'Jail parents who pavement park' says councillor as roads near schools face closure over problem

A senior Liverpool councillor said she believes parents who park on pavements outside schools should be jailed for the danger they pose to kids and teachers.

Environment and climate change chief Laura Robertson-Collins made the strong comments this week at a council meeting when asked about measures to tackle the growing issue of pavement parking.

The meeting also heard that roads outside some Liverpool schools could be shut for up to half an hour as part of trial to try to stop pavement parking and dangerous driving outside schools.

Multiple councillors say schools in their areas have reported near misses of children almost being struck down by vehicles.

The laws on where you can park

And after discussions with a number of schools, Councillor Robertson-Collins said the council is looking to try pilots in March to test a range of measures to deter drivers, potentially including shutting roads around school opening and closing times.

Speaking at the environment and climate change select committee, she said drastic action was needed to halt declining numbers of parents walking their children to school.

Councillor Robertson-Collins said: "Some people's attitudes are a disgrace and I do not know why the public attitude to it has deteriorated so much.

"I would love more enforcement, I would love people to be jailed for pavement parking."  

She said the issue was not Liverpool specific, with other areas across the country facing similar problems.

The problems  are compacted by a long-term difficulty in hiring lollipop men and women outside schools.

Although there is government funding available for the roles, many across the city remain vacant, with councillor Robertson-Collins pointing to the hours as a deterrent for many people.

This image was taken outside Liverpool College in Queens Drive earlier this year. (Clare McIntyre)

She said: "It is a real problem recruiting lollipop people.

"The funding is there for it but getting people to work those odd hours is difficult."

The council also encountered difficulty hiring traffic wardens earlier this year despite a push to recruit more.

Councillor Robertson-Collins said the exact details of what pilots would take place had not yet been finalised and that schools across the city would be asked to give their views on the issue before a decision is made.