Our lollipop lady retired several years ago and was never replaced as it was deemed a low risk crossing. This particular crossing is used by pupils from a pre-school, a primary school and a secondary school. The crossing patrol doesn't just ensure children and adults alike cross the road safely but also acts as a deterrent for anyone tring to park or stop on corners, yellow lines and zig-zags. Without adequate crossing patrol, our children are at risk of being run over. We want to see the Cobden Avenue crossing reinstated and to have ALL crossings adequately manned during school run times. This may include drafting substitute crossing patrol officers when others are absent for whatever reason.
This ePetition ran from 16/07/2018 to 28/09/2018 and has now finished.
14 people signed this ePetition.
Thank you for the time that you have taken to organise and submit a petition to Portsmouth City Council (PCC) regarding the school crossing patrol site at Cobden Avenue.
To answer the points raised in the justification for your
petition, Cobden Avenue was downgraded to a low priority site 2
years ago and on review it is still classed a low priority site so
a new SCP will not be allocated to the site.
The reasons for this are:
• The site is covered by the 20mph speed limit which is
deemed to be self-enforcing, PCC were able to implement this speed
limit because the average speeds of vehicles travelling along the
residential roads were recorded at lower than 20mph. Portsmouth was
the first British city to implement a 20mph speed limit on almost
all residential roads to reduce road casualties and protect
pedestrians and cyclists.
• In the 5 years between 29th June 2013 and 30th June 2018
there have been recorded collisions at this site. Casualty figures
will continue to be monitored and analysed to ensure that PCC is
making decisions based on the most accurate data.
If you witness vehicles parking illegally on the route to the school please call the PCC Traffic Management Centre on 023 9268 8290 and they will send out the next available Civil Enforcement Officer to observe the vehicle and issue a Fixed Penalty notice if appropriate. School Crossing Patrollers do not have any enforcement powers to stop vehicles parking illegally but will also report incidents of illegal parking to the Traffic Management Centre.
The recruitment of School Crossing Patrollers (SCP's) is a continuous process, there is an advert permanently on the PCC website and all applications are considered against the role criteria. All applicants who meet the criteria are taken forward to interview and employment if successful. Currently there are no relief SCP's to cover sites when existing staff are off sick because PCC do not have the SCP staff resources to provide this, however there is an ongoing commitment to the recruitment of school crossing patrollers.