit vans, but this was shelved as it was pointed out that some residents have no off-street parking and only one vehicle, this being a van; a reduction in the weight limit would mean that these residents would not be able to park their only vehicle on street at night and weekends outside their properties.
The enforcement of the Order was the responsibility of the police but since the introduction of ParkSafe enforcement the Borough Council now enforces the Order. The Parking Service Team continues to carry out site visits when complaints of overnight and weekend parking are brought to their attention.
In the same decade, complaints were received that commercial vehicles were being driven through the residential areas of Leigh Park, southern Havant and Denvilles, without making/picking up deliveries. This was having a deleterious effect on the residents in terms of noise and nuisance.
To overcome the problem, in 1979 an Order was made whereby it became an offence for commercial vehicles exceeding 3 tons unladen weight (7.5 T maximum gross weight) to be driven into the above areas except for the purposes of loading/unloading. In 1996, a similar Order was made for the West Leigh area, and a further variation on this order was made in 2002 for roads to the east of Southleigh Road (Fifth Avenue, Spindle Close and Blenheim Gardens etc.). This was to combat the driving of predominantly continental commercial vehicles during the night to a local nursery, and so the order prohibited the driving of commercial exceeding 7.5 T maximum gross weight along these roads between 11 pm and 7 am throughout the year.
As this movement Order applies to the movement of vehicles, its enforcement still comes under the control of the police.