New Enhanced No Parking Zone Program for Schools
As children returned to school this week across Shellharbour, many Kiss and Drop zones in the region now feature new bold and distinct signage as part of Shellharbour City Council's new school road safety program.
The Enhanced No Parking Zone Program includes unique large corflute bollards that wrap around existing 'No Parking' signposts to clearly define the area at schools during pick-up and drop-off times.
Caption: Shellharbour City Mayor Chris Homer with Flinders Public School Deputy Principal Peter Tarasenko ready for the first day of school with the new enhanced No Parking Zone signage. Image courtesy of Shellharbour City Council.
"This is a great program to help increase the efficiency and safety of school 'No Parking' zones, which at peak times can be challenging for motorists and pedestrians to navigate," Shellharbour City Mayor Chris Homer said.
The innovative triangular-prism-shaped bollards display messages on each of the three sides, helping highlight important road rules to improve student safety during this extremely busy time of the day.
The program aims to reinforce the road rules concerning 'No Parking' zones, which includes not occupying the area for more than two minutes, while dropping off or picking up passengers and remaining in or within three metres of your vehicle during that time.
"The safety of children in our community is paramount and this unique program is the latest example of Shellharbour making every effort to safeguard school areas," Mayor Homer said.
Fifteen primary schools in the region are participating in the program, which officially kicks off on the first day of term one, Thursday 6 February.
The pilot program is a first of its kind in New South Wales and includes additional educational resources both electronic and hard copy printed flyers for the participating schools.
In January 2025, Council recruited a team of permanent Parking Compliance Officers (PCOs), who can get to know our school communities through the roll-out and implementation of this program.
Council aims to break down the barriers between PCOs and the community through their involvement in the program as they work toward educating and keeping our communities safe.
The program is a timely reminder to all drivers that young children do not have the developmental skills to cope in complex traffic situations such as before and after school, when traffic is at its maximum capacity.
The program was created by Shellharbour City Council and funded by Transport for NSW. REMINDER: Road Rule 168 states that you must not park on a road or in an area where there's a 'No parking' sign. This may be all the time or at certain times, as shown on the sign. You can stop for less than two minutes if you stay within three metres of your vehicle, if you're:
- dropping off or picking up passengers or
- loading or unloading items.
The fine for exceeding this limit is $227 plus 2 demerit points.
