Dear Editor
Over the last few weeks, the inconsiderate and illegal parking in the area of Byerley Park School has again raised its ugly head. This has been an ongoing issue for a number of years, especially on Staintondale with the constant blocking of junctions.
What really saddens me is the inaction of local councillors Clare, Durham and Howell. It seems to me they are happy to score points through the Newton News, but when there are issues raised that affect their constituents, they are nowhere to be seen. The School is also very quiet on this subject.
It’s about time this issue is sorted once and for all. The Council and their Highways Department must come up with a permanent solution. Until then some robust policing of the illegal parking over people’s drives, on junctions and paths would help to alleviate the issue. What it is going to take to solve this, a serious accident ?
David Urwin
Rookwood Hunt
Response Obtained . . .
Dear Sir
I thank ‘DTU’ for his letter, which highlights an issue of frequent complaint.
Parking problems affect most schools in the County, because the County’s schools were located and designed in an era when few children were driven to school. Thus ‘the council must come up with a solution’ is easier said than done. It is also clearly impossible to have traffic wardens at every school at 3-4pm every afternoon.
Over the years, parking outside Byerley Park School has had a great deal of attention. A Park-and-Stride scheme was set up, but floundered when the car park was blocked off. Former Byerley Park Councillor Paul Kjenstad established a town-wide consultative group and worked energetically for four years to find solutions. Ron Hogg PCVC has campaigned at the school gate.
It is moreover unfair to say that ‘the school is silent’ on this; the school constantly asks parents to park considerately. The key consideration has to be the safety of the children, and the restrictions on cars entering the playground, and the yellow lines and zigzags at the entrance to Staintondale, have helped to keep the pupils safe in the school grounds and at the road crossing.
Neither am I wholly going to blame the parents, who have to pick up their children, often coping with younger children and pushchairs, when there is nowhere to park except on the roads of the local estate.
And it is unreasonable to accuse the councillors of doing nothing. We conducted a walkabout of the area in September, and the parking problem at the school was one of the matters we observed, and discussed with residents. ‘DTU’ has written to the Newton News without first contacting any of us.
We will contact ‘DTU’ through the Newton News to discuss the matter.
Cllr. John Clare
