A worried Wells mum whose daughter was nearly hit by a car on the school run has gathered hundreds of signatures calling for on-street parking issues to be tackled.
Sue Ali, started the petition after her 9-year-old daughter Aaliyah narrowly escaped being hit by a car outside Stoberry School on North Road in March. It has gathered 438 signatures.
She said: “As we were crossing the road near the school gates a car began reversing.
“I smashed both my fists on the boot to make it stop. He clearly wasn’t looking."
Sue moved from Liverpool two years ago. Her own brother was killed by a car near his school at the age of 12, and a child died in a road accident at the school Aaliyah previously attended.
“Every day it is so stressful and it makes me anxious because it’s just so dangerous," she added.
“We need to be given somewhere for us to park while we take our children to school.”
She suggested a ‘stop and drop’ point on nearby College Road, and has also called for a pedestrian crossing and speed limits.
This week, mayor of Wells, John Osman, and city councillor Louis Agabani handed the petition to the leader of Somerset County Council, David Fothergill.
Mr Osman said: “We have had a number of reported near misses and there is a real risk if something isn’t done somebody could be seriously injured.”
The road which is narrow with blind corners and only has a pavement on one side. In addition there is a lot of on-street parking.
In 2017, when Mr Osman was a county councillor, he says he got the authority to draw up plans for double yellow lines to prevent dangerous parking, but these plans never materialised.
Mr Osman said: “Traffic is increasing and there are concerns about pupil and parent safety. This matter needs addressing urgently.
“I am sorry to say that the situation cannot wait for a parking review. We must take action before a near miss turns into a catastrophe.”
Stoberry School has more than 300 pupils and shares a road with Wells Cathedral School.
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