The lack of parking spaces near schools in Jesmond is “stressful” for children who are anxious about being late for classes, parents of pupils at local schools have told JesmondLocal. 

On Eskdale Terrace, we spoke with several parents who expressed frustration at having to circle round nearby streets as they tried to find parking spaces at both ends of the school day. Naiya Patel, a mother of three, said: “It’s just stressful. You may need to dash off to something else, like another extracurricular activity after school, and if you can’t find a parking space, you end up driving around in a loop which isn’t great for the environment either.”

Caroline Tucker, who had spent an hour trying to find a parking space for a dental appointment in Jesmond, told JesmondLocal: “I think children get anxious about being late. Or when they’re coming out of school, if the parent can’t get parked, some younger children might get anxious if their parents are not there.”

Parking availability was not the only issue raised – the cost of parking was too. On Eskdale Terrace, Newcastle City Council charges 60p per hour. This is charged from the first minute, meaning drivers must pay that as a minimum, just for picking up or dropping off their children. “You could get a ticket,” said Patel, who argued that having to pay every day, just to pick up her children, was expensive.

The cost and hassle of parking mean some people have abandoned their cars and walk, cycle or take the Metro to school instead. “We cycle when we can,” said another parent, Andrew McQuillen. “But at the moment my son has injured his knee, so he can’t bike and unfortunately we have to drive.” Caroline Tucker said a friend of hers with children at RGS no longer drives her children to school, but brings them by Metro.

Not everyone we interviewed was so sympathetic to these parents’ plight. Another parent, Julian Lee, said: “If you’re going to rock up in a Range Rover and you can’t find a parking space, that’s your problem. Get the Metro. Park somewhere else. Make time.”

However, Patel said alternative travel methods are not always practical. “We have walked a few times,” she said. “But I’ve got three kids, and each child on a daily basis has at least two bags, and sometimes a musical instrument too. Having to walk 25 minutes with that much stuff… it’s just not practical with that amount of luggage.”

Car-pooling is not an option either, said Patel, as the children from neigbouring families start their school day at different times. “Car-pooling is a great idea but practically, it’s not very useful,” she said.

Newcastle City Council recently ended trials of traffic restrictions imposed outside primary schools in other parts of the city, which turned surrounding streets into pedestrian and cycle zones at pick-up and drop-off times. Aimed at encouraging parents not to use their car on the school run and making areas safer and less polluted for children, the restrictions have been made permanent at Ravenswood, Chillingham Road and Hotspur schools in Heaton and at Grange in Gosforth. The council said it remains open to the idea of installing similar measures outside other schools in the future.