School-run antics raise residents’ ire
WBay neighbours are up in arms over “belligerent” parents and their school-run antics.
Homeowners on Grindon Close, Whitley Bay, are calling for more to be done to prevent school-time parking and traffic problems associated with the nearby Star of The Sea Roman Catholic Primary School. They claim that despite previous council and police efforts to improve the situation, little has changed and they continue to face abuse and inconvenience from motorists.
John Francis, 75, of Grindon Close, was the only resident willing to be named as many say they fear the possibility of retribution.
The retired chauffeur said: “It has always been a problem but as the years go by, in my opinion, since about 2015, the parents have changed. You get some nice ones but you meet some belligerent ones as well, and they can be aggressive, but I’m not painting a picture of everyone.
“There was one person and he was on someone’s drive with the engine running. I asked him to move, and he said he wasn’t parked, but very aggressively, and as he pulled away he clipped a resident’s car, which was reported to the police. It gets very congested and from what we have seen of them, they aren’t very good at driving their vehicles – my car got clipped last week.”
One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said she was told by one parent she challenged, “we know where you live”, and another was told to move house.
One neighbour said one elderly local, who had been boxed into her drive, had to run to her doctor’s so as not to miss a medical appointment.
Locals are also frustrated as they understand parking is available on the school site and at the Foxhunters Pavilion. Several also raised concerns that, at peak times, they were unconvinced emergency vehicles could make it down the street. Some measures have been made, including yellow lines outside the school and banners but, in the opinion of one resident, “it has not made any difference”. Now residents are calling for new signs, preventing school traffic on their street at pick-up and drop-off times.
A North Tyneside Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of parking issues on Grindon Close and other streets near the school site and we’ve been working with the residents to address these through a range of measures. These include bollards, enforcement patrols, ‘school keep clear’ markings and a new pedestrian crossing on Seatonville Road to encourage active travel.
“Despite the work we have done so far, including a significant amount of work with the local schools to promote active travel, we are considering other steps we might take.
“We urge people to be courteous and respectful of residents when picking up and dropping off, and to seriously consider the park and ride options available, or walking, wheeling, or cycling, using some of the active travel routes which offer safe access to and from the school.”
The council said if a driveway is obstructed, residents can make a specific request for enforcement action via the council’s website, while footway obstructions should be reported to the police through the non-emergency 111 line.