Residents back calls for better parking around Sheffield schools

People living near Sheffield schools have added their voices to those calling for parents to park safely and avoid putting children at risk.
Traffic and parking around Hillsborough Primary School.Traffic and parking around Hillsborough Primary School.
Traffic and parking around Hillsborough Primary School.

Yesterday The Star highlighted the frustration felt by city headteachers towards illegal and inconsiderate parking.

And now those frustrations have been echoed by residents.

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Vicky Seeley lives opposite Hartley Brook Primary Academy in Shiregreen, and often finds people parked in front of her driveway while picking up their children.

“I’ve been here a year and it’s been a problem the whole time,” she said.

“When you speak to people you get no end of abuse.”

The school has appealed to parents to park considerately, but with little effect.

People also park on the side of the road,” said Vicky, who has two children at the school.

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“When one bus is coming down it’s hard for one going the other way to come by.

“They are having to go up the grass verge on the school side. It’s very close to the path.”

Thoughtless parking has previously stopped a fire engine getting to a house fire, according to Vicky. No-one was inside the property at the time.

“People think they have got the right to do what they want,” she said.

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Eamonn Ashton, 60, lives in Fir Vale, not far from St Catherine’s Catholic Primary School in Firshill Crescent.

He said: “People just park anywhere. As physically close to the school as they can possibly get so they don’t have to walk 50 yards.”

Again the school has tried to reason with parents, but the problem still remains.

“The solution has to be traffic wardens,” said Eamonn.

“Once you start hitting people’s pockets they might park a bit further away.

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“There are kids all over the place. How buses get around I just don’t know. It’s an accident waiting to happen.”

Eamonn said parking was also a problem around Acres Hill Primary in Darnall, where hundreds of pounds has been spent on new road markings, ‘to no avail’.