'Selfish' parents slammed for clogging up roads
Wednesday, 25th April 2012.
Selfish and inconsiderate parking was condemned again by councillors at last night's meeting of Haverhill Town Council.
Whether it is parents outside schools or shoppers in High Street, councillors are fed up that no one seems to be able to stop selfish motorists from doing what they want.
Cllr Clive Turner used the meeting's public forum to raise the issue as a resident.
"Recently parental behaviour around schools has deteriorated, so that they park in the gates, on the crossing zig-zags, anywhere," he said.
"They are endangering the lives of children by their selfish approach to dropping them off at school and I think this is disturbing behaviour.
"I appeal to the peopleof Haverhill to wake up and start looking around them at what they are doing."
Cllr Les Ager said this was a matter for the police and thr schools and not for the council to solve, but Cllr Roger Andre said it should not be put on to the police who had more important things to do.
"It is the schools' responsibility to educate parents as well as children," he said.
Cllr Diana Andre defended parents who had to take children to school on their way to work. "Parents are rather demonised in this," she said. "If schools want larger parking areas, we should help them to get them."
Cllr Brian Hawes thought it was a matter for police to deal with in the last resort, but PC Will Wright of Haverhill Safer Neighbourhood Team said he agreed with both arguments.
"If the infrastructure was there and it was being flouted then it would be a police matter, but when the infrastructure is inedequate, I agree with the parents," he said.
"At the moment the infrastructure is not there for us to be morally in the right to do anything about it."
Whether it is parents outside schools or shoppers in High Street, councillors are fed up that no one seems to be able to stop selfish motorists from doing what they want.
Cllr Clive Turner used the meeting's public forum to raise the issue as a resident.
"Recently parental behaviour around schools has deteriorated, so that they park in the gates, on the crossing zig-zags, anywhere," he said.
"They are endangering the lives of children by their selfish approach to dropping them off at school and I think this is disturbing behaviour.
"I appeal to the peopleof Haverhill to wake up and start looking around them at what they are doing."
Cllr Les Ager said this was a matter for the police and thr schools and not for the council to solve, but Cllr Roger Andre said it should not be put on to the police who had more important things to do.
"It is the schools' responsibility to educate parents as well as children," he said.
Cllr Diana Andre defended parents who had to take children to school on their way to work. "Parents are rather demonised in this," she said. "If schools want larger parking areas, we should help them to get them."
Cllr Brian Hawes thought it was a matter for police to deal with in the last resort, but PC Will Wright of Haverhill Safer Neighbourhood Team said he agreed with both arguments.
"If the infrastructure was there and it was being flouted then it would be a police matter, but when the infrastructure is inedequate, I agree with the parents," he said.
"At the moment the infrastructure is not there for us to be morally in the right to do anything about it."
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