Parking Around Rose Hill School

[Razzle24]

Unfortunately the problem can only be solved by parents being considerate and putting child safety first. This is some thing that some parents seem unwilling to do. I used to live near the school and the parking was horrific, parents parking across your drive, in front of the gates. When the issue was discussed with the Headmistress- she showed very little interest as did the council. The signs on the bottom of Elmfield Drive were put there to pacify neighbours but were never policed.

[simonesaffron]

The council are aware of this issue, and have been for years. They are not interested, neither is the headmistress. When you approach the parents, some of them can be abusive to you.

A give up altogether?

.

I think there are a few points here, the flippant response would be 'well some of you voted for increased public spending cuts, what do you expect the handful of police  left to do about it? no one challenged the closure of the Dale and Peacefield, Doodfield etc forcing parents to drive from further afield to get this sprogs to school.' ultimately we are all responsible for this situation and need to hold our elected representatives to account.

However, I think the problem would be fairly easy to resolve.

Starting in September we need an organised group of parents and grandparents along with local residents. They need to patrol the effected areas before and after school challenging the drivers, being prepared to put up with abuse and reporting it if necessary. Notices could be left on windscreens if necessary.

After a few weeks of this ask for hands on support from local Councillors so they can see  the problem first hand.

Then take it in shifts and ask the school to start to educate the parents.

In essence become an organised nuisance to the culprits.

And a vigilante group ?

I don't think either will solve the problem.

[Razzle24]

The council are aware of this issue, and have been for years. They are not interested, neither is the headmistress. When you approach the parents, some of them can be abusive to you.

[andy+kirsty]

I think there are a few points here, the flippant response would be 'well some of you voted for increased public spending cuts, what do you expect the handful of police  left to do about it? no one challenged the closure of the Dale and Peacefield, Doodfield etc forcing parents to drive from further afield to get this sprogs to school.' ultimately we are all responsible for this situation and need to hold our elected representatives to account.

However, I think the problem would be fairly easy to resolve.

Starting in September we need an organised group of parents and grandparents along with local residents. They need to patrol the effected areas before and after school challenging the drivers, being prepared to put up with abuse and reporting it if necessary. Notices could be left on windscreens if necessary.

After a few weeks of this ask for hands on support from local Councillors so they can see  the problem first hand.

Then take it in shifts and ask the school to start to educate the parents.

In essence become an organised nuisance to the culprits.

[simonesaffron]

Take some photographs of the offending motorists with number plates .

Send copies to the Police and to local Councillors and also put the photos on this website.

That's a course of action that is much better than complaining amongst ourselves on here.

[hollins]

I believe the child, who was travelling on a scooter along the Stockport Road pavement, was hit by a car reversing out of a drive.
Who should be more careful, the child or the driver ?

On the pavement? The driver, pretty obviously, especially if they are reversing.

As for the parking on Elmfield Drive. I have told a number of drivers that they should not be there during certain times, only to receive a load of abuse, from the lady (!) driver.

Years ago I use to walk my daughter up to the Guide Hut. On one occasion I was leaving her and watching to make sure she went safely inside when a driver pulled up and asked me to move off that bit of pavement as she wished to park on it. I got a fair amount of abuse (but thankfully not run over) when I ignored her.

The police can do nothing about it.

Actually, they can - and they are, realistically, probably the only people who can.

WE, as parents and grandparents, should put pressure on the Headmistress to sort it

It should undoubtably be "sorted" - at schools and elsewhere - but I don't think it is the Headmistress's job. That is to run a school, not manage traffic. The only people with the appropriate enforcement powers are the police.

Posting a few photographs online identifying the offenders (or their cars), however, might help.

[Middle wood]

The Headmistress at Rose Hill has been out in the drop off zone on many a morning; ensuring that drivers are using it for drop off (which is it's purpose) & not just parking up.
 
The school newsletter makes numerous appeals for parents to park considerably.

Unfortunately, the problem is simply selfish and inconsiderate parents who only think of their own convenience and not the safety of other children or the neighbourhood. The Railway pub is close enough to the school to park there and cross over the road. There is no excuse for using Elmfield Drive. I can't imagine why anybody wants the headache of turning around in such a small road.

Sadly, it is a problem at all schools. There needs to be enforcement of fines on a regular basis as an effective deterrent.

[Harry]

The Bowden Lane entrance to Rose Hill Primary is plagued by bad drivers. They park on double yellow lines, on corners, on pavements, across residents driveways and even sometimes on the zig zags at the school entrance. When challenged I have heard a driver saying that the restrictions do not apply to parents, and another saying it's the schools fault for not providing a large car park.

The headmistress is not interested.

In response to complaints the council have occasionally sent a traffic warden. However the warden stands there in full view, in uniform, and nobody parks illegally. No doubt the warden then reports back that there are no parking problems. The next day they park badly again. Obviously a warden can't be there every day. Perhaps the answer is CCTV cameras and automatic fines.

[tonyjones]

I believe the child, who was travelling on a scooter along the Stockport Road pavement, was hit by a car reversing out of a drive.
Who should be more careful, the child or the driver ?

As for the parking on Elmfield Drive. I have told a number of drivers that they should not be there during certain times, only to receive a load of abuse, from the lady (!) driver.

The police can do nothing about it, I have spoken to the PCSOs, and I have never seen a traffic warden around at the right time.

At some schools the post a member of staff at the entrance to stop cars entering restricted areas.

WE, as parents and grandparents, should put pressure on the Headmistress to sort it before a child is hurt, and I have seen a few near misses.

[marpleexile]

The solution to me is simple. Apply the maximum fine to anyone breaking the parking restriction everyday without exception until they all stop. I'm sure it would be transformed in a week.

Indeed, it would be very simple to do, and the fines collected would more than pay for any overtime for the traffic wardens/police officers involved. If every single vehicle that broke a traffic law was ticketed, I doubt it would even take a week - 3 days max.

[admin]

Interesting to see how long it is since this was discussed and how little things have changed.

Yesterday a child was knocked down by a vehicle on Stockport Road just a few yards from the corner of Elmfield Drive. An ambulance was in attendance and the child was being tended on the grass when we passed. I understand that, thankfully, he wasn't badly hurt.

On the way to school this morning my granddaughter was nearly hit by a car turning into the Dentist's car park on Elmfield Drive and immediately after that another vehicle mounted the pavement alongside my 3 grandchildren and drove alongside them for about 10-12 metres getting closer and closer as it pulled about 3 feet onto the pavement. It looked like they would have been hit if I hadn't shouted at them to stop. I spoke to the driver and received a blank look.

This road has a parking restriction on it during school arrival and departure times but everyone seems to think it doesn't mean them. This habit of mounting the kerb so that you don't block the road but do block or restrict the pavement is totally inconsiderate to pedestrians everywhere but particularly so on a road that is a main pedestrian access to a school.

My wife reported these incidents to the headmistress and I reported it to the police. I hope we see some action before another child is knocked down.

The solution to me is simple. Apply the maximum fine to anyone breaking the parking restriction everyday without exception until they all stop. I'm sure it would be transformed in a week.   

[chicken lady]

Why are children travelling to Rose Hill School from Romiley and Offerton when there are perfectly good primary schools in those areas?

Note: a separate topic has been broken out covering places at Primary Schools in Marple here:

http://www.marple-uk.com/smf/index.php?topic=4964.0

Admin

[Jo Scarlett]

It needs to be remembered that since bringing the 3 schools together on the Rose Hill site, some children attending Rose Hill come from Hawk Green, years ago these children would have attended Doodfield which is no longer a primary school, or Peacefield which no longer exists or even All Saints which is at full capacity. Other children come from Romiley since the closure of Barrock Hill and others travel from Offerton. So the days of children walking 100 yards to go to the local primary are a far cry for some parents and they don't have a choice.

I do however agree that those who do drive their children to school should park responsibly and with respect for local residents, and make use of local parking facilities if available such as The Railway pub car park.

[wheels]

One might ever ask why are people driving to work Marple has very good bus and rail links

[JMC]

"There is much more traffic on the roads than years ago" because many more people drive their children a few hundred yards to school rather than walk.

In part but also more households have two cars and more mothers are on their way to work as well as people not always going to catchment schools