Traffic cameras to enforce school parking rules
BBCA school in Leeds has installed number plate recognition cameras to ensure parents comply with parking restrictions.
Chapel Allerton Primary School is part of Leeds City Council's "school streets" scheme, meaning traffic is restricted on nearby roads Methley Terrace and Back Methley Drive during pick-up and drop-off times.
The new automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras will collect information on cars breaching the rules. The council's parking team will cross reference it with CCTV to decide whether a fine is due.
Mohammed Rafique, cabinet lead for environment, said the cameras and fines would "become a deterrent, [so] people actually obey the restrictions which are in place".
"The point is to make these streets safer for children and our families, the whole school community, and the residents," he said.
"This will go a long way to reduce a bit of the chaos which you will see at school pick-up and drop-off times."
Nicholas Sykes, head teacher, said the school was founded in 1878 so "wasn't built with the intention of lots of cars going around".
"We've policed it ourselves as best we can, but obviously it's very labour intensive," he said.
"If people take notice of the signage, there's no problems. If you ignore the signage, then fines will follow.
"Our parents are very understanding - they want their children to be safe."
ANPR cameras are also due to be put in place outside Hugh Gaitskell Primary School in Beeston, which is another of the 17 Leeds schools involved in the scheme.
Jonathan Pryor, the council's deputy leader, said: "Introducing camera enforcement at these two established school streets is an important step in making sure the restrictions work as intended and continue to keep children safe.
"We know families value cleaner air and calmer streets around their schools, and ensuring consistent compliance will only strengthen those benefits."
He said the school streets scheme was "vital" in supporting the council's ambition to eliminate serious and fatal road injuries by 2040.
One parent at the school said: "The roads have been busy and up to now I don't think people have respected the rules.
"I really hope it will make a difference, because we want to keep it safe for the children."
A grandparent who helps with the school run said: "I was a governor at the school and I used to come here and patrol it. It has been a problem for a long time.
"Parents are advised the road is closed between 8:30-9:30 and then between 2:30-3:30, but people persist in using it during those times, which makes it doubly dangerous."
She added: "Children and parents expect it to be car-free and then a child starts crossing and a car whizzes down the road, which they're not expecting."
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