Poor parking was 'getting out of control' on a busy Midlands street where 902 tickets had been issued in the last two years. School run parents were allegedly 'causing a bottleneck in traffic' due to double parking. Vehicles also reportedly pulled up on yellow lines and across people's driveways during pick up and drop off times.
Residents Voice Concerns
The Local Democracy Reporting Service reports Derby City Council had received complaints about the traffic chaos on Broadway, where St Mary's Catholic Academy is located. Michael Moss was one of the residents who voiced their concerns last year. He said at the time: 'There is sheer madness of drivers blocking the highway in order to drop-off/pick-up their children. It's getting out of control.'
Another resident, who did not wish to be named, previously said he'd been involved in 'fisticuffs' with some parents who had blocked his driveway.
Council Response
The city council said motorists, as an exemption, were able to park on yellow lines for the purpose of picking up and dropping off. However, residents claimed parents were pulled up for as long as 30 minutes to ensure they got a parking spot as close to the school as possible.
A recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed that more than 900 parking tickets were issued on the street over the last two years. The city council said 648 of the 902 tickets issued were due to 'parking in a resident's place' and efforts had been made to address the parking problems but outcomes 'have not been long lasting'.
A spokesperson for the authority said: 'We are aware of the issues caused by vehicles parking close to St Mary's Catholic School and have carried out activities such as targeted site visits providing education to drivers about the impact of poor parking choices. This has seen some benefits but unfortunately, they have not been long lasting.'
'A standard exemption remains in place that allows vehicles to be parked for the amount of time it takes for children to be handed to or collected from another responsible person. This exemption applies nationwide and whilst this does make enforcement difficult, we continue to deploy civil enforcement officers to the area as resources permit and will monitor the situation accordingly.'
Ongoing Issues
Mr Moss, who submitted the FOI to the council, said he did not believe there had been any progress 'for the past year or so'. He claimed the road was 'still dangerous' at peak times and some drop-offs were happening on the 'middle of the road'.
The school 'had no legal power' to enforce any action on on-street parking, Kevin Gritton, the then chief executive of the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust – which manages St Mary's Catholic Academy, said last year.
