Public Protection Officers (PPO), along with neighbourhood board representatives and local councillors, helped deliver parking buddies to Shelton Infant and Shelton Junior Schools recently to help tackle problematic parking issues around the area. They hope to talk with local vehicle users about potential risks to both other drivers, school children and themselves, as a result of problems caused by inconsiderate driving.
The parking buddies are designed to alert road users to restrictions in the area to help control the flow and volume of traffic. The parking buddies are being used around schools in order to make the roads safer for children coming to or leaving school. By creating a more structured and controlled environment around peak times, it is hoped that there will be less issues involving vehicles, therefore making the school area safer for everyone.
The Public Protection Team works closely with the Neighbourhood Partnership Team, Derby Homes, Police, and other partners, providing visible and uniformed service across the city to improve local areas for the benefit of residents, businesses, and other local stakeholders, including our schools. The parking buddies are an excellent initiative to raise awareness of children and families to help keep them safe when travelling to and from school
Councillor Matthew Eyre, Cabinet Member for Place and Community Development, has said:
“The PPO team and the partners they have worked with have implemented a fantastic way of making the local area around Shelton Infants and Shelton Junior schools safer for children, parents and everyone there.
As we continue our efforts to make Derby City a safer environment, it is always important that we remember our youngest residents and ensure their journeys to school are as safe as we can make them.
The parking buddies will help both drivers and pedestrians to travel through the area in a more calm and protected manner.”
Shelton School has said:
“Thank you to Steph Holt (one of the Derby City Council Neighbourhood Partnership Officers) and the team at Chellaston and Shelton Lock Neighbourhood Board for kindly donating our brand new 'Parking Buddies'. These will be positioned out at the front of the school to help us all think about road safety and safer parking around the school entrance as well as the surrounding neighbourhood.”
As well as the parking buddies, there have been several actions also taken this year to help make Derby a safer and more enjoyable place for people to live, visit and work in. New Public Space Protection Orders recently came into effect in order to address anti-social behaviour in Derby City Centre as well as addressing the removal of dog faeces across the whole of Derby. The PPO team has also relocated to Riverside Chambers, which is in the city centre, in order to be closer to where they are needed most.