HOW long does it take to get yellow lines painted on a road?

The answer, Dorchester councillors have been told, is at least six months and even now, nothing has happened on the ground.

Ward councillor Stella Jones says she finds herself ‘utterly frustrated’ by the ongoing delays over parking and traffic restrictions in Lubbecke Way, Dorchester and an adjoining road. Since the late summer the residential road has been the only route to the county town’s household recycling centre – but is also used by town centre workers to park all day.

Residents living there have complained of their vehicles being hit by passing traffic, speeding lorries and cars and a risk to residents who live at the old people’s home in the road as well as to children who play in the area.

Local MP Sir Oliver Letwin and residents were promised a quick solution to the yellow lines at a meeting in September with the county council using an experimental traffic order to put them in place – said to be far quicker than the normal legislation.

Residents are also calling for a 20mph limit and a 7.5 tonne weight limit.

Cllr Jones told a meeting of the town council planning committee: “Six months ago we sat in this council chamber and were told by a county council officer that the road markings would be done very quickly.

“Six months later we are still waiting …and the county council finishes at the end of the month.

“Are we now going to have to wait again while the new Dorset Council gets itself organised?”

She also complained that a traffic measuring device, recently installed on the road to measure traffic numbers and speeds, had been put in the wrong position.

“They have put it in a place where drivers couldn’t possibly go fast – we should ask for it to be moved.”

Town council planning officer Louise Dowell told the Monday night meeting that she had emailed County Hall a number of times since Christmas to try and find out when the yellow lines would be painted – but had yet to receive a reply.

Said Cllr Tim Harries: “Is it a lack of staff, wilful incompetence or the desire not to help at all?”

County and town councillor Andy Canning said he believed the answer was a lack of staff. Said Cllr Harries: “If that’s the case perhaps it might be better if officers who come to meetings in future don’t make promises which can’t be kept.”

The county council says it is committed making the road safer and is now at the point where orders have been prepared for public comment.

Some of the delays have been caused by the legal process and others by staffing problems.

In a statement the council says: “We are committed to applying a set of traffic restrictions to both Lubbecke Way and Long Bridge Way, Dorchester. The parking restrictions proposed for Lubbecke Way include double yellow lines, single yellow lines with timed parking restrictions, access protection markings and a number of areas where on-street-parking will continue to be permitted. In addition, it is proposed that Long Bridge Way will be subject to a 7.5 tonne weight.

“The reason for the delay is partly due to the legal process and the time it has taken to establish what we can and can’t do in terms of an experimental traffic regulation order, as well a number of unexpected staffing and resourcing issues which have now been addressed. The making of orders is a statutory process which must be followed before we can install signs and road markings. We are at the point where orders have been prepared for public advertising, which will be carried out in the near future.”

Cllr Jones says that despite the county council claims the town council was told that the orders had been advertised at the end of last year. “We were originally told the only order which would need advertising was the 7.5 tonne weight. The others were to be put down quickly without advertising as they were only experimental…Needless to say residents are very angry about the lack of action.”