Schoolchildren from Westways Primary School in Crookes have tested a new parking initiative urging motorists to make safer parking decisions, particularly within school areas.
The scheme was rolled out by the South West Local Area Committee, following the success of a previous initiative within the South East of Sheffield.
The children from years 5 and 6 created polite parking notices which both thanked drivers who parked correctly and also urged those who parked incorrectly to make more considerate choices in the future.
Parking notices read: “Please be aware that if you park here I might get hurt and other cars might crash because we can’t see behind your car.”
Michelle Dwaine, who organised the campaign, said that the scheme was aimed at ensuring that schoolchildren feel safe and secure.
Reflecting upon the initiative, Cllr Minesh Parekh said: “It’s about engaging with school students at an early age, teaching them about road safety and what safe parking looks like, whilst also trying to change the behaviours of drivers and motorists.”
This is the next step in a campaign over the last year and a half to reduce traffic surrounding Westways Primary School, which had involved closing the road up to the school to traffic during peak school times.
Cllr Parekh said that though closing the road had combatted traffic to an extent, it was important to now attempt to change the behaviours of motorists.
He said: ” It is really great to do [the campaign] on a school street because it reminds people that here of all places you should be considerate of your parking and think about the people that have to use this street, particularly children who can’t see over cars.
“I do think that rather than a traffic warden walking around telling people you shouldn’t park there, this is more impactful and people will remember much more long-term school children coming round telling you that you are making our street unsafe.”
The scheme is hoped to be conducted on a larger scale in schools throughout the city and it is anticipated to be trialled again within Ecclesall in January.
