Residents claim campus parking is an "accident waiting to happen"

Nov 15 2012 by Clare Damodaran, Blairgowrie Advertiser

Residents from Smithfield Crescent and Smithfield Avenue have claimed dangerous driving and parking in their streets are an “accident waiting to happen”.

Speaking at the Blairgowrie and Rattray Community Council meeting this week, residents asked community councillors to reject Perth and Kinross Council’s plans to make temporary restrictions on the entrance road to the Blairgowrie Community Campus from the junction with Elm Drive permanent.

Residents in surrounding areas say the measures are just moving the issue from Elm Drive to the areas around Smithfield Crescent and Smithfield Avenue.

One resident from Smithfield Crescent told the community council she had seen a toddler run out between the parked cars. “Someone is going to get killed,” she said: “It is an accident waiting to happen.”

Brian Smith lives in Smithfield Avenue. He said: “People park in front of our driveways blocking us in. The roads are so severely congested that the bin lorry has had to retime it’s route. Sometimes even the bus can’t get through.”

Parking and travel safety issues at the community campus have been an issue since it opened in 2009. The campus was initially built with a view pupils walking to school. However, concerns about road safety mean many parents are taking their children to school by car, resulting in congestion.

Councillor Caroline Shiers said: “I am aware of the ongoing problems for residents and have raised this issue with council officers.

“The essence of the problem is that there seems to have been an assumption that parents and carers would bring their children to school on foot or children would cycle. That was probably always going to be an optimistic ideal and the reality is a huge number of children are brought by car.

“There is no designated drop off zone and I am going back to officers to see if is possible to look at options for this. The current parking restrictions within the campus are there to protect children when they are in the school grounds. This is an essential move and one that has had to be put in place due to the actions of drivers.

“However, there is another issue the solution to which lies in the hands of the parents and carers who drive their children and that is the inconsiderate and illegal parking. I would urge motorists to pay attention to the 20mph limit watch where they park and not to block drive ways.

“The reports of children running out between parked cars just brings home the potential for disaster if a child gets knocked down.”