A ROAD used to access a school site “can’t cope” with increasing traffic, it has been claimed.

Marriotts Lonsdale School officially opened its doors last week but the route in via Brittain Way, Stevenage, has already been criticised.

The entrance to the joint school, which will cater for 1,600 Marriotts students and up to 84 pupils at special needs school Lonsdale, is near to housing in Aylward Drive, leaving residents unhappy.

The site currently has 120 parking spaces and a drop-off section, with plans to build 150 more on the grounds of the old Marriotts School in Telford Avenue in July.

Sixth-form students have been told they cannot park on-site until the phase two development is complete.

Aylward Drive resident Brian Mole, whose two sons used to go to Marriotts, said: “At the old Marriotts site there were a number of ways of getting to and from the school but now cars have to come in and out the same way.

“The car park is full so everyone is using our street and Brittain Way and there’s nothing to stop them.

“I’ve got nothing against the school but it’s such a big school now and the road can’t cope with the numbers. It’s a nightmare and I’m worried that someone is going to be seriously hurt.”

Staff at Ken Brown Motors, based in nearby Shephall Way, have been parking in Brittain Way for years but have noticed a significant increase in traffic since the school opened.

General manager Tim Warner said: “We’ve parked there since the houses were built and there’s never been a problem. We’re not causing an obstruction but now you’re getting parents stopping along the road to drop their kids off instead of going right up to the school.”

A spokesman for Hertfordshire County Council, which has overseen the build, said: “Hopefully by the end of July there will be 150 extra parking spaces which can be accessed from Telford Avenue. This should alleviate quite a lot of the traffic which is going through Brittain Way.

“The school is working on ways to resolve the current issues in the coming days and months.”