Hampshire Constabulary

Children’s competition promotes road safety message in Portsmouth

Press Releases

Published: 01/10/2009

Following a number of complaints in Hilsea about the dangers of people parking on zigzag lines outside schools in the area, the Safer Neighbourhoods team launched a competition for local children to help combat the problem.

Five schools agreed to take part in the project, which saw children aged between five and 11 designing a poster for display outside all participating schools to remind drivers that parking on zigzag lines is unlawful and dangerous, and punishable by a £30 fine.

The problem was only occurring during school start and finish times, indicating that the people causing obstruction were parents or guardians of the pupils, and so by involving the children it also helped to get the message home as they talked about the competition and worked on their entries at home.

The schools involved were Stamshaw Infants and Stamshaw Juniors, North Parade Infants and North Parade Juniors, and the Corpus Christi primary school. Between them over 150 children submitted pictures for use as part of the project.

Adam Murphy is in Year 2 at Stamshaw Infants and his design was chosen as the winner. This picture is now being used on posters around all the schools which took part, as well as on A2 boards outside the schools, to remind road users not to park on the zigzag lines.

Adam received a £10 WH Smith voucher as the winner, as well as a brand new stationary set. There were runners up chosen from each of the six year groups which make up the schools, who also received a new stationary set.

PCSO Emily Hawksworth, who lead the competition, said, “We wanted to get the children involved in reducing the complaints about cars parking on the zigzag lines, because although it was fun to draw the posters it also helped them learn about road safety. The vehicles which stop on the lines cause obstructions for all others trying to access the roads and the schools, which creates a danger so many adults and children who are in the area at the school start and finish times. These posters help convey that message, and Adam’s design is a great way to help people understand that the rules are there for a reason.”