Schoolchildren "at risk" after county council parking decision
September 14, 2009 10:36 AM
Susannah Kerr
Angry residents living close to a Cambridge school fear a child could be seriously injured or even killed after highway bosses took away vital parking spaces.
They gave permission for a resident to drive across a parking layby in Evergreens used by parents delivering youngsters to Shirley Primary School.
The decision meant that the resident could get to his garden but took away two parking spaces, forcing parents to block the road to deliver children to their classrooms.
Now residents in Evergreens and Green End Road have signed a petition and called on East Chesterton city councillor, Susannah Kerr to back their fight.
She said: "This is one of the most congested areas of Cambridge and the decision by Cambridgeshire County Council to allow this resident to drive across this layby hast made it much worse.
"Residents have fought for a number of years to improve safety outside this school; the county council has undone all their good work with one ill-thought out decision.
"There have been many near misses outside the school in the past where children have tried to cross the road. Since these parking spaces were removed, there is chaos as parents struggle to park safely to drop off and collect their children. It is only a matter of time before there is a serious accident."
Residents have successfully fought in recent years for double yellow lines in the area and planting to stop cars double and triple parking on the verges.
Miss Kerr has called for a site meeting with Richard Preston, Cambridgeshire County Council's head of network management.
He told her: "Whilst there are undoubtedly parking problems in Evergreens, the assessment of the officers who have considered the drop kerb application is that its provision is very unlikely to create any problems from a road safety perspective."
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