FED-UP parents have pleaded for help to tackle an “ill-thought out” car free zone at a popular West End school.

The parent council at Broomhill Primary has begged for Glasgow City Council to help enforce drivers who refuse to abide by the rules, leading to conflicts between staff, parents and other road users.

Mums and dads have reported terrifying “near misses” as children flee from vehicles travelling near the sought-after primary school despite the ban.

One mum, who asked not to be named, told of the horrifying moment she had to “scream” her daughter’s name to alert the youngster to a van that had pulled into the street during the prohibited hours.

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The pupil was unharmed, however, the delivery driver claimed he was unaware of the ban prompting calls for further action.

Michael Whittaker, whose daughter attends the school, said: “We have reached out several times [to the council] and there’s been no response. They just say the police are responsible, not us.

“I think they have done what they wanted without very much consultation. [Staff] have told us it’s not really sustainable.

“It needs to be clear that it will be enforced for people to take it seriously.”

He added: “The police don’t have the resources to post a police officer at the entrance every day.”

Broomhill was one of six primaries to be included in the initial rollout of the council’s school car free zone in August 2019.

It has since been rolled out to dozens of schools, despite delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and it is hoped to be included at all primary schools in the near future.

The scheme currently prohibits drivers from travelling along Elmwood Avenue and Elmwood Lane between 8.30am and 9.15am, and 2.30pm and 3.15pm throughout the school week - with an exception for residents and emergency vehicles.

However, the parent council says while the majority comply with the rules, there are still too many drivers who flout the ban and there are no enforcement plans in place.

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Currently, enforcement lies with the police, who visit the school a few times a month, but when officers aren’t there parents say a small minority of drivers are ignoring the policy.

Michael, who is also a parent council member, said: “The big issue is the enforcement. It’s a great initiative and I completely support it and it’s absolutely fantastic that they’ve done this but the big issue is the implementation.

“There’s some signs but there’s nothing for the people who decide the rules don’t apply to them.

“From what I understand, the worst offenders are parents. You see parents dropping their kids off across the street and they walk out without looking - which, of course, is education but because it’s a car free zone they get complacent because they’re just kids.”

Parents say staff have taken on the role of traffic wardens with teachers and the school janitor often being left to ask parents to comply with the rules.

However, the West End school is not the first to report issues with the scheme with Cardonald’s Our Lady of the Rosary, which was also part of the initial rollout, has also complained of enforcement problems.

As previously reported. the local authority is considering the addition of automatic number plate registration cameras in a bid to catch those who flout the rules.

However, the council has praised the scheme for helping to reduce carbon emissions and encouraging fitter lifestyles with more parents opting to walk or cycle as part of the school drop off, as opposed to driving.

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: “Anyone driving along a School Streets car free zone without authority is breaking the law and is putting children’s safety at risk.

“The transport restrictions that create the School Streets zones are properly constituted and all of the signage meets the required legal standard.

“All drivers are legally obliged to observe all of the road traffic regulations they encounter during their journey, including those in place for School Streets zones.”

He added: “Drivers who fail to observe the School Streets traffic restriction are liable to be fined by the police and we work closely with officers to ensure appropriate enforcement action takes place.

“Those who breach the traffic restriction established by the School Streets zone should be in no doubt they are committing an offence but are also disregarding the clearly stated position of Glasgow City Council, Police Scotland and all affected school communities.

“To underline the need for drivers to observe the School Streets restriction at Broomhill Primary we will install signage in advance of the zone and we will seek to do that as soon as possible.”