Due to recent events I have had a consultation with the Parking Officer that attended our school on Monday and Tuesday of this week. The following is the information gathered that I hope will help appease any frustration or upset that may have been caused and clarify a few points:-
First of all, the parking attendants have been sent by Midlothian Council as part of an Enforced Parking initiative that is being carried out at ALL Midlothian Schools. This is based primarily on SAFETY for all pupils and carers.
Also, there has been many instances where vehicles have not managed to gain access to the school for maintenance purposes, deliveries or refuse bin collections, due to cars being parked where they shouldn’t be i:e – double yellows, in front of bollards etc.
There have also been many complaints made about school transport/taxis not being able to park because of people parking in the bus drop of zone, keep clear zone and also the disabled spaces – where no blue badges have been displayed. This is unacceptable and has caused untold inconvenience and safety issues for a long time. Also, people that think it is acceptable to double park in front of cars parked in the bays, this is also an offense and extremely dangerous!
The parking restrictions are there for safety and to provide access to the school especially for Emergency Vehicles.
Anyone that has been unfortunate enough to have received a parking ticket, if a first offence can appeal it with Midlothian Council and have I been told this may be over-ruled as a goodwill gesture. However, persistent offences can be handed over to Sheriff Officers.
To clarify, parking on double yellows, bus drop off, keep clear zone, zig-zags and disabled spaces without the proper authorisation and any other obstruction can result in a instant ticket.
As a parent council we will be requesting that the red mono-blocked area ,that should be a drop off zone, be clearly marked and be exempt from double yellow line restrictions for the time being and that proper signage and road markings be put in place for this.
Disabled badges holders permitted to park on double yellows just the same as other streets and taxis doing a drop off/pick up are regarded the same as school transport.
In the meantime, I would urge all drivers to adhere to the restrictions as they would anywhere else and bear in mind CHILD SAFETY.
We are quite fortunate at our school to have free parking available on our driveway, Edgefield Road and surrounding areas, that other school do not and the limited parking available in the car park is due to us being a ‘Green School’ !
I hope this helps to alleviate any stress caused by recent events and that we can all do our bit to keep our children safe.
Kind Regards,
Lorna Kennedy
Parent Council Chair
