RESIDENTS have blasted “selfish” and “brain dead” motorists who are making their life a misery by blocking driveways and parking on double yellow lines near a school.
They claim the flouting of no waiting restrictions has led to “chaotic” and “dangerous” scenes when people drop-off or collect their children.
STEVE ALLENResidents have blasted motorists who block their driveway[/caption]
STEVE ALLENNatalie Machell said the drivers are ‘ignorant’ and ‘selfish’[/caption]
STEVE ALLENMark Fitzgerald once had someone actually park on his drive[/caption]
STEVE ALLENA chain was put up across one driveway with a no parking warning[/caption]
Angry confrontations between residents and rogue motorists are common as vehicles battle for parking space on the narrow roads outside Cadishead Primary School, in Salford, Greater Manchester.
It’s become such a fractious issue council bosses have been forced to step up parking restrictions and enforcement action.
But residents claim the measures “will make little difference” and motorists will continue to flout regulations.
Natalie Machell, 50, is one of several residents who’ve been forced to convert their front gardens into driveways to provide space for their vehicles.
But she says her driveway is frequently blocked by “ignorant” and “selfish” drivers while others simply ignore no parking rules on nearby roads.
“One woman got really abusive,” said Natalie.
“She’d just dropped her kids off at the school further down the road.
“So I went over and told her it was restricted parking.
“She just looked and me and said, ‘You what? You stupid, f****** cow.”
Natalie, who has lived in the area since 2004, said the issue has “become worse over time” and parking enforcement officers have struggled to stop vehicles parking on yellow zig-zags and double yellow lines outside the school.
“I heard a huge row in the road one day and a traffic warden was getting terrible abuse from someone parked on a double yellow,” she said.
“I thought the driver was going to hit him.”
She added that the parking issue become “dangerous”, with children having to dodge vehicles as the enter and leave the school.
John Yates, 75, said he paid £4,000 to have a driveway installed at his home to avoid parking problems.
“It’s a nightmare,” he said.
“Every single day it’s chaos. The people that do it are just brain dead.
“My daughter, who lives here, is always getting blocked in when she wants to leave in her car.
“It got so bad my wife even went into the school to complain.
“But the traffic wardens who come round don’t do anything, they just tell drivers to move on.”
Echoing the feelings of other residents, he said that the toughening of parking restrictions would “make little difference to inconsiderate drivers” and just cause “more headaches” for residents.
He added that one of his neighbours, who’s in her 90s and still drives, is “scared” to go out around school drop-off and collection times due to worries she won’t be able to park outside her own home and will have to leave it “too far away” and walk home.
Mark Fitzgerald, 49, is another resident who’s driveway is regularly blocked, although he says “less bothered” by it because he no longer has a car.
He said: “People just ignore the no parking signs.
“I even had someone park on my driveway once, so I had to put a chain across.”
Policeman Mark, 49, said he started an initiative at the school to discourage nearby parking.
“We got the kids in hi-viz jackets and they went around asking people to park elsewhere.
“We did it for about four or five years and it really worked, but we had to stop due to concerns about the kids’ safety.”
At one Friday pick-up, around 3pm, several cars could be seen parked on double yellow lines near the school.
Other vehicles were parked on yellow zig-zag lines directly outside the school gate, with one car even parked on the pavement, causing an obstruction for pedestrians.
One car waited by blocking a resident’s driveway, although the female driver insisted it was “a one-off”.
Other motorists hit back at residents’ claims, insisting they were “considerate” parkers.
Margaret Helps, 54, who was waiting to pick up her nine-year-old granddaughter, said: “Sadly, there are people who just ignore the parking restrictions.
“I don’t think having more traffic wardens will make any difference.
“Some people will just pay the fines rather than park elsewhere.”
Dawn Eden, 50, who was collecting her nine-year-old son by car, said: “I think it’s disgusting that people block driveways.
“I always try to park somewhere that’s OK for residents and be respectful.
“Putting more yellow lines down won’t make any difference, if the had more efficient parking wardens that might help.”
Demi Binton, 27, said she used to walk her six-year-old son Logan to school, but now has drive because she starts work earlier.
“He starts school at 8.50am and I start work ay 9pm, so I have to use the car.
“If I could park elsewhere, in a car park further away, I would but I’m always pushed for time.”
She added: “Parking is a problem at all schools, not just this one.”
Sinead Lee, 31, who walks to and from school with her child, accused residents of “pettiness”.
“If you’re only collecting or dropping off for five minutes it’s not a problem,” she said.
“I think it’s worse in the morning when people are going to work and there are more cars.”
Fellow mum Jane Ashley, 36, added: “I don’t see parking as a big issue.
“There are more important things to worry about.”
Salford Council plan more double yellow lines on side roads near the school, extra patrols and the use of mobile cameras to enforce no waiting regulations.
Councillor Mike McCusker the council’s lead member for planning and sustainable development, admitted the enforcement of parking restrictions was an “issue”, but measures took time “to have an impact”.
He said: “The hope is that by imposing parking fines on motorists who break the restrictions it will change their behaviour and that word spreads around to other parents.”
Coun McCusker added that parking badly near schools “can have tragic consequences”.
STEVE ALLENDemi Binton, Jane Ashley and Sinead Lee suggested there should be more efficient parking wardens[/caption]
STEVE ALLENJohn Yates said every day is chaos[/caption] Read More