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School-run mums ‘set a bad example to children
’Civic group head says ‘culture change’ is needed to end gridlock
SCHOOL-run mums have been accused of setting a bad example to their children.
Writing in the Heath and Hampstead Society newsletter, chairman Tony Hillier has criticised schools and parents for failing to take action over the daily gridlock in Hampstead streets.
Mr Hillier said: “A culture change on the part of most schools and parents is needed.
“Most but not all local school management and parents, particularly fee-paying ones, have failed to acknowledge that problems in NW3 are particularly acute. They have therefore failed in their civic duty to us, their neighbours, by not organising and paying for alternative, comprehensive collective methods of transport.
“They have also failed to set a good example to their children.”
Streets in Hampstead, with its high proportion of private schools, are packed in the morning with cars driven by parents. Until recently, the Town Hall provided temporary parking permits, but these are being gradually phased out.
They are currently at 40 per cent of the levels of two years ago and will be scrapped completely in the next two years.
School Transport Action Group (Stag) chairwoman Vicky Fobel warned that simply scrapping permits and hoping parents would give up their cars was not realistic.
Ms Fobel said: “This is the council burying their heads in the sand. We are already seeing the effect the withdrawal of permits is having on the streets around schools. Parents are either parking illegally or doing laps of blocks to find somewhere. This is adding to the congestion, not relieving it.”
She says scratchcard permits, costing about £2 a day, could be handed out by schools on the basis of need. The cash raised, estimated at between £100,000 and £200,000 a year, could be ploughed into subsidising American-style school buses.
She said: “There is a perception the school run is just made up of yummy mummies in four-by- fours. This just isn’t right. There are people who have to travel far to take their children to school and for one reason or another don’t want to use public transport.
“They might have to take children to different schools or have to then go on to work, and driving a car is the only option. A scratchcard would help parents and help beat congestion.”
Town Hall Conservative environment chief Councillor Mike Greene said: “The idea of scrapping parking permits has been planned for five years and we have gradually reduced the numbers available to give schools and parents the chance to find alternatives.
“They have continually baulked at doing so. We have made many offers of help and they have had their eyes closed for all this time, and are only now waking up to the fact the permits will be gone by September 2008 and they need to find other ways of getting their children to school.”
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