Parents call for lollipop patrol outside Brookside School in Bicester

2:00pm Thursday 29th November 2012 in News By Sam McGregor, covering Bicester. Call me on 01869 250197

Karen Lewis, front, and fellow parents with their children outside Brookside Primary School, Bicester Karen Lewis, front, and fellow parents with their children outside Brookside Primary School, Bicester

PARENTS and staff have “grave” concerns about the safety of children at a Bicester primary school after a council ruled a lollipop person wasn’t needed.

Children at Brookside School have been without a person to help them across Bucknell Road since September, and one staff member has already had a near miss.

Problems in the area are exacerbated by parents who park to drop off and pick up children, and sometimes block driveways, or double park.

The school said Oxfordshire County Council had recently assessed the road and told it a lollipop person was not needed.

But staff and parents are so concerned they have launched a petition to lobby the council to reinstate the position.

Headteacher Nick Cornell said: “I am gravely concerned for the safety of our pupils crossing Bucknell Road without a crossing patrol warden.

“It is a dangerous road for children and I am disappointed Oxfordshire County Council feels it no longer warrants a crossing patrol.”

Parent Karen Lewis, 43, whose nine-year-old daughter Georgie goes to the school, said: “It’s a busy road and I’m concerned about people’s safety.

“It’s very dangerous, people are parking everywhere and you can see kids dodging in and out of parked cars.

“One of our teaching assistants was crossing and a car hadn’t seen her – the driver stopped in time, but the car touched her leg.

“We don’t want an accident to realise we do need someone.”

Tracey Matthews, who has two children at the school, said she had already lobbied the county council over the situation.

She said: “At school opening and closing times it is very busy.

“People park on both sides of the road so the traffic has to go single-file between the cars.

“There is no safe place at all to cross.

“ If you want to cross near to the school you have to cross between parked cars as the school markings outside of the school aren’t on both sides of the road.

“I believe that having a school crossing patrol helps to get children across to school safely and gives children road awareness.

“It also encourages drivers to slow down because they see a fluorescent jacket and slow down.”

Norman Bolster, Oxfordshire county councillor for Bicester South, said: “I will get on to the county council to get the facts and if possible get one reinstated.”

Oxfordshire County Council was unavailable for comment.

Comments(8)

Dilligaf2010 says...
2:34pm Thu 29 Nov 12

Perhaps the parents can get together and do it themselves?

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interested123 says...
9:36pm Thu 29 Nov 12

l am not a Brookside parent but even I can see that a lollipop person is most definitely needed here.
Selfishness by some drivers unwilling to drive appropriately will lead to an accident and l am sure no council official would want the blame to fall at their door. The only option is to restore it as soon as possible.

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JanetJ says...
8:21am Fri 30 Nov 12

I might be missing something but presumably the parents calling for a crossing patrol are not the same parents parking selfishly to drop their children off? double yellow lines both sides of the entrance would help.

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69stephen69 says...
12:08pm Fri 30 Nov 12

At the school where my kids go, the parents actively encourage communication with those who park or drop off irresponsibly near the school.
Comments like " do you realise you are making the road unsafe for the children to cross" seem to work.
In the conversation, make the safety of the children the focal point, not the behaviour of the motorist, thus avoiding unnecessary confrontation.

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Pavinder Msvarensy says...
12:22am Sat 1 Dec 12

Interested123, can you please qualify your statement. Or are you just one of the "accident waiting to happen" brigade, who chase and jump on every bandwagon going. By the way, NO children have ever been harmed so far, and will probably not ever be harmed by the nasty dangerous road outside. But will be mentally scarred for life because of the bleatings of people like you and the teacher mentioned, frightening the life out of them with YOUR irrational fears of something that will NOT happen. Teach children how to cross the road, and they will grow up understanding that a road is a road and respect it , wrap them up in cotton wool and tell them that a road is a killing field, then they will grow up without a clue how to think for themselves, let alone how to cross a road. How about we go back to EDUCATING our children at school, instead of indoctrinating them into the latest loony lefty, wooly Liberal, or just plainly stupid Greeny way of thinking.

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HelenJS says...
6:59am Sat 1 Dec 12

JanetJ wrote:
I might be missing something but presumably the parents calling for a crossing patrol are not the same parents parking selfishly to drop their children off? double yellow lines both sides of the entrance would help.
I think you are missing something because the vast majourity of the parents and children walk to school. The school has houses opposite it so cars build up on the otherside of the road from them as well. The school already has double lines outside the front of it, I'm not sure the residents would be to pleased if you put double lines outside the front of there houses. I don't think the parents are being selfish at all to worry about there children's safety.

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mummy23 says...
10:30am Sat 1 Dec 12

My children do not attend this school, however i have driven past at drop off and pick up time and the parking is madness, any other time during the day its as it always has been, quite calm. So i agree i think the parents could start by helping themselves a little by encouraging some parents who drive to maybe walk. That surely would reduce the problem you have, however i dont think this would solve the problem altgether.

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JanetJ says...
12:26pm Sat 1 Dec 12

HelenJS wrote:
JanetJ wrote:
I might be missing something but presumably the parents calling for a crossing patrol are not the same parents parking selfishly to drop their children off? double yellow lines both sides of the entrance would help.
I think you are missing something because the vast majourity of the parents and children walk to school. The school has houses opposite it so cars build up on the otherside of the road from them as well. The school already has double lines outside the front of it, I'm not sure the residents would be to pleased if you put double lines outside the front of there houses. I don't think the parents are being selfish at all to worry about there children's safety.
So - are the parents parking on the double yellows? surely that can be enforced.

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