Park and stride
Safer Transport – Park & Stride – We need your help to keep our students safe!
As a school of 1800 students, it is not easy to manage the movement of students in and out of school by a wide variety of transport methods. We asked parents their views about the situation and what could be done. Concerns raised included the speed of traffic near school and the lack of a safe dropping off point. However, parents showed a lot of interest in the establishment of a 5-minute walk zone, sometimes called “Park-and-Stride”. The idea is that parents drive their children to a safe drop off point 5 minutes walk from school and pick them up from there in the afternoon. This avoids congestion around the school and provides some exercise for the students. We talked to Harrogate Borough Council who suggested three safe drop-off/pick-up points around the school:
- Park Road This point would suit those drivers approaching from Leeds Road or York Place. The only significant road to be crossed to get to school is West End Avenue.
- Pannal Ash Drive This point would suit those drivers approaching from Burn Bridge or Otley Road. There are pedestrian facilities incorporated in the Pannal Ash Road and Arthurs Avenue signals to ensure safe passage to and from school.
- Manor Road This point would suit those drivers approaching from the North. The pedestrian facilities at the Cold Bath Road signals will ensure safe passage to and from school.
From each point there is an easy circular route for drivers to return the way they arrived. It is strongly recommended to parents who drive their children to school that instead of dropping them off and picking them up from school, they choose one of the above points. There have been a number of near-misses and minor accidents on Arthurs Avenue and West End Avenue as a result of parents parking on double yellow lines and the zig-zag lines outside school.
We need you to help keep everyone safe by using the safe drop off/pick up points. Only approach the school site at these key times for a genuine emergency or if your child has specific needs that we are aware of.
Following this advice will also reduce your journey times!
