Police in Fraserburgh announce rates of dangerous driving and illegal parking outside the town’s primary schools have “plummeted” after a crackdown.
Parents at South Park Primary in Fraserburgh had raised fears that children were being put at risk by vehicles mounting pavements and double-parking near the building in Philorth Avenue.
Following complaints from parents, officers in Fraserburgh targeted drivers who were putting young children at risk last week.
Between Monday January 26 and Friday January 30, almost 50 tickets were issued to drivers parked illegally outside schools.
Roads policing officers also challenged 15 other drivers about speeding near schools and school crossings.
The crackdown was overseen by Sergeant Kevin MacDonald, who said: “It was reassuring to see that the number of cars parked dangerously or illegally outside primary schools plummeted after the first two days of the Operation.
“It didn’t take long for parents to get the message that we were not willing to compromise on child safety. It was also good to hear from the parents who spoke with officers that we were being fully supported and they understood why we had resorted to this course of action.”
Officers also tackled illegal parking in the High Street and Broad Street areas of Fraserburgh’s town centre.
Sergeant MacDonald added that here will be regular enforcement of parking restrictions outside the schools, and at schools in north-east towns and villages.
The police action has been praised by Fraserburgh councillor Charles Buchan who said: “Parking illegally outside the school is fraught with danger. Not only to the offenders’ children, but also to other pupils.
“All parents need to try to persuade the inconsiderate drivers who are too attentive to their own children’s perceived convenience, and not to the safety of all the pupils in the school, to think about parking more safely.
“We do not want a case of serious injury or death caused to a child or parent or carer due to this chaotic traffic congestion.”
This latest crackdown comes as park of the broader Operation Cedar, an ongoing road safety campaign to reduce the number of serious and fatal traffic collisions across the region.