Parents at a local primary school have sparked fury as they pack residential roads with ‘crazy’ congestion while picking up their children.
Residents say mothers, fathers and grandparents of school kids cause mayhem by blocking their garages and parking in their private spaces when collecting youngsters.
But parents from Barton Farm Primary School, in Winchester, Hants, claim nearby homeowners have retaliated by blocking them in during the escalating parking situation and even trying to ‘kill them’ with nails placed under their tyres.
The academy, which is on Kings Barton Estate, opened in September 2020 but is said to be ‘getting worse’ as it expands each year.
Many of the children come from outside the catchment area so parents drive rather than walking or cycling and there is currently no dedicated parking area for carers to stop outside the school which is up a narrow road.
Residents say mothers, fathers and grandparents of school kids cause mayhem by blocking their garages and parking in their private spaces when collecting youngsters
Parents from Barton Farm Primary School, in Winchester, Hants, claim nearby homeowners have retaliated by blocking them in during the escalating parking situation and even trying to ‘kill them’ with nails placed under their tyres
The academy, which is on Kings Barton Estate, opened in September 2020 but is said to be ‘getting worse’ as it expands each year
Speaking about the issue, NHS admin worker Linda Page said complaining residents were being ‘pathetic’ about the parking situation
The new estate opened in February 2017 and is currently still under construction by Cala Homes where houses sell for up to £875,000.
As a result, the school has urged parents to ‘park with consideration’ and said congestion around schools was ‘very common’.
Speaking about the issue, NHS admin worker Linda Page said complaining residents were being ‘pathetic’ about the parking situation.
The 66 year old, who lives on the road up from the school, said: ‘People have got to collect their kids from school and people knew when they moved here there would be a school.
‘I think some people are being a bit harsh, all that business with them putting nails on the ground.
‘I think people are being a pathetic, they do not own the road.
‘It is children’s safety that is important.’
Another resident, Keith Guttridge, works in market research and said the school had ‘expanded quicker than the estate’ and that was the cause.
The 52 year old said: ‘I am not putting nails out, don’t worry.
The new estate opened in February 2017 and is currently still under construction by Cala Homes where houses sell for up to £875,000
Many of the children come from outside the catchment area so parents drive rather than walking or cycling and there is currently no dedicated parking area for carers to stop outside the school which is up a narrow road
A Play Park on Ranulph Road, Winchester, Hants, on the road where furious neighbours are rowing with parking parents
‘It does get busy, I have to do my own school run and sometimes it can be hard to get out.
‘The school has expanded quicker than the estate has grown, I suppose they thought the car park would be done by now.
‘It does get a little crazy, it will be until they open the car park, we have another six to 12 months of pain.’
Kumon tutor Sumitha Kothapalli, 41, said it was a ‘big problem’ this year because the school had grown.
‘They are parking in front of our houses, people can’t get through,’ the local resident said.
‘It is a big problem this year because the school is growing.’
Nick Myburgh, a solicitor who lives near the school said parents had blocked his garage when picking their kids up.
‘It does affect us, in the mornings especially, they do not have any parking so parents just park everywhere,’ he said.
Nick Myburgh, a solicitor who lives near the school said parents had blocked his garage when picking their kids up
As a result of the carnage, the school has urged parents to ‘park with consideration’ and said congestion around schools was ‘very common’
‘It hasn’t happened to me for a couple of weeks but they park where they block our garage which is irritating.
‘I am not sure how they are going to fix the problem, I know some of the neighbours have complained to the school.
‘It does get bad as soon as there is a new school year and new parents, it just kicks off.
‘I understand that the parents don’t really have much of an option.’
Andy, who did not give his last name, lives close to the school which his son also attends so he said he can see ‘both sides’.
The 39 year old financial investigator said: ‘I see both sides of the issue.
‘The school has made it hard to park, if they make it hard people will walk.
‘It is hard for parents, people have got work pressures.’
Others said the parking problems had become ‘very dangerous’ as the streets were crowded with cars
Retiree Bob Barnes, 79, lives in a nearby block of flats which has designated parking.
He said: ‘There are some that park in our spaces here that are residents only.
‘It is just bad planning because they have let people in from outside the area.’
One anonymous parent, who lives on the estate, said it was ‘very dangerous’ and developers had not provided ‘sufficient’ parking.
The mum of two said: ‘Particularly on wet days it is very dangerous for the kids.
‘Cala have not provided sufficient parking.
‘Of course someone who parked in a flat’s parking space is going to get bother.
‘You have parked in someone’s private property.
‘I can see it getting worse.’
Another anonymous parent said a nail had been put under her car and that it had not been her choice for her children to attend the school.
Parents said they had found nails under their cars – while others complained that their routes had been ‘cut off’
‘One of the residents put a nail under my car,’ she said.
‘I take great care to park carefully, I never park anywhere inconvenient.’
Grandmother Victoria Last, 72, said: ‘It is inevitable people will drive.
‘With little ones you want to be dropping them off nearby.
‘I haven’t experienced any unpleasantness.’
Another anonymous mum lives on the other side of the estate and said ways to walk to the school had been ‘cut off’.
‘It is a bit of a nightmare, something does need to be done about it.
‘They keep cutting the paths off, they cut off all our ways to walk here.’
In a statement the CEO of the University of Winchester Academy Trust, Nicola Wells, said: ‘It is very common for areas around schools to be congested at drop off and pick up times because many parents are trying to juggle working and school drop offs.
‘We encourage any road users in the area to drive carefully and park with consideration to residents.
‘We would like to emphasise that the vast majority of parents and residents are welcoming and considerate to one another and that recent events are isolated.’
Cala did not wish to make a comment.