Traffic measures have been put in place outside a trio of schools, but they have divided the community with some raising concerns over children’s safety.

A controlled parking zone has been introduced on and around Church Road and Riverside Road in Laverstock, which includes double yellow lines, single yellow lines and No Loading restrictions.

The measures came into force on Monday, October 7, were a result of years of consultations between the schools, Wiltshire Council, the parish council, residents and police.

In a letter to parents seen by the Journal, Saint Joseph’s Catholic School called for support for the initiative “which aims to make the roads around the school safer for everyone”.

However some parents are not happy about the changes. 

Jon Coman, 43, who walks to the school to pick-up his children at Saint Joseph’s Catholic School, said: “We walk up and down here every day, but it’s hard to see it working.

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Measures extended down into the side roads (Image: Charles Elliman) “In the morning and in the afternoon, its gridlocked. It’s only a matter of time until somebody’s hurt.”

However other parents were more sympathetic about the scheme, saying it would be better for residents and for the traffic flow. 

Lukasz Kopanski, 40, whose son goes to the school, said: “I am generally supportive because, driving through that road, it’s much better for residents.

“I live on the other side of the city, so it doesn’t affect me that much, but I do understand why it has been done. It’s the right thing to do.”

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The measures run from Saint Joseph's down to Duck Lane (Image: Charles Elliman) Grandmother Pauline Smith, 74, broadly agreed with Lukasz, saying, “We have to sympathise with the residents, don’t we?

“It must be awful for them, with all the cars parked up everywhere, but its hard when you’ve got to pick up children from school though.”

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Police officers and traffic wardens patrolled the main road, as well as the side roads (Image: Charles Elliman) Councillor and Chair of Laverstock and Ford Parish Council Nick Baker said: “The implementation of the scheme by Wiltshire Council has been a catalogue of delays and poor choices.”

The councillor told the Journal about the years of consultation, telling of clashes between residents, local councillors and Wiltshire Council.

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Cllr Nick Baker is critical of the traffic measures put in place (Image: Newsquest) “An Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) would have legally obliged Wiltshire to carry out a consultation after a year to review the impact of the new lines and would also have given officers more flexibility in how to implement them.

“Instead, we were left with the ridiculous situation where before the lines were painted in Woodland Way, nearly all of the residents affected attended the parish council meeting and told Wiltshire officers that a double yellow line would cause far more disruption to them than the school parking does and at most they wanted a single yellow line.”

He continued: “Now the lines have gone down, I would encourage parents who are finding them inconvenient to recognise that the main reason they have gone down is to keep children using the pavements safe, and a secondary reason is that if motorists obey them, everyone will have a swifter and less polluting journey through the village. 

“The Parish Council will step into the gap left by Wiltshire Council and organise a consultation in the early summer to allow local residents and parents to comment on the scheme.”

The councillor concluded: “This will be an opportunity for residents of roads such Elm Close and Woodland Way to put forward their views and I have received assurances from Wiltshire Council officers that they are willing to consider changes to the scheme.”

Asked to comment on the traffic measures, Councillor Nick Holder, Cabinet Member for Highways at Wiltshire Council, said: "The new double-yellow lines and other parking restrictions on Church Road in Laverstock have been implemented following extensive consultation with the nearby schools, the local Wiltshire Councillor, the parish council and Wiltshire Police.

"We recognise that these changes won’t be popular with everyone, but this is about preventing dangerous parking in the area to keep the children and young people that go to the schools safe."

He continued: "Working with the police, we will be taking appropriate action against any vehicles that choose to park in the area despite the restrictions.

"We are committed to improving road safety throughout Wiltshire and these changes will help to make journeys to and from these schools safer for all road users."