Camden New Journal - News: Schools blamed for traffic chaos

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Camden New Journal - by PAUL KEILTHY
Published: 19 April 2007

Schools blamed for traffic chaos

Parents’ behaviour tolerated, claims Tory

UNDER-fire parking chiefs have hit back at private schools for misleading parents after an action group accused Camden Council’s school-run policy of putting children in danger.
At Monday’s full council meeting, campaigners showed a three-minute video aimed at persuading councillors to reverse their policy on parents driving children to Hampstead schools.
But after viewing the video, Tory environment chief Councillor Mike Greene accused schools of “burying their heads in the sand”.
Protester Daniel Widdicombe’s slick video – thought to be the first shown by a deputation to a council meeting – canvassed views from parents and headteachers on the school-run debate sparked by cuts year-on-year in the number of parents’ parking permits in a bid to reduce congestion.
But complaints about public transport and footage of parents jettisoning children from 4x4s in the middle of the road failed to impress Cllr Greene.
He said: “Some would say it was the responsibility of the schools for tolerating this sort of behaviour from parents. People were allowed to come to the schools thinking they were going to get permits.
“They’ve buried their heads in the sand, hoping the problem would go away, but it hasn’t.”
Council statistics show the number of parents choosing to drive to the 40 schools around Fitzjohn’s Avenue has reduced by only 10 per cent in the four years of the shrinking-permit scheme.
Cllr Greene said this reflected a lack of engagement by the schools, but Mr Widdicombe argued that it demonstrated a failure by the council.
He said: “We can spend time focusing on what happened in the past – or we can focus on what we can do. The council has a duty to act as a catalyst for a major transport change.”
Vicky Foble, from Schools Travel Action Group (Stag), said council tax-payers should subsidise a school bus system because at present parents did not have a realistic alternative to driving.

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