We wanted to get double yellow lines painted to prevent drivers from parking and obscuring our view as we emerged from our road - not a chance in Hell.
Conversely, I found the opposite. I wrote to the council (Westminster) requesting double yellow lines to be painted. They wrote back saying OK. A couple of weeks later, notices were posted around the area advising what was going to happen, with a phone number for objections. Some time after that (maybe a couple of months, tops), the lines were painted.
I couldn't believe how straightforward it was.