It was time to walk the walk in a campaign to keep children safe at a school in Knowsley.
Pictured: (l to r) Cllrs Graham Wright, Ron Round and Bob Maguire join pupils from St Margaret Mary’s infants to put a stop to dangerous parking.
School governors at St Margaret Mary’s Infants in Roby have joined staff in a crackdown on drivers that put pupils at risk.
The school fronts onto the really busy Pilch Lane and congestion, speeding and careless parking pose a real danger.
“We’ve been trying to get this through to drivers for years,” said Cllr Bob Maguire, Chair of the school’s governors.
“They’ll park anywhere and insist on using the car to get their child to school when it was be just as easy to walk. “
A banner warns drivers about parking illegally and irresponsibly and leaflets and newsletters have been produced asking them to take extra care around the school.
Police have issued notices about the fines and penalty points that drivers face when they flout the law and some drivers have been fined.
The school has run road safety campaigns, bollards and guard rails have been placed around the site and road markings have been improved.
The school runs “walking buses” where pupils can walk to school in supervised groups and there is storage on site for bikes and scooters.
All pupils are encouraged to walk to school on Wednesdays.
Nevertheless, the governors say too many people are still bringing their children to school by car.
“We all leave things to the last minute and it’s so easy to jump in the car when you’re in a rush,” said Cllr Ron Round, leader of Knowsley Council and a local councillor.
“But lots of the pupils here live just around the corner and it’s just a question of getting into the habit of walking or parking further away from the school.
"It’s the parking and congestion that cause the problems yet walking or cycling to school can make a much nicer start to the day.”
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