Residents have opened up on their sense of relief after a council reversed its contentious decision to close a school's drop off zone.
Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC) will reopen the drop off zone at Brynmenyn Primary School in Ynysawdre for approved users only after weeks of rising tensions between parents and residents.
The street adjacent to the school - Lon Derw - was regularly congested with parents' cars during the school run after the drop off zone was closed in December, causing increased frustration from residents.
Tensions came to a head in January when some residents decided to form a barricade to prevent parents from parking on Lon Derw.
Read more: 'Bridgend backs down on parking at Brynmenyn primary school after parents form barricade'
One resident, Mal Harris, said he was pleased to hear that the drop off zone was reopening, adding that he hopes it will be managed correctly.
Mal said: "It is all good and I am all for moving forward and making things better, especially with this [street].
"It's one way in and one way out.
"It is all well and good having a pick up and drop off point at the primary school, but they need to make sure that the parents are using it.
"My worry is that if they don't man it, people are still going to come into our cul de sac."
Additional measures have been added by BCBC for the use of the drop off zone at Brynmenyn.
These include the drop off zone being 'locked down' at the start and the end of the school day to restrict the exit of vehicles until it is safe to do so and additional restrictions on site, like speed cushions, the introduction of a 5mph speed limit on school grounds, and a ban on reversing.
Council officers will also be on site advising parents where to park.
Mal said he has seen some "horrendous parking and driving situations" at Lon Derw.
He added: "I have seen an old lady in a wheelchair with her relative who was taking her out on a nice day from the residential home in front of my house.
"Because there was a [vehicle] parked on the path and blocking the path, they had to go around.
"Because the [vehicle] was parked on a corner, when a car came around it nearly took the two of them out."
Reacting to the reopening of the drop off zone, another resident on Lon Derw, Jessica Upham, said: "I am very pleased with that. It was never an issue when the car park was opened up in the first place."
The mother-of-three described what the situation on Lon Derw used to be like, saying she used to have to wait until the street was quiet enough to safely drop her children off at school.
Jessica said: "We have got pavements that are there for us to walk on and the majority of the time they were blocked.
"To get past would result in having to walk on the road.
"We have got three children and I have only got one set of hands. It can be impossible sometimes.
"We shouldn't have to be forced onto a road."
The drop off zones at Pencoed Primary School and Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen (CCYD) were also closed by BCBC in December.
At the time, the council said that an assessment by council officers revealed multiple incidents of vehicles making dangerous manoeuvres, travelling at speed, blocking or not using parking bays correctly, and ignoring instructions from officers on site.
Ty Ynysawdre care home, opposite Brynmenyn Primary School, was also affected by the number of cars that were filling up on Lon Derw at the start and end of each day.
Service manager for Ty Ynysawdre, Trudy Davies, said an ambulance that had been called to the care home to assist a resident struggled to gain access to the building.
Trudy said: "Our car park was being filled with parents who were dropping off their children, so the staff couldn't park, the contractors couldn't get in and one day an ambulance couldn't even get in.
"One car had been parked right across the entrance of the car park into Ty Ynysawdre, preventing the ambulance from coming in to attend to one of our residents who had actually had a fall."
Trudy said that the paramedics did eventually make it to the resident.
However, she said the knowledge of what she and her staff were going to each day was a constant concern.
"We physically had to stand on our entrance to stop [parents] from coming into the car park," said Trudy.
"There was a lot of anxiety flying around knowing that at these times, this was what was going to happen.
"You don't want that when you are starting a day shift at work, knowing that you are going to have a confrontation."
Parents wishing to become an approved user of the drop-off zone at Brynmenyn Primary will need to complete an application process, which will be communicated to parents and carers separately by the school.
On the reopening of the drop-off zone, Trudy added: "In light of the news that I received yesterday I feel this is definitely a positive move by BCBC to reopen that space.
"I hope that they don't make this [application process] too difficult because ultimately I empathise with the parents of the children who just want to safely drop their children off at school and safely pick them up.
"I understand why they get irate, but what they have to understand from our perspective is we have to keep our car parks clear.
"I hope it's a smooth transition."
An update has also been provided by BCBC on the situation of drop off zones at CCYD and Pencoed Primary School.
The drop off site at CCYD will be reopened for the start and end of the school day with restrictions and additional control measures.
However, the drop off site at Pencoed Primary will continue to remain restricted at the start and end of the school day.
On the drop off zones update, cabinet member for education and regeneration, Councillor Charles Smith, said that the new arrangements will be "closely monitored", and that if the risk becomes too great, "the local authority will not hesitate to put further restrictions in place".
Cllr Smith added: "The situation is not an easy one to manage, and pupil safety remains our number one priority, one which quite rightly takes precedence over all other considerations.
“I would like to thank parents and carers for their patience while we have worked on a solution to the issues experienced with the drop-off areas at Brynmenyn Primary School, Pencoed Primary School and Coleg Cymunedol y Dderwen.
“I know that the schools will be grateful for the support of parents and carers in this matter, and I would ask that all those who are arriving by car to please ensure that they drive safely, take other road users into consideration, follow any instructions from staff and officers, and treat them and others with respect.”
Changes to the drop off zones will come in after the February half-term break.
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