'Parking fines and abuse rising' outside schools

School parking fines have risen by 17% in Plymouth while abuse of enforcement officers has become a growing problem, councillors have been told.

A meeting of Plymouth City Council's housing and community services scrutiny panel heard on Wednesday that parents often viewed the penalties as "an inconvenience" rather than a deterrent, while drivers continued to ignore restrictions.

Violence and aggression towards enforcement officers were said to be making the problem harder to tackle.

The committee heard that no applicants came forward during the last two recruitment rounds for dedicated school enforcement officers, a role described as increasingly confrontational.

Civil enforcement manager Darren Stoneman said the issue was a "battle we will continue to fight, but it is becoming increasingly difficult with the level of commuting between schools and work".

Complaints about poor parking, unsafe driving and dangerous manoeuvres outside schools prompted a review after the council backed a notice of motion last November calling for tougher action, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Stoneman said it was not possible to maintain a permanent presence at all 83 schools in the city.

The number of penalty charge notices issued at school pick-up times has increased from 5,526 to 6,469 over the past year.

Stoneman said drivers were ignoring zig zags, yellow lines, signage and education campaigns, and there was a "particular problem in areas where there were no car parks close to the school".

"It is a very expensive process if you decide not to park safely or considerately close to a school," he said.

"School allocations used to be based on geographical locations, which meant that most children were able to walk to school – that is no longer the case.

"Every time we issue a ticket, it is a failure on us to keep the road safe."

Standard traffic enforcement officers will now visit schools as part of their routine duties, with support from police community support officers where needed.

Councillor Angie Smith welcomed the measures and said she "would rather have these things in place before a child is killed".

Councillor Kathy Watkin said parents were often responsible for unsafe parking and appeared unconcerned by fines.

"Parents are not the most receptive of people when it comes to trying to discuss why it is not safe for them to park where they park," she said.

The council plans a new awareness campaign in the autumn and will report accident and near-miss data to a future committee.

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