PARENTS picking up and dropping off their children at a Johnstone nursery have been encouraged to use a freshly-lined car park.

Work on the bays at the Renfrewshire Council-owned facility – which is a matter of minutes’ walking distance from Spateston Early Learning and Childcare Centre on Hallhill Road – was completed earlier this month.

The local authority hopes the work will encourage vehicles to park there, instead of out on Hallhill Road, and prevent potential traffic build-up and obstruction in the area.

The move has been welcomed by Councillor Andy Steel, an SNP representative for Johnstone South and Elderslie, who believes the steps taken will be important in addressing road safety issues.

He said: “It’s taken a lot longer than I hoped to get this car parked lined – I’ve been asking for this work to be done for well over a year.

“Now that it’s done, I hope folk dropping off and picking up will see clearly where there are spaces, and park up off the road.

“It’s a fantastic nursery, with a car park which must have room for about 50 cars right beside it. There’s no reason to park on Hallhill Road at all.

“Although cars on both sides of Hallhill Road do cause issues for the likes of buses and local people trying to get in and out of the scheme, it’s more the potential for an accident which concerns me, especially with so many kids of nursery and primary school age about.

“I do feel putting in a fence would be the easiest and safest thing to do, both in terms of parking and in case kids run out toward the road, but I hope lining the car park will help.”

The car park is located at the back of the Spateston Inn, just downhill from the nursery.