Campaign rewards ‘perfect parkers’

“Perfect parkers” were rewarded by City Council parking wardens patrolling outside St Albans School in May as part of the “Chaos at the School Gate” campaign.

The campaign aims to help address safety issues caused outside schools by people double-parking, parking on yellow lines and across property entrances when picking up or dropping children at school.

Spot prizes were given to parents prepared to walk a few metres to the school gate with their children. Lightweight parkas were presented to “perfect parkers” to keep them dry on rainy days when the temptation is strongest to break the law to get as close as possible to the school gate.

It was the first phase of a three-week campaign, during which infringement notices were also issued to any drivers who had not got the message that illegal, inconsiderate parking behaviour would not be tolerated because it endangers the most vulnerable road-users — our children.

St Albans School was chosen to trial the campaign because it has a long history of proactive promotion of raod saftey within the classrooms and with the wider school community.

Road safety is incorporated into regular curriculum activities through the Road Sense programme, which St Albans School celebrated with a special road safety day in May.

During the week of 17-21 May, children took home information leaflets with tips for parents on how to keep kids safe on the road. Children’s road safety lessons were also reinforced by messages on stickers and book labels they were given.

The Chaos at the School Gate campaign will continue at Wainoni School. Surveys will be carried out at each school before and after the campaign, to gauge the effectiveness of this parking enforcement approach outside schools. If successful, the programme will be taken to other schools.

• Further information contact Joy Kingsbury-Aitken, school coordinator, phone 941 8299 or Kay Hazlett-Brown, team leader of enforcement, phone 941 5228