Parents' poor parking puts pupils at risk

Hamish Hutchinson 1597 - 1597 • Published 18 Jun 2008 12:00 0 Comments

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PARENTS are being warned that parking their cars outside Menstrie Primary School is putting the lives of children at risk.

Irresponsible drivers also face being hit in the pocket if they abandon their cars at the school gates, with the police cracking down by fining the offenders.

Many schools throughout Clackmannanshire face the problem of parents stopping right at the gates to pick up or drop off their children.

But at Menstrie Primary, a number of parents are now double parking outside the school, putting the lives of children trying to cross the road at even greater risk.

A nearby resident, who first highlighted the problem to the Advertiser, believes it is only a matter of time before there is an accident.

She said, 'According to the law and the Highway Code you are not allowed to double park. Some parents are obviously not aware of the law as not only do they double park, they do so on tight corners.'

John Pennie, principal teacher at Menstrie Primary, told the Advertiser, 'The issue of parking is something the school is aware of.

'We are situated in the heart of the community and the health and safety of our children and the wider community is of paramount importance to us.

'We can"t move the location of the school, so we would encourage parents to park sensibly and safely.

'The personal safety of our pupils is an ongoing part of the curriculum but that"s not to say that accidents don"t happen and we would ask parents to park responsibly, 50 yards or so away, and walk to school with their children.'

The school sends letters home to parents on a regular basis reminding them not to park outside the school on zig zag lines.

The latest letter warns parents that the police will crack down on parking offences by issuing fines.

Carlyn Fraser, traffic management officer for Clackmannanshire Council, said that a considerable amount of work has been done over the last few years to make the roads outside the county"s schools safer and to discourage parents from parking outside the school gates.

She said, 'There have been improvements to pathways and walkways into schools and the schools themselves have involved pupils in various projects all of which are designed to improve the situation outside the school gates.

'The council have been working hard through initiatives such as recent "Walk to School" weeks to get parents to park away from the school gates.

'We would ask parents to park sensibly and not be selfish and, if possible, to walk to school.

'If they can"t do this then it is better to park further away from the school and walk the rest of the way. It will only take a couple of minutes and it is good exercise and is good for your health.

'Keeping the road clear makes it safer for children as well as residents living near schools.

'Thankfully, there aren"t many accidents in this area and Clackmannanshire is below the average car user figures nationally.

'School traffic makes up 20 per cent of all the traffic on the roads but over the last couple of years the schools have done an awful lot to get people out of their cars.'

Carlyn added that the council worked closely with the police and traffic wardens on various road safety initiatives and on making parents aware of the dangers of parking in front of school gates.

A spokesperson for Central Scotland Police added, 'We are aware of the problem of parking outside Menstrie Primary School and have been involved in an on-going engagement with the local authority.

'The safety of road users and pedestrians alike are of utmost importance to us and would advise all motorists to exercise extreme caution when dropping off and picking-up children from schools.'

This article appeared in Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser 19 Jun 08

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