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Car crackdown to stop gridlock at school gates

23/12/2002

Parents who put children's lives at risk by parking illegally are no longer getting an easy ride thanks to a Salford school's road safety awareness week.

From double yellow lines to zig zags - nowhere is safe for drivers who snarl up St Philip's Primary School on Cavendish Road, Broughton Park, at home time and before school.

The gridlock has got so bad that the school has launched a hard-hitting campaign to crackdown on inconsiderate drivers.

Headteacher Sandra Slack said: "The school has had a long-term problem with parking at drop-off and pick-up times.

"We are no different to any other school locally, except that we now need to do something about it before a child gets seriously injured or killed.

"Previously, children have been hit and injured by vehicles outside school.

"Emergency vehicles cannot provide their usual rapid service if they are required at these times of day because of the road congestion caused by illegal and inconsiderate parking."

Children have been invited to walk to and from school from a safe parking zone - at the nearby Lidl supermarket - to ease congestion. To ensure the message has maximum impact, staff have put up posters and they are handing out leaflets and stickers provided by the local authority's road safety team.

Police have also been invited to issue advice and even tickets during the school runs.

And the school has even launched a petition to lobby Salford Council for higher kerbs to prevent parking.