Schoolgirls campaign for safe road crossing (From The Oxford Times)
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Schoolgirls campaign for safe road crossing
1:10pm Saturday 7th January 2012 in Didcot By Rhianne Pope
Clockwise from back left, Nicola Smith, Sophie Chapple, Sammiie Hemmings, Lianne Wilson and Sophie Shuttler at the roundabout
A GROUP of pupils at a school in Didcot have taken the fight for a pelican crossing into their own hands.
Students at Didcot Girls’ School have campaigned for nearly two years to improve safety at the “dangerous crossing” near their school.
They say there have been many near-misses and one pupil was hit by a car two years ago. She escaped with minor injuries.
Now a new group of Year 11 pupils has taken up the fight.
Lianne Wilson, 15, said: “As part of our coursework for GCSE citizenship, we have to campaign for something we feel strongly about.
“This is a crossing that we all use and it is dangerous.
“It’s quite near a roundabout and there are so many cars. A lot of children use the crossing and they are really vulnerable because they walk across it alone.”
Pupils want the zebra crossing in Wantage Road, also near St Birinus School and Manor School, to become a pelican crossing controlled by traffic lights.
They have put up posters, written letters, formed a Facebook group and petitioned local residents.
They even recorded a song, The Zebra Crossing Song, in 2010 urging council bosses to change their minds.
The current group of Year 11 pupils have questioned local residents about the crossing and plan to present a 1,000-signature petition to Oxfordshire County Council.
The girls also hope to speak to Didcot MP Ed Vaizey on a school trip to the Houses of Parliament later this year.
Headteacher Rachael Warwick said: “I am very proud of the girls and the active way they have become involved with this.”
Oxfordshire County Council spokesman Owen Morton said: “We currently we have no plans to change this zebra crossing to a pelican crossing, but we will continue to monitor the situation.
“Unfortunately, like all highways authorities, we have very limited funding for this type of work at present.”
Comments(10)
Didcot71
says...
9:12pm Sat 7 Jan 12
oxforddom
says...
9:46pm Sat 7 Jan 12
Didcot71 wrote:Yes. That is why we have zebra crossings, but if some nutter doesn't stop for a zebra crossing they aren't likely to stop for a pelican crossing either.
As to the above comment,the crossing has had several accidents on it over the years and as the mother of the above case my daughter was in the middle of the crossing when the car knocked her over and one would expect the cars to stop wouldnt you?
They should scrap all the speed cameras not in towns or villages and use the money to pay for more police to monitor places like zebra crossings near schools and get dangerous drivers off the road.
Seen it All
says...
11:25pm Sat 7 Jan 12
livid99
says...
10:46am Mon 9 Jan 12
Dilligaf2010 wrote:Your ability to produce such a moronic comment is quite impressive.
"GCSE citizenship"....what kind of a qualification is that?
Is this why pupils are gaining more GCSEs, because they're "Non-Qualifications"
, perhaps there should be a GCSE Toilet Use because looking at some of the kids of today, I wouldn't trust them to sit the right way round on a toilet seat.
As for the crossing being dangerous, are the kids actually waiting for the traffic to stop before crossing, or are they merely crossing and expecting the traffic to stop?
Somebody local
says...
2:08pm Mon 9 Jan 12
hesperus
says...
1:34pm Tue 10 Jan 12
hesperus
says...
1:35pm Tue 10 Jan 12
livid99
says...
7:20am Wed 11 Jan 12
hesperus wrote:They shouldn't put a crossing on every exit of the roundabout, with traffic lights at all !! That causes chaos and is one of the stupidest decisions made when the Jubilee Way roundabout was done. It just causes huge tailbacks. Someone presses the button to cross the road, by the time the lights have gone green this person has reached the next crossing and pressed the button there too !
I fully agree there needs to be a change kin the crossings. I would do away with the one outside the Wheatsheaf and move it to the busstops outside the hospital to help the elderly cross the road. Light controls should be on all the roads around the junction outside the Wallingford Arms as at the Jubilee Waty roundabout and some cameras to help spot the people who ignore them would be appreciated.
If crossings are needed, put them away from the exit of a roundabout. Its plain common sense
hesperus
says...
2:47pm Wed 11 Jan 12
Dilligaf2010 says...
2:07pm Sat 7 Jan 12
Is this why pupils are gaining more GCSEs, because they're "Non-Qualifications"
, perhaps there should be a GCSE Toilet Use because looking at some of the kids of today, I wouldn't trust them to sit the right way round on a toilet seat.
As for the crossing being dangerous, are the kids actually waiting for the traffic to stop before crossing, or are they merely crossing and expecting the traffic to stop?