Drivers named and shamed at school gates (From Bucks Free Press)

Drivers named and shamed at school gates

9:59am Friday 7th July 2006 in News By Sitala Peek

A MOTHER pushing her baby in a pram and her two young children were forced to move aside after a 4x4 mounted the pavement along Hatters Lane.

The family had to step onto the grass verge as the car pulled up a few feet in front of them.

The motorist, who would not give his name, had his driving caught on camera as he was collecting children from Highcrest Community School on Tuesday.

He is one of many drivers the High Wycombe school is hoping to re-educate through a name and shame campaign launched in the Free Press this week.

Photos of drivers and their cars will be published in the paper to try to shame inconsiderate parking offenders into reforming.

The campaign is backed by Thames Valley Police, Buckinghamshire County Council's Highways department and neighbouring schools.

Our reporter and other onlookers saw another driver, not pictured here, block the entire width of the pavement while he was waiting to collect his children from school.

When challenged he apologised for causing an obstruction but refused to move the car to let pedestrians past, forcing them to walk around him in the main road instead.

He later said he was sorry and would not do it again.

Traffic also struggled to get past other parents who had parked on either side of the road, blocking people's driveways.

Parents repeatedly had to be told to put their seat belts on by the Police Community Support Officer and a member of staff who tried to move the traffic on.

High Wycombe beat officer, PC Paul Jervis, has warned that officers will be issuing fines to drivers who ignore their warnings.

The Free Press got involved when headteacher Sheena Moynihan came to us for help following an incident in May when an eight year-old was hit by a car on his way to Beechview Primary School, further down Hatters Lane.

The school has now banned parents from parking outside the school entrance between 3pm and 3.30pm to stop school-run traffic causing a road hazard.

Parents are asked to wait in the school car park instead or to use the free parking at St Andrew's Church for picking up and dropping off children.

Miss Moynihan hopes the campaign will re-educate people like Amina Bi, the driver of a blue Nissan Sunny, L343 MUD, who was picking up her daughter on Tuesday.

Mrs Bi, who would not say where she lived, said: "Parking here is not causing me any harm.

"Everyone else will just have to go around me."

See the Bucks Free Press for more next week