Blackpool Council: Crackdown on poor parking outside schools

The measures have been trialled at The Armfield Academy and will now be rolled out across Blackpool

Parents and carers who park on new double red lines outside schools in Blackpool during drop-off and pick-up would be issued fines, a council said.

Blackpool Council said irresponsible parking was putting children in danger.

The new restrictions have been trialled at Armfield Academy, where student numbers have increased from about 220 to 1,200 since 2018.

Head teacher Mike Kilmurray said a "slight inconvenience" for drivers was better than a child being injured.

Anyone flouting the restrictions faces a £70 fine or £35 if paid within 14 days but the penalty can only be enforced by council officers.

However, the school said the scheme needed more parking wardens to monitor the road as teachers had no power to issue fines and could only ask them to move.

Mike KIlmurray says every head teacher would welcome these measures

Mr Kilmurray said a package of measures was safeguarding children during peak times and throughout the day.

"Every head teacher, not only in Blackpool but across the country, would welcome measures to support road safety in and around their schools," he said.

Other road safety measures introduced include warning signs, a raised hump zebra crossing, zig-zag lines and metal barriers.

People breaking the rules face a £70 fine, reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days

Blackpool Council said it was rolling out the scheme across the borough after "the shocking behaviour of some parents".

Councillor Paula Burdess, cabinet member for community safety, said extra restrictions and road safety schemes would be rolled out in 33 schools, including double red lines outside some.

She said: "Everywhere the picture is the same with indiscriminate parking on double yellows, zebras and zigzags.

"What we are aiming to do is change behaviour. It is not about punishing people or dishing out penalties.

"What we want is people to respect the regulations and drive within the law."

Teachers have no power to enforce the rules outside schools

The council faces similar financial pressures to other councils but is looking at how it can move enforcement officers around the borough more quickly to gather evidence.

Other schools in the borough back the scheme.

John Topping, community relations and estates lead at Fylde Coast Academy Trust, said : "We wanted a range of measures to stop parents parking badly outside school.

"This inconsiderate motoring is combatted to a large degree but there is still a minority of parents who the message has not gone through yet".