Furious mothers have condemned a council ‘safer streets’ campaign after drivers on the school-run were hit with 25,000 motoring fines – totalling £680,000 – in just one year.
Restrictions enforced by Medway Council in Kent prohibits motorists from using roads outside 11 schools at ‘school gate times’ – between 8:15 and 9am in the morning and 2:45 and 3:45pm in the afternoon.
But residents living near the schools have complained that the restrictions are only a ‘money-making’ scheme – and have simply pushed the same problems they experienced before the scheme to other streets.
Some residents living near Burnt Oak Primary School in Gillingham, Kent, one of the schools where Medway Council’s restrictions are in place, say they’re repeatedly forced to fight fines – despite being exempt.
Others say that although they agree with making school roads safer, the signs are too small and too complicated for drivers to follow, and hasn’t stopped people speeding.
The scheme, launched in March last year, has already issued almost 25,000 fines Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), equivalent to £678,690.
Charmaine Gordon, 39, recently moved to Gillingham from Croydon in southeast London, where similar restrictions outside schools were enforced.
Dayna Rowe, a mother-of-two who lives on an adjacent road to the school, says she was forced to pay a fine after moving in in May and not knowing about the restrictions
Medway Council’s School Streets Scheme prohibits motorists from using roads outside 11 schools at ‘school gate times’ – between 8:15 and 9am in the morning and 2:45 and 3:45pm in the afternoon
The mother-of-eight said: ‘I can understand it, because there were cars speeding down and it was dangerous for children.
‘But at the same time, it’s a nuisance. It’s just to make money for the council.
‘They’re trying to make money because they are losing money in a lot of ways.’
Ms Gordon added that little attention was paid to the genuine excuses from drivers who might not have known about the restrictions.
‘If it’s an elderly person, they should get their fine lifted,’ she said. ‘I was fined in Croydon for going a tiny bit down the prohibited road, then coming out when I realised the restrictions.
‘When people shoot through, they should be fined.
‘But I think the council see it as an opportunity to make money. It’s all a scheme to make money, but they like to make it seem like they’re helping us.’
Mother-of-two Demi Hunt, who has two children at Burnt Oak Primary School in Gillingham, Kent, arrived nearly an hour before her children get out of school to secure a parking space and avoid a fine
The scheme, launched in March last year has already issued almost 25,000 fines Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), equivalent to £678,690
Charmaine Gordon (pictured with daughter Alicia) recently moved to Gillingham from Croydon in southeast London, where similar restrictions outside schools were enforced
Dayna Rowe, a mother-of-two who lives on an adjacent road to the school, says she was forced to pay a fine after moving in in May and not knowing about the restrictions.
‘It was my fault, but it’s a very small sign and a lot of people are caught by them,’ the operating department practitioner, 36, said.
‘I don’t use that road anymore. People used it as a cut-through and the restrictions have pushed them onto this road now.
‘It’s a nightmare. I can’t even get out of my own driveway sometimes.
‘These things could cause accidents from people backed up, and I think the speed bumps do a better job of slowing drivers down.
‘I think the restrictions are more of a money-making thing from the council.
‘And you do wonder where the money is going, because the roads are still in a disastrous state.’
Adrian Pender, who has lived in the area for around a decade, said the signs warning drivers of the restrictions are far too wordy to be immediately understood.
‘It’s a common road to go down,’ the 40-year-old said. ‘I can understand it, because it’s a pain around there when the schools are on – the roads are all clogged up.
‘But the signs are terrible. People don’t read them or take notice of them at all.
‘If you’re driving, there’s so much description that you’re not going to read it. I have to warn all my family members not to go down that road.’
Mother-of-two Demi Hunt, who has two children at Burnt Oak, arrived nearly an hour before her children get out of school, saying the restrictions and lack of non-resident parking make it near impossible to find a space.
‘This is the only road that has an hour of free parking, so there’s always a fight to get a spot,’ the 26-year-old said.
‘They did have a lollipop lady who was there for years, but they really need some sort of parents’ car park.’
And one parent with two children studying at Burnt Oak said her partner had been fined three times for driving in the school zone during the restricted hours, despite having registered his vehicle as exempt.
‘My partner drives, and the restrictions are an inconvenience,’ the mother-of-two, who wished to remain anonymous, said.
‘His car is registered, but he still gets fined, and the council try to argue that it’s our problem. We have to appeal it each time and they act like we are the issue.
‘If my partner has a day off and drives down that road, he gets a ticket. It’s really annoying. And everyone just clogs up the other roads instead.’
Another resident said: ‘We have a permit, so it doesn’t affect us directly. But it does affect our visitors, deliveries… I think [the council] does everything to make money.
‘I agree with making the road safer for children, but maybe a 20mph limit would be better.’
Medway Council said that between March 2024 and October 2025, £678,690 was paid through PCNs relating to the School Streets scheme.
A total of 24,669 PCNs were issued during the same period. Each fine is £70, or £35 if paid within 14 days.
A spokesperson for Medway Council said: ‘The School Streets initiative has been designed to create safer, healthier streets for all of Medway’s children, and is having a positive impact on road safety.
‘Inevitably new restrictions can take a while to get used to, which is why we issued warning notices for first time offences during the initial six month period.
‘We will continue to review the scheme and hope most residents, road users and parents appreciate the impact it is having to improve safety.’
