MANCHESTER
The situation is particularly bad in Manchester. Bosses at Manchester City Council say they have issued almost 2,500 tickets to drivers who have parked on school zigzag lines since January last year.
Headteacher of Cavendish Community Primary School in Didsbury, Janet Marland, said there is a huge issue with parents battling to park as close to the school gates as possible during drop-offs.
In the past, she has used some novel techniques to address the problem, such as naming and shaming bad offenders on the school Twitter account.
Mrs Marland said: “They don’t want to walk. They are parking on the double yellow lines and blocking access roads to local residents.
“We have some children who live a 15 to 20 minute walk away, who are brought to school in the car. It has an impact on the health and safety of children. The council do what they can to support us, they have sent out traffic control. I imagine every school has the same problems we do. The answer is getting parents and carers to behave more responsibly, to park further away.”
Harriet Hall is a parent at Alma Park Primary School in Levenshulme. She said her son William, aged 8, is visually impaired, which means it can be stressful when people drive dangerously outside the school gates.
She said: “His condition means he sometimes can’t tell if something is moving or still. Consequently pavement parking and the behaviour of drivers around school time is stressful. He doesn’t have a stick so people presume he can see them and expect him to get out the way or wave him on when he can’t see inside the car.”
Alma Park school responded to the complaints about bad parking, saying they have an arrangement with the local Tesco store, where parents and carers can park in their car park.
A spokesman for Manchester City Council said: “Parking on the zig-zag lines outside schools is illegal, dangerous and thoroughly irresponsible,” he said. “Those who are caught receive a £70 ixed penalty notice.” code and take extra care around schools.”