Scots school janitors ‘could be asked to issue fines to parents parking badly'
PENALTY PLAN Scots school janitors 'could be asked to issue fines to parents parking badly'
A SCOTS council has been asked to consider tasking school janitors with fining parents for poor parking.
Concerns have been raised over hazardous manoeuvring and bad parking at drop-off and collection spots in the Falkirk area.
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EYR368 Closeup of a UK parking ticket (penalty charge notice)
Credit: Alamy
The local authority is currently looking at how road safety around schools can be improved, after £200,000 for enhancements was agreed in this year's capital budget.
An external consultant has now been tasked to inspect the issue.
And feedback forms have been handed out to the council's 59 schools, as reported by The Falkirk Herald.
The problem was discussed as part of the local authority's new road safety review and was also mentioned in talks surrounding new fines for parking on pavements and at dropped kerbs.
During a meeting of Falkirk Council's executive this week, Tory group leader, Baillie James Kerr, suggested janitorial staff could be involved in issuing penalties when enforcement for pavement parking starts in August.
He said: 'I know there would need to be discussions around job descriptions and with trade unions. But I'm sure if you asked every janitor in the local schools, they would like to help make it possible.
'I think it would only need to happen once or twice. If one of the janitors issues a ticket, it will stop.
'I know it's a long way off, but would you consider it after consultation with education and HR?'
Engineering design manager Gary McGregor said he was 'not sure this was a route the council could go down'.
But he agreed to raise the issue at the joint meeting between education and roads.
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Councillor James Bundy asked if parents who were in their cars with the engine idling could be penalised under fresh powers.
Officers said they are considering other options in a bid to crack down on the issue.
Falkirk Council's engineering designers have also been involved at parking, visibility and access, and recommendations have been made for schools.
SNP economic development spokesperson, Councillor Paul Garner, said the £200,000 budget would 'increase road safety around schools, hopefully, a great deal'.
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