Taplow station parking restrictions could see permanent fix after years of chaos

Troubled roads around Taplow station – which saw constant head-to-head confrontations between drivers – are looking at a permanent fix, if council proposals go through.

Buckinghamshire Council wants to introduce paid bays and a series of restrictions on streets surrounding the station.

There have been severe congestion issues there for years – sparked by increased commuting.

Once a quiet station, Taplow’s activity ramped up significantly when the Elizabeth line began stopping there in May 2022.

Roads such as Approach Road, Station Road and Boundary Road have seen cars parked for long periods, often on tight corners or verges.

Historically, few people parked on Approach Road because it was ‘obviously unsuitable’, said Roger Worthington, Taplow parish council’s vice chairman and planning committee chairman.

Parking there ‘effectively turns it into a one-way street’ which goes around a bend, impairing visibility.

Nonetheless, in the last two years, more and more commuters have started parking there.

Because it is free, many people from Maidenhead have also gone there rather than pay to park at Maidenhead station, said Cllr Worthington.

“That exacerbated it,” he said. “There were endless head-to-head confrontations and people having to reverse 100 yards. Some of the school buses were getting into difficulties.

“There were a number of reports of great anger and fisticuffs, with people refusing to reverse – it was getting out of hand.”

One resident speaking to the Advertiser in 2023 said she was ‘left shaking’ by a close call.

Taplow Parish Council decided to do something about it – but found it difficult.

“We’d been complaining to [Bucks council] for several years that something needed to be done, but we didn’t get any reaction,” Cllr Worthington said.

The parish council then hatched a plan for paid parking on Approach Road and Station Road, supporting a set of yellow lines.

It put in a business plan to Bucks council which has been accepted, leading to a public consultation which is now running.

As an interim measure, Taplow parish council paid to put down some yellow lines on a temporary basis, lasting 18 months.

Under the new proposals, Approach Road and Station Road would gain pay-by-phone bays, with tariffs set at £5.50 a day Monday to Friday, or £3.50 if arriving after 10am.

Parking would remain free at weekends.

Approach Road would also have a short-stay 10-minute waiting area, while taxis would be allowed to stop at any time.

In total, the scheme combines more than 3km of restrictions across the village.

“It'll keep the traffic flowing, it will be very clear where you can park and where you can’t, and there will be generally much higher levels of management,” said Cllr Worthington.

“It should be a lot safer and more relaxed. I think we’ve done the best we can, short of building a very large car park somewhere.

“It has taken several years, but we think if everything goes smoothly, the new system should be in place probably by next summer.”

See the consultation documents at: tinyurl.com/vyp3m32e

Respond by email to highways.consultations@buckinghamshire.gov.uk, or by post to Buckinghamshire Highways, Walton Street Offices, Aylesbury.

The consultation closes at 11.59pm on Friday, October 17.