Thousands of penalties over school parking rules

The council said the zones had improved safety for school children

Nearly 28,000 penalty charge notices (PCNs) have been issued to drivers for breaking rules on parking outside schools in Derby, it has been revealed.

Derby City Council has set up school safe haven zones in 14 areas across the city which drivers cannot enter during term-time.

Figures obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), through a Freedom of Information request, have shown the council generated £950,000 from the penalties between July 2023 and May 2025.

Council bosses said the enforcement had made it safer for children outside the school gates and cut congestion and pollution.

The zones are sections of roads temporarily closed off during school run times.

The authority said the aim of the closures was to allow children to get to and from school more safely without vehicles passing by.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said some residents had complained the zones shifted parking problems to other areas

The streets covered by the haven zones included Redwood Road, where 2,172 penalties were issued over a two-year period.

There were 6,142 issued in Church Street, 4,063 in Thornhill Road and 2,265 in Bromley Street.

A further 1,059 penalties were issued in Uplands Avenue, 2,001 in Vicarage Road and 6,708 in Reginald Street.

Drivers who breach the rules are liable to pay a £70 penalty - reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days.

The LDRS said some residents had previously raised concerns that the zones moved school parking problems to other areas.

Taxi drivers also recently stated concerns that they were not able to pick up or drop off vulnerable customers at their homes because of the rules in place, according to the LDRS.

The council said taxis were not exempt from the rules.

It said zone times had been kept "as short as possible" during the start and end of the school day, and "drivers or passengers arriving during the closure periods only have a short distance to walk if they park on the edge of the scheme".

'Encouraging results'

Carmel Swan, council cabinet member for climate change, transport and sustainability, said: "School safe haven zones aim to improve road safety, reduce traffic congestion, and promote cleaner air by encouraging more families to walk, wheel and cycle to school.

"Each zone is a collaboration between the school, council, residents and businesses.

"The feedback from our current trials has been extremely positive, with communities reporting significant improvements in traffic levels outside schools and, most importantly, the safety of pupils and their families.

"The results have been encouraging, with 88% of individuals who receive a warning notice not committing a second offence."