A unique experiment was set up in a town in Eure to put an end to incivility near schools. Parents who deviate from this risk a hefty fine!
If you are a parent, or if you pass by your local school, you have certainly already witnessed this type of situation which often puts the nerves of local residents to the test. Twice a day, the same scenario is repeated in the morning and in the evening, after school. At critical times, around 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., the streets around schools quickly become impassable. This is due to a bad habit adopted by many parents.
This is the practice called “school drive”. If this English expression is unknown to you, its meaning will undoubtedly speak to you. Every day, while driving their car, some parents, pressed for time, improvise a quick drop-off in front of their child’s school. This way, by parking in the middle of the road, without parking in dedicated spaces, they can quickly drop off or pick up their offspring. A saving of precious time for parents who then go to work in the morning, but not for other motorists, who are forced to wait behind mom or dad who is giving a last kiss.
Because the practice of “school drive” affects traffic, generally causing traffic jams, and sometimes tensions between drivers. Without forgetting the safety problems that this poses for children who want to cross on pedestrian crossings. So, to stop this behavior, the municipality of Louviers, in Eure, had the idea of setting up a first experiment.
“We wanted to tackle the problem before it became too complicated. The street near a school is not a free-for-all. It’s not: I throw my child in front of the school and I’m leaving again. We need rules and knowing how to live together.” explained elected official François-Xavier Priollaud to our colleagues at France 3 Normandy. Thus, several measures have been taken: a 20 km/ha zone has been established and gives priority to pedestrians, all students have received phosphorescent safety vests to signal themselves to motorists and a poster campaign has been carried out. And if certain parents continue to drop their child off in the street without taking the time to park, the police may fine them. They then face a fine of 135 euros.