Parents should be encouraged to photograph bad drivers outside schools in a bid to crack down on the problem, it has been suggested.
More needs to be done to encourage considerate parking around Bathgate’s primary schools, especially by council contracted taxis, councillors agreed this week.
SNP Councillor Willie Boyle told a meeting of the town’s local area committee that he’d encouraged the parents council at Boghall primary to photograph vehicles parking badly and blocking gates and vehicle access to the school.
And he suggested the police could work with the council’s licensing officers where licensed vehicles such as taxis were regularly parked badly outside schools.
Bad parking by vehicles on contract to the council was a bad example to parents, said councillor Boyle who added: “it’s getting silly”.
Sgt Jamie Duthie told the committee that officers had continued to monitor parking around Bathgate’s shopping centre where resources and time allowed. Community officers have also been working with Boghall primary on issues around the Elizabeth Drive school.
Chairing the committee, Councillor Harry Cartmill said that high visibility police presence around schools served as a “reassurance.”
“You mentioned the initiative at Boghall primary schools. That’s very welcome it doesn’t matter what school it is, there are issues with inappropriate parking, inappropriate driving. I think all the schools would feel reassured if you were to show a presence there.”
He added that even a police car driving past a schools: “seems to instantly adjust people’s attitudes. It’s sad that it needs to be done at times. It provides a lot of reassurance if you are there and monitoring at Boghall, but also at Simpson and Balbardie [primaries].
In a report to the committee Sgt Duthie said: “Officers continued to focus efforts in relation to road safety particularly in the Bathgate town centre focusing on protecting pedestrians at crossings and other locations.
“As a result of various patrols throughout the month community officers issued: one Conditional Offer for parking within a crossing (three Points and fine) as well as three tickets for parking on double yellow lines – resulting in a fine.”
And he added: “Community officers have continued to support local primary schools in relation to the issues of inconsiderate parking, notably at school drop off and collection times.”
Councillor Boyle said:” I have been encouraging Boghall parent council to take photographs of private hire vehicles that are contracted with West Lothian Council.”
He said that holding a public transport vehicle licence was a privilege not a right. If taxi drivers continued to ignore the rules by blocking access and parking on zig zags they should be made an example of.
“Licensing has said the school needs to report it to the police. I’d encourage other schools to do the same. It’s getting silly.”
He added that parents driving their own children to school would see contracted taxis parking badly and think it legitimate to do the same.
“I’m really hoping we can get Licensing, and the police to tackle this. Hopefully that would have a knock on effect with parents.”
By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
