Parents at an Oldham primary school were left confused yesterday as a planned scheme that would have restricted cars during school drop off and pick up times was postponed.
A ‘school street’ scheme outside Christ Church CE Primary School in Chadderton would have seen drivers blocked on the small Crawley Way side road between 8.15am and 9am, and between 2.45pm to 3.15pm during school term time.
The restriction would have been enforced with a barrier, and was due to start on Monday, (September 25) – being confirmed by the council as late as this month.
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However, parents have been left confused, with signage taped over and no new start date announced.
‘I think it’s brilliant, it’s really going to work’
Parent Tiffany Hurst was picking up her daughter from Christ Church by car.
She thought the new school street would be ‘brilliant’.
The mum added: “I think it’s going to be safer, I think when I’m waiting for my child she’s not going to have the risk of a car coming up the street and hitting her. I just think it’s brilliant, it’s really going to work.”
Tiffany said drivers go up Crawley Way, which is less than 100ft in length and already has school ‘keep clear’ markings, ‘all the time’.
The south Chadderton resident added: “They also park on the lines when we’re coming out and crossing over the road, they always park there, and it’s dangerous because we can’t see the cars coming up and down. It’s definitely going to make a massive, massive difference.”
Tiffany was confused as to why the scheme had been postponed.
The 31-year-old mum said: “I’ve seen pictures on social media of it, and when I saw it hadn’t started I thought ‘Oh, no one’s told us why it’s not started’, we have no idea, I’ve got no information on it.
"I thought it was supposed to start today, but clearly not, I’ve had no information as to why it’s happened.”
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‘Concerns were raised by local residents’
Oldham Council has remained quiet as to the reasons why the school street was postponed.
Headteacher Debra Davies was away at a meeting on the day the scheme was due to start but shone some light as to why the scheme had been delayed in an emailed comment.
She said: “After a consultation on Wednesday 13th September, concerns were raised by local residents regarding the current congestion on Denton Lane and also the likelihood of the scheme resulting in further congestion and a possible layby being created at the end of Crawley Way.
“Following the meeting the school raised these concerns with the Strategic Transportation Leader, which has caused the delay and we are awaiting a suitable response to these points raised.
“As I’m sure you will agree the safety of our children, the families and the local community/residents is of the utmost importance to the school community. Hope this gives some clarification on the delay.”
‘The fire engine wouldn’t be able to get up’
Resident Barry Edgerton lives next door to the school, on Denton Lane. Having lived in the area for 38 years, he was supportive of the changes.
The 80-year-old said: “If there was a fire at the school, say during the night, the fire engine wouldn’t be able to get up – that’s why that street has got to be kept clear at all times.
"But sometimes they don’t, they park there early in the morning and they go to work, you see.
"Sometimes they get away with it, sometimes they come down and catch them.
“That street should be kept clear at all times, but if I say anything to anybody you get into an argument, and I don’t want that – the less stress I have, the better. If I say ‘Oh you’re not supposed to park there’, you might get a fist in your face.”
‘It’s going to be really hard’
One parent wasn’t a fan of the planned changes.
Khalid Miah said: “If that does happen, life’s going to be hard. It’s going to be really hard.
“I live quite far away, so I’m going to have to use my car. Cycling and walking, how am I going to take my kids? I’m going to have to take my car and then I’ll have to go home – for me it’s not convenient.
“They’ve already got a yellow line so you can’t park on there, the road is quite big. I think it should be fine coming and going, it shouldn’t be any problem.”
‘I think it’s a great idea’
Picking up her grandchild, Wendy Bailey said she thought the school street was a ‘great idea’.
The 53-year-old teacher added: “It’s safer for the children, because people just ignore the yellow lines, and they have done for years. It’s really bad here. It’s bad around all schools in Chadderton, to be fair.
“But it’s nothing new, my eldest child’s 36 and we used to live in Failsworth and it was the same then, people would ignore yellow lines.
"Headmasters had to come outside and stop people from parking on them – people ignore it, and it’s not safe, not safe at all. I fully agree with it.”
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