In an amazing reversal of American policies, a neighbourhood in east London is prioritizing the safety of children over the convenience of cars.

“It’s a sledgehammer to crack a nut.” This is how one angry parent described the recent crackdown by London police on parents who drop their kids off at school by car. Yes, you read that correctly – the very mode of transportation that many American schools insist is the only safe way to deliver kids to school is now being criminalized in the United Kingdom.

The decision to fine any vehicles seen dropping off or picking up kids within a particular zone of east London stems from city councillors’ prolonged efforts to make the area safer and less congested. They say they’ve been trying for years “to encourage sensible driving and parking,” to no avail. Neighborhood residents complain frequently about their driveways being blocked by illegally parked cars for 15 minutes or more, often while they’re trying to get to work, and the streets are chronically overcrowded.

Now the rules have changed. The Evening Standard reports: