A BARRIER is to be installed at a Dundee primary school to stop parents’ “selfish” parking.
Plans are in place for the barrier at the entrance to St Andrew’s Primary School car park following a review of the site by a council working group.
Concerns were raised over the volume of traffic and driving manoeuvres after a child was involved in an accident in May.
The accident comes hot on the heels of three separate incidents outside the school.
Now Dundee City Council has decided to install the barrier as an attempt to reduce congestion outside the gates.
Convener of education Stewart Hunter said: “We went out to the school to witness things for ourselves and part of the problem is some of the parents go into the school car park and block the way for other cars.
“A lot of kids are coming out at that time and there’s other parents trying to get past.
“It’s a recipe for disaster. I appreciate one or two parents are allowed in because they have disabled children, but there’s still people parking in disabled spaces who shouldn’t be.
“By putting the barrier in it’s stopping parents who are just coming in being lazy and not just causing a nuisance but causing a danger.”
Parents are currently encouraged to park in the nearby St Leonard’s Church car park and walk their children to the school gates, but some still chose to ignore that facility and park on double yellow and zig-zag lines closer to the school.
Mr Hunter said: “I think the drive is still to educate parents.
“I think the problem in all the schools we have been to is the vast majority of parents are good, park further away and walk their children down to school, but we do have a minority who are selfish.
“It’s appalling the parents need to realise that the safety of their kids is far more important than them getting away quickly.
“At one of the schools we saw a parent trying to get away quickly and nearly ran their own kid over. Thankfully they weren’t going fast.”
He said there are accidents waiting to happen if parents don’t improve how they park.
“It’s only a matter of time before a child is seriously hurt because of parents,” he said.
“If we could eradicate that, that would be a major thing to improve the safety of schools.”
The barrier will probably be installed over the Easter holidays to avoid work having any impact on the school day.
Strathmartine ward councillor Kevin Keenan, who has pushed for improved safety measures at the school, said the barrier would go some way to improving the situation.
He said: “This might do something to alleviate the problems, but not address them all. I think the working group still has more to do.”
ksmyth@thecourier.co.uk