Over the past few years I have lost count of the number of occasions when I have made a plea to parents to park with consideration, to drive in the vicinity of the school with extra care and to take account of pedestrians and local residents.

Judging by the number of drivers still parking on double yellow lines, performing U-turns in Perowne Way and the school entrance and just stopping by junctions to drop off children I can only assume that my words are falling on deaf ears. I do not want to be the person who has to make the phone call to a parent to tell them their child has been taken to hospital because of the selfishness of another parent yet I fear that call is not far away.

Some simple solutions:

• Leave for school 10, even 5 minutes earlier in a morning and drop your child away from school; the exercise will not harm them
• Arrange to pick them up at 3.40; pupils are not generally out until 3.35 at least so your delayed arrival will give Roger de Clare parents, coaches and pedestrians a few extra minutes to clear the area
• DO NOT drive into the school grounds as this causes hazards for those legitimately using the front of school or walking across the entrance / exit
• Car shares reduce the volume of cars in the area
• Let your child walk to a friend’s house and collect them from there
• Encourage your child to take part in after school clubs so they can be collected at 4.30pm

 

For parents who really do not want to co-operate I am prepared to take car details and submit them with photographs to the police. They, and the other emergency services are actively working with the local schools to promote road safety. Why, if the pupils are accepting the message, can’t the adults improve their acquiescence with basic safety requests?