Safety concerns near Blackrod Primary School on Manchester Road

Parking issues have plagued Manchester Road near Blackrod Primary School and there have been reports of drivers not slowing down coming onto the road from Scot Lane.

In recent weeks, residents and parents have aired worries about parking outside the school.

They say that parents park on zigzag lines to pick up their children and that cars sometimes take up so much of the pavement that parents with pushchairs have to walk in the road.

Blackrod Primary School has parking issues outside of it, with parents' cars lining Manchester Road at pickup time (Image: Newsquest)

Cllr Sue Baines, who represents Horwich and Blackrod, said: “There’s a lot of concern about it in Blackrod, not just the public, but the council too.

“We have done a site visit in the past and we all agree parking there is a problem.

“Some people were booked by the police, so I think it would be no bad thing to request more of that.

Read more: Tickets issued as safety concerns raised over parking near primary school

“One thing the council are looking at is to extend the zigzag lines outside the school.”

Cllr Baines added: “We’d have that and the school would send messages to parents saying please do not park there.

“Something definitely needs to be done with that.

"There are lots and lots of people who are angry about it.

“You do have to bear in mind that parents have to get their kids to school, but are all these car journeys absolutely essential?”

The junction of Scot Lane and Manchester Road in Blackrod (Image: Google Maps)

Cllr Baines, who is also the council's cabinet member for wellbeing, also said more children walking to school could help alleviate the problem and give them more exercise.

She spoke about issues with vehicles turning onto Manchester Road from Scot Lane, where residents have complained about drivers not giving way at the turning as well.

Cllr Baines said: “There have been times where there are near misses.

“Something needs to be done about it, whether it’s a traffic regulation order or something else.

“We’ve done site visits, and we all feel that it’s really an accident waiting to happen around there.”

She added: “It will be an awful event when it happens, a child could get injured. We get complaints from residents frequently.

“I want clearer give way signs and whatever else the highways department can do to calm down the flow of traffic.

“They hurtle along and sometimes just fail to stop properly.

“We’ve discussed it at length at Blackrod Town Council and have reported it to Bolton Council.”