Police parking crackdown at Vancouver elementary school upsets parents

Parents at a downtown Vancouver elementary school say now that police have started enforcing the no-parking zone in front of Lord Roberts Annex, they have nowhere to park when they deliver and collect their young children from school.

Last week police started handing out tickets after years of turning a blind eye to parents parking in front of the school. Lord Roberts Annex is located next to a major intersection in the heart of the car-unfriendly West End.

"If they say, you know guys, I'm going to give you a warning, please don't park here and let's find some solution," said Carlos Hernazez the parent of a six-year-old student. "But they just put the tickets and that's it."

Hernandez was one of a number of parents who were ticketed when they parked to walk their child into the building.

Vice-Principal Maria Donovan says the bigger problem is that Lord Roberts Annex doesn't have designated parking.

"We're kindergarten to Grade 3 so the little darlings need to be escorted into the school, or picked up in the school." she said. "Even though there's pay parking down the block there's no guarantee there's going to be spots."

When contacted by CBC News, a Vancouver police spokesperson said he wasn't immediately aware of what instigated the crackdown.

Donovan says she's asked the Vancouver School board to approach the city about either building a car pullout, or turning Nelson Street in front of the school into a one-way to accommodate on-street stopping.

In the meantime Donvoan is advising parents to walk their children to school.