Councils across the UK are working hard to improve road safety around schools, with a number of new initiatives being proposed to keep the children safe.
Trafford Council is looking to introduce on-the-spot fines of £80 to parents who leave their car engines running while waiting to pick up their children from school, an action which they call “idling.” The proposal aims to improve air quality around schools and encourage more pupils to walk or cycle to school. It is hoped that the new initiative will encourage parents to think more carefully about the effect vehicle fumes have on the air surrounding their children.
Cllr Stephen Adshead, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Environment, Air Quality and Climate Change, said he is delighted to be improving air quality and road safety around schools in the area: “The health of parents, children and staff at our schools is of paramount importance. We will do everything we can to ensure they are breathing in clean air and are safe in the knowledge they can take their children to school in safety.“
Police officers in Scotland are also looking to improve road safety measures around schools, unveiling a new road safety campaign at the request of Councillor Beth Whiteside, who is the SNP member for Monifieth and Sidlaw.
The campaign encourages parents and carers to drive safer and with more care around schools. Parents and carers whose bad driving puts children’s lives at risk will be invited to a road safety session, to highlight the hazards of their bad driving habits. The campaign is focused on the Monifieth and Sidlaw area, where there has been an influx of complaints about bad driving around schools.
Alarmed by the number of complaints, Whiteside said: “The issue of poor driving in the areas around our schools is a very common one, with parents and carers often in a rush, driving too close to the school gates and creating a dangerous environment for our young people as they make their way to and from school.” Whiteside raised the issue with local police, resulting in the new campaign to address the problem.
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