A group of Arnold residents have spoken of their frustration with parents of pupils at a nearby school, claiming they 'monopolise the road'. People living at Glendale Gardens say cars being parked at its junction with Gedling Road near Arnold View Primary School are causing a safety risk.
But a group of parents told Nottinghamshire Live they did not see any issue. One of the complaining residents, Jade Newman said the problem had been ongoing at drop-off and collection time for years.
“Parents park all the way down the main road as well as on the corner of the road," said the 33-year-old careers worker. “I think there needs to be more care and consideration for the people who live on this street.
Read more: 'Chaotic' streets in Nottingham where parents park on double yellow lines on the school run
“I’ve got quite a big car so I struggle to drive down the road, there’s a lack of visibility and a risk to the safety of children and residents. For 33 weeks of the year we don’t have our road, it’s monopolised by the parents who don’t care.”
A group of parents who had parked near the junction in Glendale Gardens said they did not see a problem with the positioning of their cars. "I don't see any issue, we're not blocking the road," said Lauren Hill. "There's a problem with parking in the area."
The 33-year-old mum said there was not always space at the nearby Friar Tuck pub car park, adding it was difficult to push their prams up the hill. "If there was anywhere else to park I would," she said. "We are only here for 15 minutes. I've never seen anyone blocked in."
Nottinghamshire County Council said it would send CCTV cars to the school to monitor the situation and review existing parking restrictions. "Obstructive parking is a traffic offence enforceable by the police and we urge parents and carers to park safely and responsibly at school drop-off and collection times," said head of highways and transport Gary Wood.
"In view of these further concerns we will increase the deployment of our specialist CCTV cars to the area around the school to monitor the situation and send a clear message to the minority of drivers who act irresponsibly. In addition, we will review the existing restrictions to see if these can be amended to address current parking patterns.”
Ms Newman added: “I’ve had Tesco food shops that have been unable to come down. If there was an emergency they wouldn’t be able to get down here either. It’s not only a problem for me but for other locals and the school. I’d happily pay for a permit, I’ve surveyed people down this road and they’ve said the same thing."
Arnold View primary school’s headteacher, Caroline Otterburn, said: “We are aware of concerns from some of our neighbours about parent and carer parking around the school at busy times.
“We do regularly remind our parents about the importance of parking responsibly and considerately when they are dropping off and picking up children from school. We also ask them to think about walking or cycling to the school instead where they are able to, to help alleviate the level of traffic around the school at those times. We also have an agreement with the Friar Tuck pub so that parents can park in their car park and walk to school to avoid congestion.
“The safety of our children is always our first concern and we welcome Nottinghamshire County Council’s move to send its CCTV cars to the area around the school in the hope that its presence will be a clear reminder to everyone about the importance of safe parking at all times.”
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