Serious concern over dangerous driving outside Whitefriars school in King’s Lynn after child’s near-miss

Serious concerns over dangerous traffic outside a school have resurfaced after a child narrowly avoided being hit by a driver mounting the pavement.

A new car parking scheme aimed at easing congestion around Whitefriars Church of England Primary Academy in Lynn looked to be a success after being used hundreds of times in December.

But just months later, the near-miss has prompted fresh calls for action to be taken before a tragedy occurs.

The Lynn News was told a student and their mother were nearly hit by a motorist last week who drove onto the pavement outside the school during the morning drop-off.

Cllr Francis Bone, who represents the St Margarets with St Nicholas Ward on West Norfolk Council, said: “I am aware of the child nearly being hit by a motorist mounting the pavement, and if some intervention is not put in place there will be an accident.”

Cllr Deborah Heneghan, who represents the same ward, said she is “very concerned” about the incident.

Towards the end of last year, the new initiative saw parents given a QR code that can be scanned at the payment machine at the borough council’s Boal Quay car park - just a few minutes’ walk away from the school - and get 30 minutes of parking for free.

Mathew Tuckwood, head teacher at Whitefriars, says parents are still being encouraged to make use of this scheme.

“However, not all parents choose to use this option, some with good reasons, which means there can still be a significant amount of traffic around the school during peak times,” he said.

“We understand that this remains a concern, and incidents such as (the near miss) are deeply worrying.

“We regularly remind parents of safe and responsible drop-off and pick-up practices through our school communications. Students also receive guidance on road safety to help them navigate busy periods more safely.

“Unfortunately, there isn’t a magic answer to this issue. Every school, both primary and secondary, faces the same challenges with traffic congestion at the start and end of the school day.”

Cllr Bone has confirmed that he and Cllr Heneghan have approached Norfolk County Council’s highways department to discuss the possibility of the road outside the school being made one-way.

He believes the current system “quite often forces drivers to make dangerous manoeuvres, putting pedestrians and parked vehicles at risk of collision”.

“While I am grateful to the parents who use the car park, it is disappointing that some are still driving up to the school gates,” Cllr Heneghan added.

“This is an ongoing source of frustration for residents, who have difficulty getting out of their homes because of the continued congestion, and it worsens the air quality near the school.

“Whitefriars is very lucky to have a council-owned car park nearby and parents have been urged to use the free tickets. Leaving their homes five minutes earlier could mean a less stressful journey to school.”

A West Norfolk Police spokesperson said the force will continue to work alongside partners which have responsibility for parking in the area.

They added: “We have hundreds of schools across West Norfolk and Breckland and only have limited resources so if schools or parents have specific concerns around safety we would always ask them to speak to their local beat manager who they can contact through our website.”