A BUSY road in Lindley will be made one-way.
Councillors came to the decision about George Street after a series of protests and angry confrontations.
Concerned parents blocked the road outside Lindley Junior and Infant Schools earlier this year to protest about dangerous driving by other mums and dads along the narrow road.
Kirklees Council’s Cabinet received a petition yesterday asking for George Street to be restricted to resident-only use.
But the cabinet backed advice from officers to make the street one-way instead.
Martin Eaton, who walks his daughter to the school, described the problems which parents on foot faced.
He told the meeting at Dewsbury Town Hall: “It’s an extremely narrow road with one narrow pavement. It’s so narrow that you can’t walk along holding your child’s hand.
“We are fed up with a minority of parents driving up George Street. It’s completely unnecessary. We’ve had fights, people grabbing hold of each other, because of the actions of this selfish minority.”
But Mr Eaton said the one-way system, running from Holly Bank Road to East Street, was not the answer.
He said: “At the moment some drivers avoid going down George Street because they have to back up if they meet a car coming the other way. Making the road one-way would actually make it more attractive to motorists.
“I’d ask you to reconsider the one-way option.”
But Clr Martyn Bolt, Cabinet member for highways, disagreed.
He said: “Traffic coming in one direction rather than two is safer for pedestrians. And residents parking brings problems with enforcement.”
Clr Bolt said the real solution was for fewer parents to drive their children to school.
He said: “Parents bringing children to school by car are causing immense congestion. A lot of that could be avoided if parents gave more thought to parking further away.
“We will work with the school on its traffic plans to seek to increase the number of children walking to school.”
Lib Dem Lindley councillor Christine Stanfield made a similar point in a written response on the issue.
She said: “The difficulties could be lessened if there were fewer selfish, lazy parents. The school and others must keep chipping away to obtain a different culture and mindset.
“I’m working to get a park and stride going from the car parks behind the Black Bull.
“From there it’s a short healthy walk along West Street. This drop-off point would greatly improve traffic congestion.”
