Newsroom

24 March 2025

New road safety signs to keep Blackpool schoolchildren safe

Six new ‘students’ have arrived at a local Blackpool primary school in the form of metal road signs, aimed to encourage parents and motorists to drive and park safely around schools.

A group of people with a dog stand on a sidewalk next to cartoon cutouts displaying "Don't park here" signs.
Blackpool Gazette/Kelvin Lister-Stuttard
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Six new ‘students’ have arrived at a local Blackpool primary school in the form of metal road signs, aimed to encourage parents and motorists to drive and park safely around schools.

The metal buddy signs will be used outside Mereside Primary Academy and have been funded by local councillors Paula Burdess and Alistair Humphreys through their ward funding.

The signs will be displayed outside the school, alongside the current zigzag road markings already in place, to discourage parking in areas that aren’t permitted which leads to obstructions and safety issues.

The new signs feature the same uniform as the school to mimic the appearance of the schoolchildren and are just one way of tackling the parking issues the school faces.

Blackpool Council is already working together with local primary schools to review road safety at all 33 primary schools in the town.

Individual reviews at each school have now taken place and improved safety measures are planned to be implemented at the first phase of schools this summer, ahead of the new school year.

Cllr Alistair Humphreys, ward councillor for Clifton, said:

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“I am delighted that we were able to offer support to our local school by supplying the new buddy signs. Poor parking near schools creates a safety hazard for young schoolchildren and these signs will help the school in their efforts to discourage this behaviour. "We all need to do our part to keep the journey to school a safe and pleasant experience.”
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Cllr Paula Burdess, ward councillor for Clifton and Blackpool Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Street Scene and Neighbourhoods, said:

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“The safety of Blackpool’s schoolchildren is of great importance and the new signs are a welcome addition to encourage road safety around Mereside Primary Academy. “Blackpool Council are already working with local primary schools on an extensive review of the parking and traffic around schools, to find solutions that will improve road safety. “I’m looking forward to seeing improvements made at the first phase of schools later this year to help keep schoolchildren across the town safe.”
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John Topping, Community Relations and Estates Lead at the Fylde Coast Academy Trust, said:

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"The Fylde Coast Academy Trust is delighted and grateful to receive another set of six very special metal school buddy signs. Through the excellent support of our local councillors and a charitable organisation, we have been able to supply these road safety signs to four of our other FCAT sites. They certainly will make a difference by encouraging drivers around Mereside Primary Academy to think more carefully as to where to park or stop their vehicles.”

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