'Pay-for school run parking bays' pilot in London to 'cut congestion, reduce emissions and encourage youngsters to walk'

A scheme in which parents are charged to drive their children to school could be rolled out by local authorities across the UK.

Richmond council in south-west London is proposing a scheme in which parents would pay up to £75 a year for a parking permit to allow them to use special bays outside schools.

The council said it wants to cut congestion, reduce emissions and encourage youngsters to walk.

The scheme will initially target 13 primary and infant schools in the borough, with parents allowed to stop in the bays for 15 minutes.

It will start in September if the Liberal Democrat controlled council gives the go-ahead at a future cabinet meeting.

The Local Government Association said it was watching the scheme ‘with interest’.

The council caused controversy in 2006 with the introduction of CO2-related resident parking charges, and the new scheme would be based on the same sliding scale.

Gas-guzzling 4x4s would be hit with a £75 charge, while owners of greener cars would not have to pay.

A Richmond council spokesman said schools were currently issuing permits to parents themselves in an effort to crack down on congestion.

‘Schools do not have the right to issue permits, which must be done by the local authority,’ he said.

‘With a number of different schools issuing their own permits, chaos has ensued and we need to gain more control of it.

‘First of all, the permits are a way to control congestion.

‘At the moment there are road safety issues, with parents parking in the middle of the road and on yellow lines.

‘Secondly, we are very keen to encourage more sustainable modes of travel.

‘It would be good if an additional effect was that parents walked their children to school or took children to school another way, or used car-sharing.

‘We are asking people to work with us on this.’

An LGA spokesman said it supported what Richmond was trying to do ‘in principle’, but it was not a pilot scheme and each council would have to make up their own mind how to tackle congestion.

‘What Richmond are doing is responding to concerns about congestion around schools, the problem of emissions, and wanting to encourage people to walk to school.

‘We are looking at what Richmond is doing with interest, but what works in Richmond won't necessarily work in other parts of the country.

‘It could be rolled out, but we don't know for sure.’