Camera Enforcement Van To Help Keep Pupils Safe
The safety of children around schools is paramount and Neath Port Talbot Council believes the school vicinity should be a safe haven and not a threat caused by parking issues.
The Council’s Road Safety Team has carried out a county-wide School Gate Parking campaign in partnership with South Wales Police and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service to produce banners to be displayed outside all schools to raise awareness as well as delivering education to all pupils - encouraging them to be a positive influence on those taking them to school.
Enforcement for persistent drivers however appears to be the most effective way to tackle this growing issue.
Neath Port Talbot Council now has its own Camera Enforcement Van which will photograph illegally parked vehicles simply by driving past a school, generating a fixed penalty notice directly to the vehicle keeper’s registered address.
The van is equipped with two roof-mounted Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and two colour cameras to capture video evidence of vehicles whose drivers have chosen to contravene traffic orders across the County Borough. The on-board systems are controlled by one of the Council’s Civil Enforcement Officers using a dashboard-mounted touchscreen.
To promote the safety messages to younger residents, the Council’s Road Safety Team engaged with all Primary School pupils in a competition to name the new vehicle. The winning entry - ‘iPatrol’ - was submitted by Gnoll Primary School pupil Ruby Gilley, aged five, who was presented with a Chromebook sponsored by Videalert by Neath Port Talbot Council Mayor Cllr Dennis Keogh at the Mayor’s Parlour in Port Talbot on Thursday, January 24th.
The Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council, Cllr Rob Jones fully supports the new enforcement vehicle, saying, “Indiscriminate and dangerous parking around Neath Port Talbot will no longer be tolerated.
“The mobile enforcement vehicle seeks to challenge those drivers who choose to park on school ‘keep clear’ markings, within clearly defined bus stops and on pedestrian crossings with no thought for the safety of others. It is hoped that this vehicle will help to further ensure greater safety and protection for pedestrians and other road users as we progress through 2019.”