Parents of students from the two primary schools in Meerwijk, Uithoorn, cause dangerous situations every day. Despite previous requests to change their behavior, they still drive their children to school en masse and regularly violate traffic rules. Supported by the police and the municipality, the school directors are now reprimanding the parents again.
In addition to primary schools De Springschans and De Kajuit, there are two after-school care locations: Solidoe and BORUS. located in the district. Because parking options around the schools are limited, parents sometimes double park their car when dropping off and picking up their child(ren), ‘or they park it on the sidewalk or the bicycle path’, according to the municipality.
This creates dangerous situations, about which many complaints are received from both the municipality and the schools. “The kiss & ride is only used as a parking space and that is very unsafe for the children. It is a mess here,” a mother complains to NH Nieuws.
“I don’t always have time to go by bike”
Schools cannot prohibit parents from coming by car, but they make no secret of the fact that they prefer to see them come by bicycle. To make this clear, the schools shared a map with the parents last year (see below).
Driving, cycling or walking?
Those who live in the pink area can easily walk to school, those who live in the purple area should ideally come by bicycle. Students living in the green area may be brought by car.
One of the parents says she regularly picks her child up from school by bicycle, but not today. “I sometimes go by car because it’s just much more practical, I don’t always have time to go by bike,” explains a parent in the schoolyard.
The municipality promises that the police and enforcers will check for illegal parking and other offenses in the near future.