A COUNCILLOR has expressed concern and anger after a child has reportedly nearly been hit by a car this morning outside a Basingstoke school.
The headteacher of Kings Furlong Junior School Ms Amanda Westaway informed Kings Furlong ward councillors Cllr Sam Jeans and Cllr Arun Mummalaneni about the incident in a letter seen by the Gazette.
In the letter, Amanda said a parent had reported a "near miss" after a car mounted the pavement and "almost hit a child" on Portacre Rise this morning (May 4).
She said the driver had reportedly decided to mount the pavement rather than reverse.
Reacting to the news, Cllr Jeans said the incident is “absolutely ridiculous” and she and Cllr Mummalaneni have tirelessly been patrolling outside the school for the last two months to warn drivers not to park on double yellows and block the entrance to the school gates.
She said outside the school there are zig zag lines and at the moment people just stop there, and the issues are also on Upper Chestnut Drive and Kings Furlong Drive where access to the school is sometimes "completely blocked".
She said: “The problem that we have is that parents are parking on double yellows to drop their kids off and then they just drive off. They drive off in the direction that the children walk to school.
“If a child is hit I am sure an ambulance would not fit down the road because of the amount of cars that are parked there.”
She said if something is not done a child is going to get badly hurt and is “furious” that she has to stand there while people “do not seem to care”.
She added: "The only other option I can think of is to request the roads be totally resident parking only."
She said that residents who live on the roads sometimes can't get out of their driveway.
Cllr Jeans said there is "no consideration for children at all".
Kings Furlong Junior School has been contacted for comment regarding the incident and ongoing issue.
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