Police called in to sort out school run
Friday, 12th March 2010.
Parents delivering and collecting children to and from Castle Hill Middle School have proved so inconsiderate in their parking that Haverhill police have now taken the issue on as part of their monthly priorities.
Haverhill police's Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) meeting yesterday, heard from Castle Hill site manager Laurence Hatcher that there had been a stream of problems of cars parking on yellow lines, on zig-zags, on drop kerbs and on grass verges in School Lane.
All efforts to get parents to park considerately or even legally had failed, despite there being a large car park at the top of road.
"Staff members have had to stand at crossings to ensure children are not hit by vehicles," he said.
"How a child has not been killed there I do not know - it is nothing short of a miracle.
"The attitude of parents is unbelievable. You try to get them to move and they just refuse, saying 'I'll move on for the police, but not for you'.
"There are 350 children cross that road every day, and I would like to see some action enforced. If we could get one or two ticketed and fined it would be wonderful, and it would get them all to park up[ at the top."
Catriona Bacon, chair of governors at nearby Burton End Primary School, said they had experienced similar problems opf cars parked on zig-zag lines and across the zebra crossing.
"People just abandon their cars on the grass," she said. "I have been horrified."
Kevin Shipp of Suffolk County Council highways department said he had some knowledge of the issue because he had trapped there by inconsiderate parking.
"I was lanlocked there for half an hour and I could see what was happening," he said.
He said he had had a walkabout in the area with the police, but it was necessary to establish exactly where the land ownerships and responsibilities lay.
The verge belongs to Havebury Housing, and the first part of the road is Suffolk County Council's, but Mr Shipp said he was unsure where their ownership stopped.
He agreed to put together proposals for extending yellow lines, and they were also looking at a cycle link to the school from Chivers Road.
In the medium term it was agreed to look into physical measures to stop people parking.
The SNT will hold a site meeting with the various parties involved, and agreed the issdue as one of its three priorities for the next month.
Haverhill police's Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) meeting yesterday, heard from Castle Hill site manager Laurence Hatcher that there had been a stream of problems of cars parking on yellow lines, on zig-zags, on drop kerbs and on grass verges in School Lane.
All efforts to get parents to park considerately or even legally had failed, despite there being a large car park at the top of road.
"Staff members have had to stand at crossings to ensure children are not hit by vehicles," he said.
"How a child has not been killed there I do not know - it is nothing short of a miracle.
"The attitude of parents is unbelievable. You try to get them to move and they just refuse, saying 'I'll move on for the police, but not for you'.
"There are 350 children cross that road every day, and I would like to see some action enforced. If we could get one or two ticketed and fined it would be wonderful, and it would get them all to park up[ at the top."
Catriona Bacon, chair of governors at nearby Burton End Primary School, said they had experienced similar problems opf cars parked on zig-zag lines and across the zebra crossing.
"People just abandon their cars on the grass," she said. "I have been horrified."
Kevin Shipp of Suffolk County Council highways department said he had some knowledge of the issue because he had trapped there by inconsiderate parking.
"I was lanlocked there for half an hour and I could see what was happening," he said.
He said he had had a walkabout in the area with the police, but it was necessary to establish exactly where the land ownerships and responsibilities lay.
The verge belongs to Havebury Housing, and the first part of the road is Suffolk County Council's, but Mr Shipp said he was unsure where their ownership stopped.
He agreed to put together proposals for extending yellow lines, and they were also looking at a cycle link to the school from Chivers Road.
In the medium term it was agreed to look into physical measures to stop people parking.
The SNT will hold a site meeting with the various parties involved, and agreed the issdue as one of its three priorities for the next month.
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