Students and parents must pay to park at Wilmslow High School in a bid to make the grounds safer and generate money for the school.
The school has received a grant to put up barriers at both entrances and anyone wishing to use the car park will have to pay £1. Visitors and staff will park free.
Gill Bremner, headteacher, said the barriers were introduced ‘on health and safety grounds’ because too many drivers were using the car park as a rat-run between the A34 and Holly Road.
She said it was also a good way of raising funds for the school.
In a letter to students and parents posted on the school’s website, she said: "We do hope that the car park barriers will make the site safer for our students.
"Another advantage from implementing car park barriers is that we will be able to raise money for the school. In this first year we have decided to use the income to support transport for educational visits for all students across all curriculum areas. Last year we spent £40,000 on transport and while we had the money then through specialist schools funding we no longer have that level of support.
"But it is the safety of our students, parents, staff and community users that comes first; the income generation comes second."
However, the new charges, introduced on December 12, have already caused problems for residents living on nearby Leaside Way and Burnside Close.
They say inconsiderate motorists who don’t want to pay the fee are parking either side of their road, making it difficult for residents’ cars and emergency vehicles to get in and out.
One grandfather, who has grandchildren at the high school, said: "These roads have been inundated with students parking their cars up the pavements and right up to the junction.
"There’s no way an ambulance or other emergency vehicle could get through if it had to.
"A lot of residents are elderly and may need an ambulance or doctor.
"I have written a letter to the school and council complaining about this.
"None of us were consulted about it or asked how it might affect us."
Mrs Bremner said the car park barriers are for the car park only and that the entrance area from Holly Road will still be accessible to allow parents to drop off or pick up students, for deliveries and taxis.
Visitors will park in the visitors’ car park and staff still gain free access with use of a fob.
Mrs Bremner, who allows the car park to be used by Artisan Market traders in Wilmslow on every third Saturday, added: "The car park barrier will be down in the evenings and at weekends but raised at parents’ evenings, open evenings and other events.
"We know there will be initial teething problems while people get used to the system."
Tweet
Comments
Login or Register to comment
I use the Wilmsow school sports facilities for the childrens' activites organised by the PFC on a Saturday morning. As I pay for the session, I do not also expect to pay another 20% to park for 40 minutes.
The last session before Christmas was on December 17, and was so appalled that I wrote to Mrs Bremner. I have not yet received any acknowledgement of my complaint, which underlines what a cynical money-grabbing scheme this is.
I happened to be passing through the area on December 20, so had a look at the situation on a school day. To my amazement, I found both barriers in the raised position, with an open route from the estate to the A34. So much for stopping rat-running (which incidentally I did not witness at the time)
Letter as sent:
Dear Mrs Bremner
Today I brought my 3 year old daughter to the PFC Playmakers session to be confronted by your new pay barrier system. As you have stated in your newsletter that this system has been brought in for health and safety reasons, I would like to highlight the following health and safety issues we experienced today:
1. The car park and the paths leading to the sports halls were covered in ice and very slippery. You have a duty of care to your customers to ensure safe access to the facilities, in which you have failed.
2. Having to leave the car to operate the barrier is an invitation for car jacking with a small child on board.
3. The access roads and local streets were lined with parked cars by those persons unwilling to pay your charge. This will undoubtedly lead to complaints from your neighbours add accessibility problems, particularly for team coaches and minibuses.
4. I was closely tailgated by a van seeking to access without paying as I negotiated the entrance.
I do not disagree with the provision of priority parking to staff on weekdays nor to the principle of avoiding rat-running but I see little or no evidence of this at the weekend, so as a user of your facilities, I do not agree with the changes.
I therefore sincerely hope that the PFC will terminate their arrangement with Wilmslow High School if this policy continues, as I am disgusted by what is blatantly a fund raising exercise that adds nothing to health and safety that could not be achieved by closure of the gate that intersects the two sides of the car park.
Yours sincerely