Councillors have backed a call to look at ways to stop East Riding grass verges being churned up and damaged by car parking.
They backed a motion for grass verge parking, including ways to stop it, to be considered as a potential topic for a committee meeting on highways.
Liberal Democrat Cllr Viv Padden, who tabled the motion, said parking on grass verges was blighting some areas, adding others could also be a magnet for antisocial behaviour.
But Conservative Cllr Leo Hammond said he would not back calls for grass verges to be paved over claiming it would industrialise the countryside.
It comes as councillors heard the Department for Transport was recommending new laws to help tackle unwanted pavement parking.
The government department has recommended rules to stop unwanted pavement parking, including with obstruction orders, as well as rolling out bans already used in London.
Cllr Padden said the problem was down to so many people locally relying on cars.
He added he believed the solution was to pave over grass verges where feasible.
The councillor said:
“I’ve gotten lots of emails and phone calls about grass verge parking, but vehicles aren’t a luxury for people, they’re necessary for their way of life.
“Times have changed, people often have to travel miles away to get to work and grass verges are being used because lots of roads are so narrow.
“Some of them are also half the size of a football pitch, they can attract antisocial behaviour.”
Cllr Linda Johnson, who seconded the motion, said grass verges in her ward had been removed because of parking problems.
The Liberal Democrat said:
“Public transport can’t be there all the time, that means the majority of people need to use a car.
“But this parking ruins the aesthetic of the verges and can affect the infrastructure for gas and electricity.”
Cllr Hammond said he felt discussing the problem in a committee was a waste of time, adding highways officers had fixed parking issues in his Wolds Weighton ward.
The Conservative said:
“I don’t want to see us industrialise the countryside, I don’t think our residents do either.
“When I’ve had this problem in my ward highways officers have dealt with it on a case by case basis, it’s already been dealt with.”
Cllr Richard Meredith, chair of the Environment and Regeneration Sub-Committee which looks at highways issues, said he found grass verge parking frustrating beyond measure.
He added the solutions needed to come through a creative use of existing measures because of how little the council could do to stop it outright.
The Conservative said:
“If there was an answer we would have done something about it already, there are solutions available but there’s no catch-all.
“In parts of my area, some community groups have been given a licence to cultivate the verges themselves.
“They can grow hedges on them which can grow back if they’re damaged.”
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