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Double trouble
Reporter: Erin Heywood
Date online: 17 January 2013
School in fresh safety plea after same two drivers return to flout strict parking laws
Parents caught by Oldham Council’s school safety car last month have been caught on camera a second time.
A car and a van pictured when the Chronicle was invited to see the safety vehicle in action were spoted again outside the Brierley Avenue school - doing exactly the same thing!
The two Nissan drivers ignored all the school’s safety warnings to save a few seconds — but put other children at risk in the process.
Despite this, headteacher John Meagher believes the safety-car clampdown has been a success.
He said: “The vast majority of parents work with us to ensure the safety of the pupils.
“We had a number of communications with parents throughout 2012. It’s clearly having an effect because the number of people parking outside has reduced. Most of the pupils walk to school anyway, parents who drive their children are encouraged to think about where they park.
“If a car is creating a blockage we ask them to move because our main priority is safety.”
Comments
If this vehicle has been issued with a parking waiver then it is allowed to park on double yellow lines. It should be displayed in the windscreen.
Around most schools there are parking restriction so if it didn't park there it would be hard pushed to catch anyone especially from two blocks away
I have also seen the camera car parked on double yellow lines twice now at teatime filming cars outside the Chinese chippy near Waterhead academy, obviously rules for one but not the money making camera car.
I've never yet seen this vehicle anywhere near the Primary School on Roundthorn Rd Glodwick (nor any teachers outside talking to the owners for that matter)which is double-yellow lined on both sides and where the road is a virtual car-park EVERY morning from 0830 - 0900 with (empty)cars parked at all angles half-on half-off the kerbs! I know, as I have to negiotiate this debacle each day on my way to work.
Once again it's the media and authorities implying that improperly parked vehicles is killing schoolchildren. The safety car and speed cameras are just tools to make money. Want to reduce deaths on the roads by nearly 100%? then why not ban all cars from all roads and if you think that's a stupid idea then you obviously can put a price on a life.
Lets have a go at the camera car doing its job a great one at that. And when it is not there and a child is knocked down due to imbeciles parking wherever they want to so they don't need to walk as far to the school or the local shop. It will be a case of how come the camera car is not around doing it job and the civil enforcement officer. These guys have a tough job trying to keep the roads safe near schools and all they get is grief instead of being praised.
It does not only do Schools, I regularly see it in Shaw on Saturday Lunchtime, Parking on Yellow lines and creeping up on other drivers parking on Yellow lines.
What are most of you moaning about, do you think its OK to park on double yellows and no stop zones. The camera car is doing a great job and if you get caught, TOUGH. I and many others do the school run, it is possible without breaking the law.......
bluenose1873: Agree with you absolutely. Strange how some folk hate an enforcement vehicle which is there to prevent lazy, arrogant drivers cause a traffic hazard to children. These drivers should be prosecuted immediately. And for those who are complaining it parks on yellow lines - it has a dispensation to do so and is perfectly legal.
@OMBCworker, in the two times i have seen the camera car parked illegally at waterhead academy there has been sufficient parking in the carpark outside the post office or the street opposite the chippy.
if the vehicle cannot park safely and legally it should not park up.
and bluenose1873. this like all the other methods employed by the council are nothing to do with safety and more about extracting more money from the motorist.
the fact only one out of seven comments support this shows the view
To those who say it's ok for the camera car to park on the double yellows. If a child runs out from in front of or behind the camera car and gets killed, presumably that will be ok as long as it was the camera car rather than a parent's car that stopped the child from being seen? If it's dangerous to park there, it's dangerous to park, camera car or not. Simples.
@fedupoldhamer lets wait to see what you have to say when a love one as an accident due to parked cars breaking the rules or a speeding vehicle.Break the law take the punishment. If you are that fed up of Oldham move on you are not being forced to live here.
i am a childminder at a local school and these people are just lazy sods who would drop their children at the schools front door if they could .. they sit in their warm cars and turf the kids out on to the street(some at only 4 or 5 years old ), cant even be bothered to walk their kids into the school yard. being as the school only takes children from the immediate are why cant they walk to school..yes i agree the enforcement vehicle need to park in awkward places to catch them
Its about time the CCTV car is in place and of course it has to park on yellow lines etc to enforce. If people are unhappy about it then just put the message out there "Park properly". Its not hard to do to ensure our streets and schools are safe. As for money making "great" the council need as much as they can get and if people are too lazy to walk a little then they can pay the bill. Camera enforcement is here to stay. Keep up the good work !
Correction.
Extracting money from illegally parked motorists.
If people wish to park where they shouldn't then they cannot complain about being fined.
Its about time the CCTV car is in place and of course it has to park on yellow lines etc to enforce. If people are unhappy about it then just put the message out there "Park properly". Its not hard to do to ensure our streets and schools are safe. As for money making "great" the council need as much as they can get and if people are too lazy to walk a little then they can pay the bill. Camera enforcement is here to stay. Keep up the good work !
camera car was still outside waterhead school at 6pm on friday! on double yellows as usual. there are many legal places for it to park near by with clear views.
now if it was all about the safety of the "children" it would have left about 4pm when all the kids have long gone.
nothing at all about kids safety like i've said its all about cash generation.
@bluenose! not been on here long i can tell. you'd know im fed up of the mess oldhams become due to incompetant councils in the past.
Why don't they use fixed cameras like they do for CCTV, then they wouldn't be putting children's lives in danger by parking the van outside the school. Parents stop for a couple of minutes, the camera van is there for much longer, and is consequently a far greater risk to children. By all means catch and fine the lazy parents but don't put children's lives in even greater danger in the process.
i have yet to see this camera car outside waterhead academy on a morning.
when its most needed. cars stopping to drop kids off left right and centre. cars pulling into the bus only turn around too causing all sorts of chaos.
and i've found the safest possible place for the camera car too. on the paved area right at the front of school. its clear views reach in both directions of huddersfield road.
its current place on double yellows cannot see the bus turnaround clearly.
its all about ££££!
Have Your Say
i've seen the camera car twice outside waterhead academy and on both occasions it was illegally parked on double yellows.
if they're trying to nab people breaking the law at least follow the laws too!
By fedupoldhamer @ 17/01/2013 14:12:28