Norfolk Community Primary: Street near Sheffield school 'gridlocked twice a day' by parents' cars

Guildford Rise, a cul-de-sac in Arbourthorne, is a five minute walk from the gates of Norfolk Community Primary School – which makes it the go-to parking spot for parents at drop-off and home times.

Photos shared with The Star show how mornings and afternoons during term time can see the street clogged with cars parking bumper to bumper, with some vehicles left for up to 45 minutes. Neighbours say it means they can’t reliably drive home at these times as there will be nowhere to park, and elderly residents are particularly affected.

However, the matter is complicated by how the main gates to the school are on a one way street. Although most pupils reportedly live locally, in the new academic year over 40 per cent of new reception age children will arrive from outside the catchment area and will likely be driven in.

Now, residents say they are sick of the noise, pollution, and risk to safety twice a day and want Norfolk Community Primary and Sheffield City Council to find a solution.

A resident from the nearby flat blocks – who asked to remain anonymous – said: “All we’re asking for is something to get done. We’re all sick of it.

“I look outside in the mornings and it’s nothing but big, flash cars blocking people in, and none of us want to go out and confront them. It’s gridlocked twice a day. They arrive from 8.20am, all idling or chatting at the gates, and we’ve got to wait until everybody is gone before we can drive anywhere or park if we’re coming home.

“If I parked on their drive and told them I’d be back in 45 minutes, they’d call the police.

“It’s only a matter of time until someone – either a child, parent or neighbour – runs out from between two cars and gets hurt.”

The resident says they and others have visited the school on a number of occasions to appeal to staff. Solutions they have suggested include cameras and a traffic minder at the entrance of Guildford Rise refusing access.

In a statement, headteacher Cath Whittingham said the school was listening to residents’ concerns and encouraging parents to walk, but added that Guildford Rise is already “regularly busy with parked cars” because of residents’ own vehicles and “being close to the city centre”.

Headteacher Cath Whittingham: “The school is very much aware of ongoing concerns of some local residents regarding vehicle parking on Guildford Rise. We have invited residents into school and listened to concerns sensitively and carefully, trying to help the situation as much as possible, within what we can legally and practically do as a school.

"The school is committed to working with the community and will continue to respectfully listen to concerns and try to improve the situation.”

Norfolk Community Primary is far from the only school to have traffic problems, with Sheffield City Council rolling out the ‘School Streets’ scheme to block traffic on certain roads at 11 different schools at drop-off and home time.