Possible solutions to the parking issues at Blairgowrie Community Campus will be discussed next month at a meeting between council officers and councillors Caroline Shiers and Bob Ellis.
Residents from Smithfield Crescent and Smithfield Avenue claimed at a recent Blairgowrie and Rattray Community Council meeting that dangerous driving and parking in their streets are an “accident waiting to happen”.
At that meeting, the community council rejected plans by Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) to make temporary restrictions on the entrance road to the Blairgowrie Community Campus from the junction with Elm Drive permanent.
Residents in surrounding areas say the measures are just moving the issue from Elm Drive to Smithfield Crescent and Smithfield Avenue.
Parking and travel safety issues at the community campus have been an issue since it opened in 2009. The campus was initially built with a view to pupils walking to school. However, concerns about road safety mean that many parents are taking their children to school by car, resulting in congestion.
Councillor Caroline Shiers said: “We are aware of the ongoing problems for residents and have raised these issues with council officers again.
“The essence of the problem is that there seems to have been an assumption that parents and carers would bring their children to school on foot or children would cycle.
“That was probably always going to be an optimistic ideal and the reality is a huge number of children are brought by car.
“There is no designated drop-off zone and we are going back to officers to see if it is possible to look at options for this.”
Councillor Shiers outlined three potential options to be discussed with council officers.
The first option in the short term would be to close the gate to the school that is located nearest to Smithfield Crescent and Smithfield Avenue. This is not something favoured by Councillor Shiers but it has been proposed by the police as an option for consideration.
The second option, also a possible short term solution, would be to paint white lines across the drives of the homes most affected by inconsiderate parking.
The third option, which would provide a medium to long term solution, would be for Perth and Kinross Council to look at buying the triangle of land by the campus at the end of Hazlewood Road.
This could then be developed as additional parking for the cemetery and as a designated drop-off zone for the school run.
In a statement, Perth and Kinross Council said: “Statutory consultation has been carried out regarding the proposal to make permanent the current parking restrictions around Blairgowrie Community Campus.
“Before a draft traffic order is advertised for Blairgowrie, local elected members and council officers will meet early next month to discuss parking and access with a view to identifying measures to address these issues.
“The Campus Travel Plan is a working document and will continue to be taken forward by the schools at Blairgowrie Community Campus.”
