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Free parking for parents after drop-off 'carnage'

KLWNBC Harvey, 7, and Arthur, 8, stand at Boal Quay car park holding signs showing how parents can use the car parking machines to get 30 free minutes parking at pick up and drop of times. KLWNBC
Harvey and Arthur both made the short walk from the car park rather than getting dropped off at the school gate

Parents are being offered free parking by a school in a bid to improve safety.

Those dropping off pupils at Whitefriars Academy Primary School, in King's Lynn, Norfolk, can now park at the council-owned Boal Quay car park.

It comes after bad parking, congestion and "carnage" at pick-up and drop-off times posed a risk to children walking and cycling in the area.

After running for the past month, the school wants more parents to sign up to the scheme.

KLWNBC Councillor Bal Anota, head teacher Mat Tuckwood and councillor Deborah Heneghan stand next to the car park pay machine. Bal is wearing a brown suit jacket and cream trousers. Mat is wearing a bright orange coat. Deborah has a red scarf and black coat. KLWNBC
Councillors Bal Anota and Deborah Heneghan, and head teacher Mat Tuckwood (in orange coat) have been working together on the scheme

Head teacher Mat Tuckwood said: "At drop-off and pick-up time it's carnage.

"It's dangerous. The roads are really narrow so having this car park and being able to use it makes a massive difference.

"I get it parents are always in a rush. However, this is an ideal solution because literally it is a two-minute walk.

"We think it's actually quicker to come here and park and then the children walk than it is to try and find a parking space near the school."

Using the council-owned site was the idea of Labour borough councillor Deborah Heneghan, who represents the St Margarets with St Nicholas ward.

Heneghan said she was getting a range of complaints, and added: "Local residents couldn't get out in the mornings to get to work; the congestion, the inconsiderate parking.

"You know what it's like. It's chaotic at every school in the country. I mean, I've had children at primary school. I remember having that chaos.

"Not every school is fortunate to have a council-run car park at the end of the road!"

Exterior shot of Whitefriars Primary Academy. The school reception area has a purple school sign above it.
The school encouraged parents to park away from the site to make walking and cycling safer

In the scheme's first month, 54 different car registrations have used the QR code parking system.

King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council figures showed there were 159 uses in the morning and 256 in the afternoon.

The school, which has 400 pupils, is hoping more parents choose to register for the QR code that entitles them to 30 minutes free parking in the morning and afternoon to further improve road safety at peak times.

Across the town at Greyfriars School, parents can take advantage of free parking in The Walks car park.

The public car park next to the football club offers all visitors three hours of free parking.

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