Twice a day, five days a week, the residents of St Peter’s Road in Westfield brace themselves for the school drop-off and pick up, enduring inconsiderate parking and at worst, swearing, abuse and intimidating behaviour.

Residents of the cul-de-sac say they are determined to solve issues surrounding selfish parking and attitudes, including forming a Residents’ Association and investigating buying a piece of land currently being used as a walk through to drop children off to both Fosse Way and Westfield Primary Schools.

Whilst the movement of parents and children on foot is not the specific problem, (and residents are keen to point out they expect an amount of traffic living in such close proximity to two schools), the ongoing issue with parking has seen some homeowners finding the situation so unbearable that they have had to move. The police have been called, with reports of parents banging angrily on residents’ windows over disputes, shouting and swearing in front of children, with one resident labelling the situation as “explosive.”

Parking has become so bad in the area that the already narrow road and driveways have been blocked, yellow line markings ignored, emergency vehicles and disabled access has been difficult, recycling unable to be collected, and delivery vans unable to get through. Paths are becoming impassable for parents with pushchairs, people using wheelchairs or disability scooters – and a blind resident has been unable to navigate the road safely.

The issue is a difficult one, with both schools needing to get children in and out safely – yet St

Peter’s residents say it could be mitigated with some respect and

compassion for those that live there.

Too often, many homeowners are unable to get back on their drives or out for appointments, with cars blocking their way or parking directly opposite – the narrow road means they are unable to turn. The situation has become so bad, that one resident has offered to pay Bath & North East Somerset Council for yellow lines outside his home, a futile attempt knowing it will probably be ignored by motorists.

Residents came together to present their views and experiences to The Journal, calling the situation “extremely dangerous,” particularly with cars parking on the junction to the A367, making it difficult to get in and out of the estate safely. Another said: “When we ask parents to move their cars, we are faced with verbal abuse, awful language and threats. The stock answer is, ‘well, we won’t be long, there’s nowhere else to park, or – can’t you wait?’

“The situation has escalated to a frightening level where the police have been called. It is intimidating for all of us, but especially elderly residents.

“The aggression and rudeness has become intolerable and is causing huge distress to us all.”

Residents say that when the police have been present “it is like a different road”, only for the situation to deteriorate again once they leave.

Another said: “It’s about safety and respect. It’s only a handful of parents that don’t seem to care. We don’t understand why they are not using the school’s drop-off facility. Surely it would be easier.

“We want to be reasonable – most of us have had to do the school run at some point in our lives – but there has to be a compromise. We are really concerned that there will be either an accident or an emergency vehicle will not be able to get through – with awful consequences.”

The schools are doing their best to remind parents, staff and visitors to park considerably in the area with Fosse Way having a dedicated drop-off zone.

Westfield Parish Council Chair Geoff Fuller and B&NES Cllr for Westfield Ward, Robin Moss, say they have been in talks with Fosse Way School to try and improve the situation, appealing for B&NES Council to step in and offer assistance.

They said: “We know that the schools are trying to encourage parents to be good neighbours – it’s a shame that a handful of parents are being difficult and disruptive. We will continue to support local residents who need to get in and out of their homes and in and out of their street.”

The residents of St Peter’s Road fear the situation is worsening and say they will not give up until a solution is found. They are not against parents dropping off children in their street, but ask that they park respectfully and are kind and considerate to those that live there.

Too often, many homeowners are unable to get back on their drives or out for appointments, with cars blocking their way or parking directly opposite – the narrow road means they are unable to turn. The situation has become so bad, that one resident has offered to pay Bath & North East Somerset Council for yellow lines outside his home, a futile attempt knowing it will probably be ignored by motorists.

Residents came together to present their views and experiences to The Journal, calling the situation “extremely dangerous,” particularly with cars parking on the junction to the A367, making it difficult to get in and out of the estate safely. Another said: “When we ask parents to move their cars, we are faced with verbal abuse, awful language and threats. The stock answer is, ‘well, we won’t be long, there’s nowhere else to park, or – can’t you wait?’

“The situation has escalated to a frightening level where the police have been called. It is intimidating for all of us, but especially elderly residents. The aggression and rudeness has become intolerable and is causing huge distress.”

Residents say that when the police have been present “it is like a different road”, only for the situation to deteriorate again once they leave.

Another said: “It’s about safety and respect. It’s only a handful of parents that don’t seem to care. We don’t understand why they are not using the school’s drop-off facility. Surely it would be easier. We want to be reasonable – most of us have had to do the school run at some point in our lives – but there has to be a compromise. We are really concerned that there will be either an accident or an emergency vehicle will not be able to get through – with awful consequences.”

The schools are doing their best to remind parents, staff and visitors to park considerably in the area with both having a dedicated drop-off zone. The Head at Westfield Primary School said: “We always work closely with local residents and often publish in our weekly newsletters a reminder to parents regarding residential parking.

“The majority of our parents do walk to school and we now have a well defined one way system into the school grounds for drop-off and collection which certainly helps prevent congestion. We have also liaised with the local PCSOs during the school year, whose presence helps provide a timely reminder to motorists as to what constitutes safe and considerate parking.”

Fosse Way School have also been approached for comment.

Westfield Parish Council Chair Geoff Fuller and B&NES Cllr for Westfield Ward, Robin Moss, say they have been in talks with Fosse Way School to try and improve the situation, appealing for B&NES Council to step in and offer assistance. They said: “We know that the schools are trying to encourage parents to be good neighbours – it’s a shame that a handful of parents are being difficult and disruptive. We will continue to support local residents who need to get in and out of their homes and in and out of their street.”

The residents of St Peter’s Road fear the situation is worsening and say they will not give up until a solution is found. They are not against parents dropping off children in their street, but ask that they park respectfully and are kind and considerate to those that live there.