Neighbors share similar experiences

Residents living near Manchester Grammar School have had enough commuters parking inconsiderately and trashing their streets. People living close to the school claim to have been plagued for years by drivers blocking driveways, dumping cars on street corners, and being verbally abusive. [i]

Despite installing bollards outside the school in 2018, school-run parking along Old Hall Lane has caused increased disruption to residents’ lives. Even makeshift removable bollards placed by locals to prevent parking have been removed. [i]

Residents had also reported being verbally abused by drivers and even mocked by students when asked not to park on grass verges. Some have even taken matters into their own hands by throwing rubbish back into cars belonging to parents who use their homes as “rubbish bins” during the school run. Some residents are calling for more bollards to be installed to protect their driveways and make their daily commute easier. [ii]

Manchester City Council has stated that it takes concerns around parking seriously and will use its powers to move on motorists or prosecute when necessary. The council has lobbied the government for more extraordinary powers to address parking. [ii]

A spokesperson for Manchester Grammar School stated that the school and council jointly funded traffic-calming measures and the installation of bollards to protect grass verges on Old Hall Lane at the request of the residents. [iii]

The school has also created parking bays on its side of the road, which are used jointly by residents and pupils who drive to school. In addition, pupils have been reminded to park responsibly, and the school has weekly litter-picking patrols around the school’s surrounding areas, including Old Hall Lane and Birchfield’s Park. [iii]

References

[i] Alex Kirkham, Maisie Lawton,‘A mum in an SUV threw a McDonald’s bag onto the pavement – so I picked i up and tossed it inside her car’(Apr. 2, 2023)

[ii]Id.

[iii]Id.