Park safely around schools
In the last year, 94 penalty charge notices were issued to parents and caregivers who parked irresponsibly outside schools when dropping off or picking up their child.
Dangers of inconsiderate parking
We are highlighting the dangers of inconsiderate parking and emphasising the importance of following parking restrictions.
Inconsiderate and dangerous parking around schools is a significant problem, placing children and others at risk. Parked vehicles can obstruct visibility, making it difficult for both children and drivers to see approaching traffic. We ask all parents to consider the potential consequences of their parking choices.
The Highway Code states, 'You must not wait or park, or stop to set down and pick up passengers, on school entrance markings when upright signs indicate a prohibition of stopping.' Our parking services team enforces these restrictions at numerous schools and collaborates with the road safety team to identify 'hotspots' requiring increased attention.
Tips for safe parking
Drivers are reminded to be considerate of other road users, pedestrians, and local residents by avoiding parking:
- on yellow lines, zig zags, or school entrances
- at a school crossing patrol location
- on the footway, central reservation, or across dropped kerbs
- across and blocking driveways
- opposite, or within 10 metres of a junction
- in the middle of the road to drop off children
- blocking the road, as emergency vehicles and other traffic may need access
Our School Streets Programme
Our School Streets Programme aims to create safer, more pedestrian-friendly environments around schools by restricting or reducing motorised traffic during school drop-off and pick-up times.
It is crucial in protecting children. To date, we have introduced eight school streets, which include camera enforcement, and we are planning to implement a further 42 in the next two years.
We encourage parents who need to drive to school to park further away from the entrance and walk the remaining distance. This provides an opportunity to discuss road safety with children, emphasising the importance of finding safe crossing points, stopping behind the curb, looking and listening for traffic, and using designated crossings with a lollipop person or pedestrian crossing.
Walking, cycling, or scooting to school is also promoted as a healthy way to incorporate daily physical activity, reduce congestion around schools, and improve local air quality.