Agenda item

Concerns and suggestions raised by petitioners included the following:

• As well as the school, St Martins also had a kindergarten which impacted on local residents - usually between 8am and 8.30am, and 4pm and 4.30pm when around 100 cars would be parking in the vicinity (often parking over residents’ driveways or on double yellow lines);
• Petitioners were concerned that the current Headteacher at St Martins would only occasionally publish a comment in the school newsletter to request that parents park considerately but had not been proactively deterring parents;
• Parents dropping off their children at Holy Trinity school caused a parking nuisance for local residents mainly between 8.30pm and 9am, and 3pm and 3.30pm;
• On the whole, the parking problems were worse at the Kewferry Road end of the road in the morning and at the St Martins school end of the road in the afternoon;
• It was suggested that many schools in the Borough had ineffective travel plans.  The Chairman of the local Residents’ Association had requested a copy of the St Martins plan but had been unable to acquire it.  He went on to advise that, in the USA, schools had a legal obligation to provide a marshal outside during peak hours.  It was proposed that a similarly unique solution was required to resolve the parking issues in Moor Park Road;
• Residents had been subjected to verbal abuse by drivers when they had asked them to move their vehicles so they could get access to their driveways;
• Photographs of examples of the parking issues were passed to the Cabinet Member and officers.  Although the Police had been contacted about the problems experienced, they did not have the resources to be able to regularly patrol the area;
• Although residents were registered with the enforcement team at the Council, it was suggested that the system of reporting obstructive vehicles needed to be streamlined; and
• Additional safety issues were raised when large lorries and buses travelled down Moor Park Road.

Councillor Keith Burrows listened to the concerns of petitioners and responded to the points raised.  It was noted that officers from the school travel team would make arrangements to meet with the schools impacting on the area once the new term had started in September 2012.  The petition organiser would be updated on the outcome of these discussions.  Petitioners were assured that the school travel team worked closely with the parking services team to identity problems and solutions. 

It was suggested that an increase in parking enforcement activity in Moor Park Road would break bad parking habits.  Petitioners were assured that, if the parking issues continued, additional enforcement activity would continue.  As many parents would stop walking to school in the winter and instead use their cars to take their children to school, it was suggested that this enforcement action should take place before then. 

RESOLVED:  That the Cabinet Member:

1. met and discussed with the petitioners their concerns about the lack of consideration shown by parents and relatives when dropping off and picking up their children from St Martins School in Moor Park Road, Northwood.

2. asked officers in Parking Services to review the level of parking enforcement in this area, and carry out some additional short-term enforcement in an attempt to break the bad habits of parents and relatives.

3. asked officers in the Road Safety and School Travel team to engage in further dialogue with the school to remind them of their duty of care as members of the local community.  

Reasons for recommendation

To allow the Cabinet Member to discuss in detail with petitioners their concerns.

Alternative options considered

These can be identified from the discussions with the petitioners.