Kids' video warns parents over school parking

Cambridgeshire primary school pupils in the music video `Don`t Park Here`

Cambridgeshire primary school pupils in the music video `Don`t Park Here`

A music video featuring nearly a thousand children from Cambridgeshire schools has been released urging parents and carers not to park irresponsibly outside schools. 

Pupils from five primary schools in the county took part in the video, which is on YouTube and has been posted on school websites. The ‘Don’t Park Here’ song has also been broadcast on local radio station Heart Cambridgeshire’s breakfast show.

You can see the video by clicking here

In the video children tell grown ups: “Don’t park here because it’s not safe, find somewhere else, park further away, the yellow lines are to protect ourselves, stop, and think, and don’t park here, let us cross safely without any fear!”

Matt Staton, lead road safety officer for Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “Parking issues are probably the most common concern schools raise with us, particularly when it comes to encouraging walking and cycling. In terms of public health there are two areas of concern: the risk of harm from being involved in an accident, but also the knock-on effect on the children’s physical activity levels, potentially contributing to increased child obesity.

“The video by itself will not solve the parking problems that we have outside so many of our schools, but we hope this new and different approach will help to encourage those who do park irresponsibly to think again.”

The council has sent out a questionnaire to schools to find out how they are using the video. “There are around a thousand children in the video, so if it is seen by all their parents, and their parent’s friends, then it could prove an effective way of spreading the message about road safety at schools,” said Staton.

Besides running campaigns to raise awareness, the council said it will deploy PCSOs to patrol outside school parking hotspots.

A council survey found that dangerous parking outside schools deterred 45% of parents from allowing their children to walk or cycle to school, said Staton.

www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/dontparkhere