We were sick of parents clogging up our street… so now they’ve been BANNED

RESIDENTS are over the moon after parents were BANNED from clogging up their street during the busy school run.

Locals living near Hotspur Primary in Heaton, Newcastle were pulling their hair out at the daily traffic & dodgy double parking – but finally their prayers have been answered.

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Under the Newcastle City Council’s School Streets scheme, the roads surrounding the school will be shut at pick-up and drop-off times.

It is hoped it will make the area safer for youngsters and encourage families to walk or cycle to class – and it’s a major boost for those who live on Mowbray Street.

Annette Kearney said: “Great news. Less cars around the school is better,” while Kate Bredin described it as a “great idea”.

The new rules, which come into force on June 13 for a test-run 18 months, follow an impassioned campaign by livid locals.

Mum-of-three Mariama Diallo had previousdescribed the parking situation at the school as a “too dangerous” and claimed it was putting kids’ lives at risk.

The 35-year-old, who is heavily pregnant and struggles to get up and down the stairs, said she is so worried about her children’s safety she doesn’t let daughters Kadiatou, eight, and seven-year-old Aissatou go to school unaccompanied, despite living right opposite.

She tols The Sun: “In my condition, I want to watch my girls walk to the gate, and check they are safe from the door.

“But the situation with the cars makes it too dangerous. I am too worried to allow it.

“There are so many vehicles here at school time and I am scared they will hit the children.”

She said while she understands that a ban will be “annoying” for some parents, “children’s safety has to come first”.

Also calling for a ban fellow was resident Francis Hamilton, a retired programme analyst who said the problematic parking is “horrible”.

The 71-year-old, who drops his grandson off at the nursery there three times a week, said sometimes he can’t find a space at all.

“I have seen people double and triple park on this street,” he said.

“Parents park wherever they want to. They are double-parked from the bottom all the way up.

“Between 8.30am and 9.30am I can’t get parked and I can’t get out.

“I sometimes find myself blocked in. I will be sat there for the five or ten minutes waiting. It’s frustrating.”

It’s terrible. It is a really poor situation here.

Linda Cherry

Francis said things are made even worse when delivery drivers also try to drive down the street – and while a ban on parents parking is a “good idea”, he doesn’t think it would work entirely.

“I worry about the safety of children,” he added.

“[But] I feel it could exacerbate the issue in one way as the problem would then be pushed to other streets.”

However, Linda Cherry, 54, who also lives on the street, will likely be relieved by the action after previously claiming she sometimes searches for a parking space for 20 minutes at a time.

The social carer said: “It’s terrible. It is a really poor situation here.

“The school is the main issue. It’s not just the parents, it’s the teachers as well.

“You also have people who park on the street and walk into town.

“As a resident you can’t get parked at all.

‘KIDS COULD HAVE AN ACCIDENT’

“You can find yourself driving around for 20 minutes looking for a space.

“Even the back lanes behind the street get clogged up with cars. And when people double park you find yourself blocked in.

“The parents open their doors to let their kids out and they knock your car. You worry kids will have an accident.

“But it’s not just the children, it’s also the animals. I have a couple of cats and I worry about them getting out and being hurt.”

Elsewhere, Sharon Thomas said: “It would be lovely to see more cycling and more understanding drivers – or obviously fewer.”

And Jennifer Scott said: “Parents park cars in my back lane that frequently blocks access to get my car in and our of my garage twice a day.

“It’s ridiculous and has made me late for work a few times.”

Three surrounding streets, as well as the several back lanes, will be off limits to parents between 8am and 9.30am and 2.30pm and 4pm on school days.

Access will still be permitted to blue badge holders, emergency services, school staff and local residents.

Ali Stansfield, School Streets officer for charity Sustrans, said: “The pupils at Hotspur Primary School are really keen to travel actively but they have told us that they’re worried about dangerous driving and parking near their school.

“A School Street at Hotspur will allow these pupils and their families to have safer, healthier and more fun journeys to and from school.”

Hotspur headteacher Kevin McVittie added: “The roads around Hotspur Primary School can become very congested at the beginning and end of the day so we really welcome the introduction of the School Streets scheme as it means it will be much safer for our children and much better for local residents.

“The scheme also builds on the messages about healthy living that we give to children in school by further encouraging walking, cycling or scooting to school.”

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