The council’s road safety team is highlighting the dangers of inconsiderate parking and emphasising the importance of adhering to the parking restrictions.

Inconsiderate and dangerous parking around schools is a significant problem, placing children and others at risk. Parked vehicles can obstruct visibility, making it difficult for both children and drivers to see approaching traffic. Liverpool City Council is asking all parents to consider the potential consequences of their parking choices.

The Highway Code clearly states: “You MUST NOT wait or park, or stop to set down and pick up passengers, on school entrance markings when upright signs indicate a prohibition of stopping.”

Liverpool City Council’s Parking Services team enforces these restrictions at numerous schools and collaborates with the Road Safety Team to identify “hotspots” requiring increased attention.

Drivers are also reminded to be considerate of other road users, pedestrians, and local residents by avoiding parking:

• On yellow lines, zig zags, or school entrances
• At a School Crossing Patrol location
• On the footway, central reservation, or across dropped kerbs
• Across and blocking driveways
• Opposite, or within 10 metres of a junction
• In the middle of the road to drop off children
• Blocking the road, as emergency vehicles and other traffic may need access

Liverpool City Council is actively addressing this issue through various initiatives, including its School Streets Programme. This program aims to create safer, more pedestrian-friendly environments around schools by restricting or reducing motorized traffic during school drop-off and pick-up times.

The School Streets initiative is crucial in protecting children. To date, Liverpool City Council have introduced eight school streets, which include camera enforcement, and we are planning to implement a further 42 in the next two years.

The council encourages parents who need to drive to school to park further away from the entrance and walk the remaining distance. This provides an opportunity to discuss road safety with children, emphasising the importance of finding safe crossing points, stopping behind the curb, looking and listening for traffic, and using designated crossings with a lollipop person or pedestrian crossing.

Walking, cycling, or scooting to school is also promoted as a healthy way to incorporate daily physical activity, reduce congestion around schools, and improve local air quality.

Cllr Councillor Dan Barrington, Cabinet Member for Transport and Connectivity, said:

“Across the city we are seeing an increasing amount of car owners parking dangerously. This is particularly shocking when it occurs around schools, posing a massive safety risk to children.

“Drivers must follow the rules of the Highway Code. If there is nowhere to park legally and safely then you will have to drive to an area where you can and walk.

“There is no excuse for endangering the safety of pedestrians and other road users.”