Updated: July 2025
The problem with cars parking on Duffield Road outside St Benedict’s school is still unresolved (after at least 9 years) and there is no apparent willingness from the City Council to find a solution.
The sum effect of the Council’s (lack of) action is that motorists can reasonally feel free to ignore all yellow line parking restrictions near to schools – surely not what the Derby council tax payers want?
Despite regular communications between Derby Cycling Group, many others, and the City Council, it has become clear that the Council has no intention of enforcing no parking restrictions (yellow lines) anywhere near schools in Derby and particularly not on Duffield Road.
For over 9 years the response from the Council to the lack of enforcement has been “it’s complicated” but, in that time, no solution has been found and there appears to be no enthusiasm from the City Council to find a solution and address the “complications”.
It is clear that there is a right for parents to “pick up and set down” on yellow lines but this doesn’t extend to allowing parents to park for up to an hour before school closing time prior to “picking up”.
On Duffield Road there is an advisory cycle lane (dotted white line) on each side of the road and the whole area is subject to double yellow line restrictions (which “indicate a prohibition of waiting at any time”).
On Tuesday 1st July 2025, the current situation was reviewed. This was a day with good weather (no rain) and fell within the school’s exam period so school attendance was probably below the maximum.
The school closes at 3pm. Cars were parked on the yellow lines from 2:10pm onwards. Typically the drivers do not leave the cars but park with the engine running (air con in summer, heating in winter) using their phones whilst waiting for their students to arrive shortly after 3pm.
From 2:35pm onwards there is a rush of additional cars parking and both sides of the road are used with the cars parked half on the verge. In all cases they block the advisory cycle lane and cause a danger. Any cyclists have to travel in the middle of the A6 to avoid the parked cars and the danger of car doors being randomly opened.
At 3pm the school closes and a number of double-decker school buses (maybe 10?) depart. A lot of the buses have trouble leaving the school grounds due to the inconsiderate parking.
Once students have left the school, they climb into the parked cars and the inconsiderate driving continues as cars do U-turns on the A6. In one case, a car turned down one private driveway, drove along the footpath and then used another private driveway to rejoin the A6.
Once all the school buses have left (around 3:15pm), the school allows cars to enter the grounds to pick up students. Thus there is a safe solution for any vulnerable student who needs to be picked up and which doesn’t cause traffic congestion and danger.
Coincidentally, very few (less than 5?) students using bikes were spotted and none of these were using the road (with the blocked cycle lanes) but cycling on the pavement.
The school has about 1500 students and the parking issues are caused by just a small minority of the parents of the students (maybe 40-50 cars each day?). Based on the inconsiderate driving as well as the parking behaviour, these don’t seem to be parents who would respond to requests to “do the right thing” for the benefit of the wider student body and the public. Instead, they’ll take a selfish approach to do what is easiest for them.
Over the years there has been coverage in Derbyshire Live and the local TV pointing out the issues but no resolution has been implemented by the Council. These include
In 2022, DCG member Tony Mott asked a question at a Derby City full Council meeting and received a response from Councillor Hassall along the lines of “it’s complicated. I hope things improve”. There has been no progress since. The local City Councillors have been challenged on the lack of progress over the years and always say that they’ll ask the relevant Council officers for progress to be made. No progress is then made.
One of the local Councillors (Carmel Swan) has now been promoted to Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Transport and Sustainability but, despite being the person in charge of Transport in the City, has not managed to address the unacceptable and dangerous parking issues.
This situation has been summarised previously here.