Cranbrook Education Campus students act against anti-social parking

Primary pupils from Cranbrook Education Campus (CEC) silently protested against anti-social parking outside their school gates last week.

The school and the PTA have been working with walking and cycling charity Sustrans on the campaign, which aims to reduce the amount of motor traffic that parks or idles outside the school, improving road safety and air quality.

CEC has worked with Sustrans since 2015, taking part in active travel challenges such as Leg it to Lapland and the Big Pedal with great success, when surveyed last year 76 per cent of students would like to actively travel to school.

A group of students stood outside the school, holding signs they had created, calling on parents to park safely on Tillhouse Lane yesterday (Monday 2 March) morning during the school drop off. The students will continue this campaign on Thursday (5 March) from 14:45 during the school pick up.

Charlotte Stokes, Active Travel Officer for Sustrans, said: “It’s great to see the students so enthusiastic about this campaign that is encouraging parents to think carefully about their parking at the beginning and end of the school day. I have worked with the school to encourage walking, cycling and scooting as part of the school journey aiming to prevent the need for parking in the first place.”

Stephen Farmer, Head of Campus at Cranbrook Education Campus, said: “As a new Campus, in a new town, we want to ensure that good habits related to safe parking and sustainable travel are embedded in our culture. The health and well-being benefits to both pupils and their parents/carers of walking, cycling or scooting to the Campus are well researched and documented. However, we realise that some working parents/carers have to drive and drop off/pick up due to their commitments. If this is the case, we want to ensure that these parents/carers drive and park responsibly ensuring the safety of our pupils and their families at all times. Many of our pupils have concerns about some of the current unsafe parking practices of a few of our parents/carers and they are staging this protest to raise awareness of safer parking around the Campus.”

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said: “Hats off to the pupils for taking a stand against anti-social parking outside their school and for bringing attention to this issue. It's great to see such enthusiasm for sustainable travel and while we appreciate not everyone may be able to walk, cycle or scoot to school, no doubt everyone would agree that the safety of children is paramount. I expect the local community will do everything it can to maintain the safety of the area outside the school gates.”

A pupil attending Cranbrook Education Campus said: “It feels safer crossing the road this morning.”

This campaign was delivered with help from Sustrans Active Travel to Schools Project, funded by Devon County Council through the Access Fund. School travel planning advice is available for anyone who would like to receive support or advice on planning a walking or cycling journey to school. For more information contact https://www.traveldevon.info/