Lazy school parents are blocking our street even though there is free parking 2 minutes away – but we have our revenge

RESIDENTS have told how lazy parents block their streets going to school even though there is free parking two minutes away.

A cul-de-sac leading to Quay Academy in Bridlington, East York, is where engines are piled up on a daily basis – leading to traffic chaos and aggressive altercations with the weary locals.

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But now local residents have had their revenge – parents have been told they will face a hefty £130 parking fine if they break the new rules.

Teachers have been tasked with keeping an eye out for drivers – and other parents have been ordered to rat out if they see rule breakers.

The pilot scheme, which has also been introduced at another school in Hull, has divided opinion.

Many agree any attempt to improve student safety is welcome – but a minority said parents would be punished.

A mother, who asked not to be named, admitted that she drove to the school gate and avoided the nearby free parking lot.

She confessed, “There’s a parking lot over there. But to be honest I can be lazy sometimes.

“My husband and I have been going here for 10 years and honestly I don’t think it’s that bad.

“There are certain drivers who are terrible, but there are also a lot of kids walking down the street or riding bikes without helmets. It’s not just drivers.

“We’ll stick to the rules, but I’m divided on that.”

Mother-of-two Natasha Feasby, 23, welcomed the fines.

She said: “There is an allocated parking space for the school in the Moorfield car park.

“It’s literally across the street. That has always been there, but for some parents it wasn’t enough. Two minutes on foot is too much for them.

“It was just terrible down here. Cars were piled up in the narrow cul-de-sac. It’s a really tight three-point corner to come out – it’s just lucky a kid didn’t get hit.”

Despite the new system giving residents free parking permits, some parents are said to have flouted the rules.

Oxford Street’s Jane Tindale, 53, revealed that in a single morning she counted five cars as they pulled up to the school gates.

She said: “When it’s busy it works, but when it’s not it doesn’t work.

“On Monday I saw five cars coming down here because nobody was being monitored.”

Kirsty Blackburn, 42, added: “Teachers come out in the morning and at 3pm to monitor it.

“They also try to help parents. The school then informs the council, which administers the fines.

“But if it’s not supervised, some parents still try their luck when they can.

“I know someone reported five people for shutdowns this morning.”

Quay Academy mother Kelly Heaps, 35, said: “Before the program there were only cars all over the street. It was really rammed and really dangerous.

“A lot of them tried to reverse between the cars and it was just a nightmare.

“Around the corner is a free parking lot. They’re just lazy people, that’s all.”

Laura Bowtell, 35, from Oxford Street, who has one child at the school, added: “We had mixed thoughts about it at first but it has helped.

“Most people stay away because they know they will be fined.

“At the end of the day there is free parking around the corner and they didn’t use it. It’s bizarre that they wanted to park on this street, which meant local residents weren’t peeked in.”

Karen Chapman, Assistant Principal at Quay Academy, Bridlington, said: “The roads leading to our school gates are congested on a daily basis. Cars often make turns in the narrow street, which poses a danger to students and parents.

“Occasionally cars have been blocked and abandoned in the middle of the road during drop-off and pick-up times, causing an inconvenience to local residents. We really hope that the hard work of the East Riding Council, the Humberside Police, our school and our local volunteers will keep cars from driving on the roads leading to our school gates.

“If the initiative is successful, our streets will be safer and greener for our local residents and school community.”

A spokesman for the East Riding Council said: “This is a traffic restriction by law. If drivers do not comply with the restriction during the relevant times, it is the sole responsibility of Humberside Police to decide on the appropriate enforcement action.

“Generally after launch there is a period where drivers are reminded of the system and advice and guidance is given. Action by Humberside Police may initially be to issue a formal warning letter to the vehicle’s registered keeper, followed by a fixed penalty Notifying them if further offenses are made.”