FUMING residents have slammed selfish school-run parents for blocking their drives during drop-off and pick-up times.
Traffic wardens are failing to ticket vehicles blatantly flouting “permit holders only” signs on the busy housing estate, fed-up locals have blasted.
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One mum has even complained to police after poorly parked cars wrecked her fencing three times, causing £1,000 worth of damage.
Teresa Saunders, who lives opposite Bilborough Sixth Form College on the outskirts of Nottingham, said: “Parking here is a bit of a nightmare.
“It is getting worse and it is quite ridiculous.”
But the secondary school teacher, whose 18-year-old daughter attends the college, sighed: “We are grateful for the summer holidays, and peace in the street.”
She told how she has been resigned to putting up a police bollard at the entrance to her designated parking area, next to half a dozen neighbours in the same terraced row, and installing CCTV.
Teresa said: “I shouldn’t have to place a ‘no parking’ cone outside my home but at times I have no choice.
“Parents pull up on the pavement at morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up, and even reverse into our parking area.
“On three occasions they’ve reversed into my very low, but visible, fencing, damaging it, and now a section of it needs to be replaced which will cost an estimated £1,000 to repair.”
The 44-year-old said students also leave their motors in the road “all day” – and one was even left there for a fortnight.
Numerous signs on the estate bordering the college and neighbouring streets warn that bays are for permit holders only between 9am and 4pm Monday to Friday.
But Teresa says at peak morning times drivers flagrantly ignore them – with some even pulling up on a small island roundabout outside her front door.
“I’ve complained to the college and they said they have issued warnings asking people to be ‘mindful’ when parking, but these are mostly ignored,” she said.
“The fact parents have to drop their children aged 17, 18 and 19 off right outside is ridiculous.
“They’re not young kids. They could easily walk or catch the bus.”
Teresa also said wardens rarely visit the area, and “never seem to issue tickets”.
The mum-of-two has complained to the cops about the constant disruption and damage to her garden wall, which has been logged as a criminal damage incident as the alleged offender fled the scene.
I shouldn’t have to place a police ‘no parking’ cone outside my home but at times I have no choice.
Teresa Saunders
Others living nearby have faced similar misery thanks to “poor parkers”.
Retired Annie Cooke groaned: “Unfortunately we have no permits, but it is very rude for a non-resident to leave their car for hours outside your house and nothing is being done.
“What is wrong with public transport? Whatever happened to walking or catching the bus?
“But, it’s school holidays now, and we love it.”
The 69-year-old also told how the inconsiderate parking hampers bin collections and emergency service routes, and the sneaky ways offenders avoid penalties.
“Traffic wardens appear at times, but drivers wait for them to disappear and then park illegally,” she said.
PARKING ‘NIGHTMARE’
Grandmother Lis Beswick, whose daughter and two grandsons live opposite the college, said she has to choose the time she visits them carefully because the parking “gets crazy and the roads are cramped”.
Another woman, who gave her name only as Diane, revealed she was moving house soon, in part due to the “parking horror”.
The supervisor at East Midlands Airport, who often works night shifts, said: “Parents park badly across my drive, blocking me in and it is infuriating.
“They sit there and look at me. ‘How they have passed their driving test’, I wonder?
“They are really noisy, talking on their phones hands-free while waiting for their kids.
“We’re moving soon, partly because of the parking which can be horrendous, and I’m looking forward to leaving.”
And Grace Barnes described the situation as “really, really horrible”.
The 35-year-old, who has since installed a front door camera which has “helped a bit”, added: “People stay for a long time so it’s impossible for me to move my car.”
Whatever happened to walking or catching the bus?
Annie Cooke
While most agreed parking was a major problem near College Way, Jae Austin-Loczy said it was not an “active issue”.
The data analyst, 28, said: “Cars pull up in the street for a short time and everyone is pretty polite if I have to ask them to move.”
There is no pupil parking available at the college, which has 1,600 students and is currently closed for the summer.
Principal David Shaw, said: “Bilborough College is always keen to work with our neighbours to support the free flow of traffic around our site.
“We actively discourage students from driving to college because there is not, and never has been, any on-site student parking available.
“We also make sure students know about local resident-only parking schemes because these schemes effectively mean that no on-street parking is available in the vicinity of the college either.
“We support our neighbours in the community in calling for the effective enforcement of these zones.
“To support our students and our local residents, the college makes sure that it is fully accessible by public transport and our own private hire bus service with 11 dedicated routes.”
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