Pupils lay down the law over poor parking outside their school

Pupils at a school in South Tyneside have been laying down the law in a bid to keep the roads safe.
St Aloysius RC pupils, who have been highlighting road safety.St Aloysius RC pupils, who have been highlighting road safety.
St Aloysius RC pupils, who have been highlighting road safety.

Pupils from St Aloysius RC School, in Argyle Street, Hebburn, have started a campaign for safer parking around their school.

It comes after cars were repeatedly parked by parents on yellow lines near the entrance.

The roads were closed to traffic while the children staged their protest.The roads were closed to traffic while the children staged their protest.
The roads were closed to traffic while the children staged their protest.
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Concerns were raised by the school council at St Aloysius, and a poster – featuring a photograph of pupils lying in a zig-zag formation on the road outside the school – has been posted online, and will go up on the railings.

Police were on hand to stop traffic to ensure the children were safe while they made their point.

The poster asks ‘Is this clear enough?’, and states ‘zig-zag and yellow lines outside of school are there for a reason...to protect YOUR children’. It adds ‘NO parking, NO picking up, NO dropping off, NO excuses’.

Anne-Marie Whyte, the co-ordinator for government initiative Every Child Matters at St Aloysius, said: “It’s all about trying to get parents to think a bit more about the way they park. We often have problems with people parking on double yellow lines, and we just want to encourage responsible parking around the school.

The poster created by St Aloysius.The poster created by St Aloysius.
The poster created by St Aloysius.
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“The pupils came up with the idea to set up this picture, because they could see the problems the parking can cause.

“As a school, we do everything we can, and are regularly out to encourage people to park a bit more responsibly, and think about the people who live in the surrounding properties.

“Hopefully the children’s message will hit home and parents will improve the way they park.

“The pupils will take part in more initiatives on this issue over the next few weeks and months,”

St Aloysius RC teacher Anne-Marie Whyte.St Aloysius RC teacher Anne-Marie Whyte.
St Aloysius RC teacher Anne-Marie Whyte.
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Coun Moira Smith, lead member for area management and community safety at South Tyneside Council, said: “We are committed to improving road safety around our schools.

“Parking restrictions and keep clear zones are in place outside schools and these are regularly enforced by our civil enforcement team and our CCTV car.

“Inappropriate parking at schools can become an issue at drop-off and pick-up times.

“We will monitor the situation and take action against those found to be in breach of the law.”