Cindy Matthews: Tackling the problem of parking around Swindon’s schools

Councillor Cindy Matthews has been pleased with the response from residents to the Council's agreement at the last Full Council to try and solve the problem of parking around schools.

Councillor Cindy Matthews has been pleased with the response from residents to the Council's agreement at the last Full Council to try and solve the problem of parking around schools. At the last full Council the Labour Group presented an initiative to Council, which received unanimous support from all the parties, calling upon the Police and Crime Commissioner to train and authorise Police Community Support Officers (PCSO's) to advice parents and, if necessary, issue parking penalties for parents parking dangerously around schools.    

This is an issue with many schools around Swindon but Cindy found local residents of Oliver Tomkins School and the Lydiard Academy to be particularly anxious for something to be done.    

As Cindy said "This is not just a matter of a problem for a few minutes morning and afternoon as now there are nursery schools, breakfast clubs and after school activities. Local residents often find their driveways blocked, roads made impassable, and occasional accidents. Rsidents are concerned that a child could be hurt in the general chaos and that emergency vehicles would not be able to gain access."