PARENTS at St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School at Goodna say a council crackdown on school pickups has left families “stressed, punished and out of pocket”.

Parents are being slapped with $166 fines if children are not collected within two minutes in the designated “kiss and drop” zone.

Mother Meg Shadbolt said the policy had created impossible conditions for parents already juggling busy schedules and financial pressure.

“You’ve got 120 seconds to drive through, collect your child’s bag, say goodbye to people, and get back to your car,” she said.

“If you’re even a few seconds late, there’s a $166 fine. We’ve had multiple notices in the mail recently.”

Ms Shadbolt described the rules as “absolutely infuriating” and “unfair”, pointing out that many families at the school were from low-income backgrounds, including South Sudanese refugee households.

“Many are living pay cheque to pay cheque, relying on vouchers, and organising breakfast clubs because children don’t have enough to eat at home,” she said.

“To impose fines like this on those families is cruel and exploitative.”

She said eight-year-old daughter Savannah was now very anxious at pickup time, pleading with teachers because she feared her parents would be fined.

“She was standing there saying, ‘Please, I have to go’,” Ms Shadbolt said.

“It’s heartbreaking that kids are carrying that stress.”

Ms Shadbolt and husband Joel have called on Ipswich City Council to the fines, refund affected families, and work with the community on practical alternatives. Suggestions included redesigning the pickup area or employing traffic marshals to manage congestion.

“If the council really cared about safety, they’d invest in solutions,” she said. “Come and pick up a child with us just once and see how unfair this is.”

But Ipswich City Council defended the enforcement, saying it was not about revenue but student safety.

A council spokesperson said the two-minute loading zones had been in place since 2014, and the recent blitz followed “a high volume of complaints and safety concerns” raised by parents and teachers.

“Council’s School Safe Parking Program is focused on improving safety in school precincts,” the spokesperson said.

“Illegal parking, including double-parking, places students’ lives at risk. We have seen instances of children walking between moving vehicles to reach their parents’ cars.”

The council said 22 infringement notices had been issued at the school up to August 8 this year.

While it acknowledged parents’ frustration, council urged drivers to be patient and to follow the rules.

“School pick-up peaks for around 10 minutes,” the spokesman said.

“With patience and compliance, these areas can be much safer for everyone.”