A primary school street "blighted by traffic" in Penarth will be closed during school run hours to improve safetyl. It comes as residents have been complaining for years about how difficult it is to access their drives during the school run hours and the children's safety during heavy congestion.
Vale of Glamorgan Council cabinet members recently approved plans to go ahead with a pilot scheme which will see Dryden Road next to Fairfield Primary School closed between 8am and 9.15am and later between 3pm and 4pm. The pilot traffic ban will be in place from May all the way along Dryden Road, from its Junction with Tennyson Road to its junction with Wordsworth Avenue. It is proposed for the ban to be in place for 18 months, during which time the council will asses its effectiveness.
If the pilot is successful, it is hoped that the strategy can be rolled out and tested near other schools in the county. Although, some residents on Dryden Road don't think it will be enough to prevent heavy traffic in the area.
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An elderly couple, who wished not to be named, said traffic on Dryden Road has been dangerous for many years and they don't think the ban will stop parents from picking up children coming down the road. They said: "At 2 o'clock they come round here to get a parking space and they even bring their breakfast and cups of tea with them in the morning. They also leave their motors on in the winter so that they're warm in their cars. And what's the point of closing the road at 8am if they've got breakfast club?"
They explained that they have found it difficult to go to the doctor or hospital appointments in the morning due to the school drop-off traffic. Having lived on the street for 38 years, they explained that when they first moved in, they used to be the only people on the street with a car. But over the last few years, parking has been "dangerous" during the school pick-up times and left them "shaken" by the number of near-accidents they have witnessed.
They added: "We've seen a car nearly reverse into a child - they could have killed that child. I don't normally shout out to people but I went out to say 'be careful'. At the moment we're waiting for an accident to happen."
Ann Allsopp, 81, has lived in Penarth for over 20 years and is "glad" that there is a one-way system being put in place and a ban in May to stop the congestion around the area. Her niece Jenny Sims, 71, who often visits said that traffic in the area has always been busy and is to be expected in the area due to the road being by the school. To avoide the traffic, Jenny said: "When we visit we just don't come when the school traffic comes because of the disruption."
Another resident, who wished not to be named, said she has often been trapped during school pick-up times due to parents parking across her driveway. She said: "When I go to pick up my grandchildren, sometimes I come out and they've blocked our drive with cars, so it can be an issue if they've left their cars. It's okay if we don't leave, but if we have to pick up our other grandchildren from a different school, it then becomes an issue."
She added: "We had a letter to say that residents can use the road when it's closed, but I don't know how that will work", as she explained that she wasn't sure how they would differentiate residents' cars to pick-up cars."
There is currently repair and maintenance work taking place on Dryden Road and once completed it will be an official one-way system. She added: "It was a voluntary one-way system before, but making it an official one-way system will be better as they won't be able to come up the road."
The leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council, Cllr Lis Burnett, said: "I know that that road, which is quite a small road, is blighted by traffic for the people who live within that road.
"Cars going to that area and manoeuvring are putting children at risk. I have talked to parents who have children [at the school] who drive there because they don't feel safe with their children being out and about in that environment. It is actually a bit of a vicious circle."
The Vale of Glamorgan Council's cabinet member for neighbourhood and building services, Cllr Mark Wilson, said it was vital to try and improve air quality in the area and make it a "safer environment for parents and children to walk to the school".
Vale of Glamorgan Council ward member for Cornerswell, Cllr Rhiannon Birch, said the council had been receiving complaints for years from residents who had found it difficult to access their drives during the school run hours.
The councillor gave her fellow members an idea of the congestion on Dryden Road during pick-up and drop-off times, with examples of "really dangerous parking" and "lots of parking on grass verges".
She said: "I think this is going to be the way to go. I accept that it is experimental and that we are going to learn from it, but I think this is something we could be looking at outside several schools, not just this one.
"We should be using this as a trailblazer."
It is expected that the council's cabinet members will receive a report on the performance of the scheme in October, 2024. For the latest news, sport, weather and events from across Wales, sign up to our newsletter here.
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