Lydgate Lane Infant School - lack of crossing

catwoman · 29-09-2005, 16:30

Hi

My son attends Lydgate Infant school on Lydgate Lane. Up until the end of July we had a very very nice lollypop man who sometimes put his life on the line trying to get people to stop and let the parents and children cross. Unfortunately because he was 70 he had to retire. We have no replacement yet.

Since the beginning of the new school year there have been some very near misses with cars zooming up and down and having no regard for the kids.

One incident involved a lovely gentleman who kindly stopped where the crossing should be to let us all go. A very stupid woman decided to overtake him whilst we were all in the middle of the road! Reconned she didn't need to stop cos he didn't indicate. Sorry, but couldn't she see about 25 people including kids about to cross her path.

Anyway, rant over, but anybody any ideas what lengths we have to go to to get the council to put a zebra or pelican crossing there. Or will it take more than a near miss???

Strix · 29-09-2005, 16:38

I hope you got her reg and reported her to the police - especially with that many witnesses!!

Perhaps if there's enough of you who feel strongly enough you could set up a rota where you only need to do one day a month?

catwoman · 29-09-2005, 16:43

Didn't get her reg unfortunately as I was too busy shouting at her!

We do have lots of volunteers to job share. About 15 at the last count but everyone has to be police checked which takes at least a month and then have training.

It's only a matter of time..............

Strix · 29-09-2005, 16:48

I know police checking is important, but isn't it laughable that people they let through the gates and near other kids as parents of pupils need to be checked before they stand in the middle of the road with a lollipop?

Perhaps everybody should be police checked before they can take their kids to school?

I'm not ranting - just musing

s10owl · 29-09-2005, 17:06

My son also attends Lydgate Lane Infants - Only started September so we were not privy to the old crossing set up. The laughable thing is that on a few days the police have manned the crossing but on others not. Are they saying that there is a need on somedays but not others.

A crossing is planned but has been held up under the changed plans for the crosspool area. The irony is is that the shop keepers in the area want to promote bringing cars into the area when in relality the volume of cars through the area is far to high and the whole centre is an accident waiting to happen.

Another issue is surely the number of people who live locally to the school but always drive up. Some may have to but others are just lazy and are raising a generation of couch spuds.

catwoman · 30-09-2005, 08:53

The only reason the police have sometimes manned the crossing is because one on the kid's dad is a copper. They are not allowed to do it officially but the head has turned a blind eye!

S10owl - your real name doesn't happen to be Steve does it?

samsmum · 30-09-2005, 11:08

sounds like a similar situation at rivelin school - we have a jolly nice lollypop man who risks life and limb to get the kids across 3 very busy roads!! Before he started, there was no-one!!

not sure how you could push getting a permanent lollypop man/lady.....have you asked your mp for help?

let us know how you get on!

Lucy-Lastic · 30-09-2005, 11:10

Quote:

Originally posted by samsmum
sounds like a similar situation at rivelin school - we have a jolly nice lollypop man who risks life and limb to get the kids across 3 very busy roads!! Before he started, there was no-one!!

not sure how you could push getting a permanent lollypop man/lady.....have you asked your mp for help?

let us know how you get on!

Oh yes he is lovely but has to run about so much across those junctions. We certainly miss him when hes not there.

LisaH xxx

matt1889 · 30-09-2005, 11:12

This is something that you really need to take up with the school, they have to power to get in touch with the coucil and try to enforce a crossing!!!!!

Put together a petition, get something on paper to show the support of getting a crossing!!!!

At the end of the day, why should we put our childrens safety at risk day in day out??????

The roads arent safe regardless now so i urge you, act on it before anything bad happens!!!!!

Mo · 30-09-2005, 11:22

Quote:

Originally posted by Strix
Perhaps if there's enough of you who feel strongly enough you could set up a rota where you only need to do one day a month?

Could be opening a can of worms here Strix ...... insurance, litigation etc.

Report it here , lobby school governors to put pressure on the council.

But at the end of the day your children are YOUR responsibility until they have gone through the school gates and the school day has started. When my children first started school we went for a whole school year without a school crossing!

matt1889 · 30-09-2005, 11:27

Fair point Mo, the only downside is, and it depends on how you look at it????

Not all parents can commit 100% to getting their kids through the school gate every morning!

In one hand you've got the fact that people do have to go to work and kids do have to go to school and people cant allways commit getting both done in a morning!!!!!!!!

But on the other hand, our taxes should surely be able to pay for a Crossing assistant or pelican crossing???????? We pay through our teeth, and we want our kids to be safe at the end of the day, thats whats paramount!!!!

Just want to add - Trying the previous idea of taking it in turns is a stupid idea!!!! sorry!

Mo · 30-09-2005, 11:35

Quote:

Originally posted by matt1889
But on the other hand, our taxes should surely be able to pay for a Crossing assistant or pelican crossing???????? We pay through our teeth, and we want our kids to be safe at the end of the day, thats whats paramount!!!!

Agree with you here.

In my experience you stand more chance fighting for the return of the lolipop than for a pelican or zebra crossing. I think that the council will only consider theses type of crossings if there has been x number of accidents/deaths at the location.

scissors32 · 23-10-2007, 01:36

I Think That Schools Should Have A* People Running Them As Lollypop Men/women, Kids Safety Is A Must, My Grandad Was A Lollypop Man At Lydgate Lane And Was Tragically Killed By A Hit And Run Driver In October 1984, He Moved Into The Path Of The Vehicle To Stop One Of The Kiddies From Being Hit, I Miss Him So Much And Wish He Wasn't Gone, But For What He Did He Will Always Be My Hero. While Im Here Would Like To Know Do They Still Have The Canister And Plaque In His Memory?, Don't Suppose Anyone Of You Would Be Brave Enough To Ask The Head Teacher About Any Possible Way Of Receiving A Copy Of News Clippings On My Grandad Or Anything Of Relevance, Kept Some Items Before I Moved And Sadly They Were Lost Xx

Ms Macbeth · 23-10-2007, 06:19

Sheffield CC certainly used to advertise vacancies for crossing staff/lollipop men and women, the response was normally underwhelming.

mr.blaze · 23-10-2007, 06:41

It used to be a woman called Shirley when I went there.

kieran_grund · 23-10-2007, 07:32

He wasn't a smoker by any chance was he?

scissors32 · 23-10-2007, 11:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by kieran_grund

He wasn't a smoker by any chance was he?

WHAT MY GRAMPS?, USED TO SMOKE A PIPE!!!, AND ALWAYS SMILING, HE WAS LOVELY, AND TO THIS DAY SADLY MISSED.

Planner1 · 23-10-2007, 12:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mo

Agree with you here.

In my experience you stand more chance fighting for the return of the lolipop than for a pelican or zebra crossing. I think that the council will only consider theses type of crossings if there has been x number of accidents/deaths at the location.

The Council gets a huge number of requests for signal controlled / zebra crossings. There were over 200 sites on the list of requests last time I asked. The requests are scored against criteria which relate to the Council's Local Transport Plan objectives, the number of injury accidents and in particular child pedestrian accidents is part of that assessment process. The scoring process allows the Council to prioritise the resources available and address the areas of greatest need first. To put some context into the debate, a puffin crossing costs in the region of £80k and the Council may have an overalll budget which will pay for maybe 3 or 4 of these per year.

Tricky · 23-10-2007, 12:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Planner1

The Council gets a huge number of requests for signal controlled / zebra crossings. There were over 200 sites on the list of requests last time I asked. The requests are scored against criteria which relate to the Council's Local Transport Plan objectives, the number of injury accidents and in particular child pedestrian accidents is part of that assessment process. The scoring process allows the Council to prioritise the resources available and address the areas of greatest need first. To put some context into the debate, a puffin crossing costs in the region of £80k and the Council may have an overalll budget which will pay for maybe 3 or 4 of these per year.

Blimey!

I've always been surprised that the junction of Furniss Avenue and Totley Brook Road hasn't got some type of crossing given that there are two schools and a nursery, virtually on the junction.

The Manager · 23-10-2007, 12:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Planner1

The Council gets a huge number of requests for signal controlled / zebra crossings. There were over 200 sites on the list of requests last time I asked. The requests are scored against criteria which relate to the Council's Local Transport Plan objectives, the number of injury accidents and in particular child pedestrian accidents is part of that assessment process. The scoring process allows the Council to prioritise the resources available and address the areas of greatest need first. To put some context into the debate, a puffin crossing costs in the region of £80k and the Council may have an overalll budget which will pay for maybe 3 or 4 of these per year.

So the saftey of our kids is all down to money , and points!!

id say get a petition together, and get your self a parents group and pressure the council, have a word with your local mp/councillor (they may help but not always do) also have a word with your school about it, and the more parents involved on this the better! REMEMBER!! it shouldint be down to cost or points for your childs saftey outside a school.